Welcome to At Scale: The tnAchieves Podcast, where we tap into the wisdom, insights, and bold ideas of our partners to fuel the mission of tnAchieves—expanding college access and success for Tennessee students. Hosted by Krissy DeAlejandro, President & CEO of tnAchieves, this podcast spotlights the thought leaders, educators, and industry trailblazers who challenge us to learn, grow, and innovate as we work to transform lives through higher education. Since 2008, tnAchieves has leaned on…
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Mentor registration for the tnAchieves class of 2027 is open, and this episode of At Scale is dedicated entirely to the mentor program: why it exists, how it has changed, and what it looks like today. tnAchieves Chief Content Officer Ben Sterling and Chief Community and Government Affairs Officer Graham Thomas open the episode by revisiting 2008, when the mentor program launched with 165…
Hilton has stood alongside tnAchieves since 2011, making it one of the organization's longest-standing corporate partners. On this episode of At Scale, hosts Ben Sterling and Tyler Ford sit down with Hope Thomas, Senior Manager of HR Consulting at Hilton, to talk about what that partnership looks like today and why Hilton continues to invest in it, even as Tennessee's economy and workforce needs…
Everyone's asking if college is still worth it. Dr. Jeff Strohl, Director of Research at Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce, brings 20+ years of labor market data to answer that question — and to define what actually makes a job "good." He talks with At Scale hosts Ben Sterling and Tyler Ford about earnings variance, underemployment myths, credentialing, and what it takes to…
On this episode of At Scale , tnAchieves welcomes Dr. Brian Noland, President of East Tennessee State University, for a conversation on building Northeast Tennessee’s workforce from the ground up. Dr. Noland shares how ETSU is expanding access, supporting student success and working with regional partners to create stronger pathways from high school to postsecondary education to career. The…
Herbert Brown didn't set out to work in construction. A Memphis native with a political science degree from UT and a master's in public administration from TSU, he spent his early career at the Higher Education Commission and the Nashville Chamber of Commerce — learning how education, workforce, and economic development all connect. Today, as Community and Citizen Director at Turner Construction,…
In this episode of At Scale, tnAchieves welcomes Alfred Degrafinreid II, President and CEO of Leadership Tennessee, for a conversation about leadership, education, public service and building stronger connections across the state. A proud Memphian, Alfred shares how his journey through Tennessee State University, law school, government, campaigns, higher education and civic leadership shaped the…
What happens when a community invests in curiosity? In this episode of At Scale, tnAchieves is joined by Scott Williams, President and CEO of Discovery Park of America, to explore how one of Northwest Tennessee’s most unique destinations is helping students and families “see beyond.” Scott shares the story of Discovery Park’s founding, the vision of Robert Kirkland and the role hands-on learning…
In this episode of the At Scale Podcast, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp joins us to discuss why he has made education and workforce development a priority in his role—something not typically associated with county government. Wamp shares how his administration is working to expand postsecondary opportunities for students by investing in career and technical education, supporting multiple…
In this episode of At Scale, the podcast hosted by tnAchieves, Krissy DeAlejandro and Ben Sterling sit down with Dr. Tracy Hall, president of Southwest Tennessee Community College, and Dr. Michael Torrence, president of Motlow State Community College. Together, they explore leadership, innovation and partnership in support of student success across Tennessee’s community colleges. The conversation…
This week’s episode is a special one. We are celebrating one year of the At Scale podcast, and we could not imagine a better guest to mark the occasion than the 49th Governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam. Governor Haslam has been deeply connected to the tnAchieves story from the very beginning. From early skepticism around a small idea sketched on a whiteboard to helping scale it into what became…
