Melanie Brandt, MBA, CAE

Tennessee leads the nation in advanced industry job growth. That doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects years of work aligning education, training, and employers. And there is still important work ahead. Honored to serve on the Tennessee State Workforce Development Board and grateful for the strong foundation already in place. Working at the local and regional levels, I’ve seen firsthand how workforce policy translates into real outcomes for students, employers, and families. When education, training, and employers are aligned more Tennesseans are prepared for meaningful careers and businesses have the talent they need to compete. Proud to represent Tullahoma and the Southern Middle region in this work. Let’s keep building.

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Driving Impact: Key Takeaways from the SGBC Small Business Roundtable The Southern Georgia Black Chambers hosted a highly impactful roundtable focused on critical community issues that intersect with business and health. We are proud to highlight the work of our featured guests: Kristina Cheek, CLC, CD, CD(DONA), CB-PPN, CBS (SISTA GIRL Birth Initiative): Discussed her mission to combat alarming maternal health disparities in rural South Georgia. She detailed how her community-based, Black-led organization provides essential education, doula support, and advocacy, while demonstrating the power of inter-member collaboration with fellow SGBC businesses like Family Insight and AJ Produced It. Adrienne Banks (LIFELINK of Georgia): Presented a powerful case for organ donation, revealing that 70% of Georgians waiting for a kidney transplant are African American. She offered actionable steps to combat the stigma around donation and encouraged our network to educate their families and friends, highlighting the life-saving potential of one single donor. These conversations exemplify the SGBC's commitment to tackling real-world challenges through business and community engagement. Learn from leaders who are making a difference. Our bi-monthly roundtables are a core benefit of membership. Want to position your expertise in front of a network of change-makers? Join the Southern Georgia Black Chambers and apply to be a featured guest! Learn more about membership here: https://lnkd.in/eBr2U_Xj #SGBC #SmallBusinessRoundtable #LinkedIn #BusinessDevelopment #ChamberOfCommerce #CommunityImpact #MaternalHealth #OrganDonation #Leadership #Collaboration #BlackBusiness #SouthGeorgia #sgablackchambers

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Excited to join this upcoming Lightcast conversation on how states are responding to labor shortages and rethinking workforce investment strategy. Across the country, we’re seeing deeper coordination between workforce systems, higher education, and employers - especially around credentials, apprenticeships, and better use of labor market data and employer input to guide investment. All this is especially crucial in the context of rapid AI adoption, Workforce Pell implementation, and the broader movement at federal and state policy levels toward outcomes-driven education accountability frameworks. Looking forward to sharing a few lessons from Maryland and hearing perspectives from colleagues doing this work across the country. Join me, Dr. Christopher Laney, Raymond Sass, and Barry May on March 18th!

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🎙️ Exciting news! The Community Possibilities podcast just launched a new 4-part series spotlighting top grant professionals. In our first episode, I sit down with grant strategist Betty Barnard, MNPO, GPC, President & CEO of Resurgens Impact Consulting, to unpack what ‘grant readiness’ really means today. Tune in to learn: • What funders look for: 2–3 years of operations, clean financials, a strong board, and a defendable budget. • How fiscal sponsorship can help new organizations build capacity. • Why visibility = viability—and how to align your website, social channels, and profiles for maximum impact. Listen now and let us know: What’s your biggest challenge with grant readiness? Drop your thoughts or questions below! https://lnkd.in/gBxn-afx #CommunityPossibilities #Podcast #GrantReadiness #NonprofitSuccess #CapacityBuilding

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Ponderosa Community Management is proud to kick off 2026 by welcoming six new associations that had previously been self-managed. As the first professional management partner for many of these volunteer boards, we focus on starting with the fundamentals. Part 2 of our 2026 Board Education Series aims to clarify essential concepts: What is fund accounting? What is a zero-based budget? Why do many homeowners carry a prepaid balance? Educated boards lead to effective governance.

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At OE Enterprises, we are working to provide the individuals we serve with true informed choice. Through this initiative, we are equipping individuals and their families with clear information about CIE, creating meaningful opportunities to explore employment as an attainable goal, and supporting decisions rooted in possibilities rather than limitations. #OEEnterprises #InclusiveEmployment #CIE #DisabilityInclusion

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As part of the #OwnershipEconomy, 1 home with permanent affordabilty can benefit up to 16 separate families, who each get an opportunity to access the American Dream of Homeownership. One investment to create a #SharedEquity home benefits multiple generations. But to achieve that at scale, significant grants and investments are needed immediately to expand the national #LastingAffordability housing ecosystem.

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🚀 The Delta Regional Authority is making $2.5 million available through the 2025 LDD Community Support Pilot Program — a noncompetitive grant opportunity designed to help Local Development Districts expand capacity, strengthen communities, and drive economic growth across the Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions. This funding will give LDDs the tools to better support local governments, improve infrastructure, and create lasting economic opportunities. Read More: https://bit.ly/412ZC9q Apply by Sept. 26 ➡️ www.dra.gov

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KUDOS to the State of Virginia: the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program Press Release from Governor Glen Youngkin's office ..."The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program is a workforce initiative created by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System with funding support from the Governor’s administration and the Virginia General Assembly. The program accelerates new facility startups through the direct delivery of recruitment and training services that are fully customized to a company’s unique products, processes, equipment, standards and culture. All program services are provided at no cost to qualified new and expanding companies as an incentive for job creation. Since launching in 2019, the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program has helped secure more than 17,000 jobs across Virginia."... See the program here: https://lnkd.in/eJ89a5TP Yes Virginia! IEC Chesapeake has an electrical apprenticeship in Virginia:

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