What is your vision for Knoxville 10 years from now?

I would love to see Knoxville continue to embrace possibilities for being outdoors – from outdoor seating at restaurants to more pedestrian and bike-friendly transit options to continued development of recreational opportunities.

What is Knoxville’s Best Kept Secret?

East Tennessee Children’s Hospital! Most people don’t realize we have a top-notch pediatric medical center serving children birth-age 21 with a wide range of medical specialties, right here in Knoxville.

What would you do to strengthen Knoxville?

Continue to make us more welcoming to people from outside Knoxville, especially young people.

What is your favorite Knoxville memory?

It’s so hard to choose! Maybe doing the Tour de Lights bike ride with my family every December.

What is your favorite book or what book is currently on your nightstand?

I’m currently reading Demon Copperfield by one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver.

What is the best advice you have received from a mentor, and who was that mentor?

When Bruce Anderson offered me the job of Assistant General Counsel at ETCH, I told him that there were a lot of lawyers who knew more about healthcare law than I did. “Don’t worry, you can learn all that stuff,” he told me. “But you have a heart for the hospital, and you can’t teach that.”

What advice would you give to your 16 year old self?

Don’t worry so much about what other people think of you.