TCVSL Plenary Speakers
Dr. Thenera Bailey, President/CEO
SISGI Group
Dr. Thenera Bailey is the President/CEO of the SISGI Group. She has had an accomplished career as a trainer, consultant, nonprofit leader, grantmaker and technical assistance provider to nonprofits/NGOs, programs, government agencies, corporations, and school systems throughout the country. Her work as a strategy consultant has included leadership of projects for clients such as the American Diabetes Association, Boys and Girls Clubs, Volunteer Alaska, Schultz Family Foundation, New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, Connecticut Department of Higher Education, AARP Foundation, Kettering Foundation, America’s Service Commissions, and many more national, state, and local organizations. Her consulting projects cover a variety of areas of expertise and services including developing programs, training, expansion/replication of program models to new communities, strategic planning and capacity building.
Jada Brown
Miss Tennessee Volunteer
A native of Tampa, Florida, she is a senior at the historic Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., where she majors in biology with a minor in chemistry. With a 3.6 GPA, she serves as the captain of the Lane College volleyball team and plays a role in the S-STEM program. After graduating, she plans to pursue a career as a healthcare professional. As the Governor's spokesperson, she travels the State of Tennessee speaking to thousands of school children spreading the message of her character trait 'care'. She promotes the importance of American Sign Language through her platform, 'the beauty within our hands.' In June, she will be Tennessee’s representative for the Miss Volunteer America Pageant.
Chelsea Crawford, Chief of Staff
Tennessee Department of Education
As Chief of Staff, Chelsea leads the communications, engagement, policy and legislative affairs, and program and financial performance and evaluation teams to support student achievement in Tennessee's K-12 schools. Before joining the department in January 2020 as assistant commissioner for communications and engagement, Chelsea previously worked in the private sector, including serving as Vice President for a public affairs firm that supported corporate, government, political, and non-profit clients, and earlier in career serving federal defense contractors. A proud native Tennessean, she holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and personally serves on various boards for organizations aligned to her values and interests.
Daniel Irwin, Research Scientist
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Daniel Irwin is a research scientist at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the Global Program Manager for SERVIR—a flagship NASA and US Agency for International Development (USAID) program with activities in over 50 countries throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, West Africa, the Hindu Kush Himalaya, lower Mekong, and Amazonia regions. He has over 25 years of experience in satellite remote sensing applications and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the developing world. Daniel also served as a lead remote sensing specialist in support of NASA’s space archeology program, with a focus on detecting structures of the ancient Maya. He received his master’s degree in environmental science at Miami University in 1993.
Melissa Ortiz, President/CEO
Capability Consulting
Melissa Ortiz identifies as a “happy warrior” and is enthusiastic about driving a dialogue between people living with disabilities or chronic illness and policy makers across the political spectrum. She has worked in the classroom in Nashville, Tennessee and in the nonprofit sector in New York City and Washington, DC. She was honored to serve as President Trump’s Commissioner of the Administration on Disabilities. Founder of Capability Consulting, she currently resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband Tony and her retired Service Dog, Annie Oakley the Dachshund. When she isn’t working on disability policy issues or giving a motivational speech, her hobbies include reading historical fiction and doing crossword puzzles in ink.
The Well Outreach
The Well Outreach is honored to offer our Food Pantry services to anyone in need, with no geographical boundaries. Families in need of food can come to our pantry to receive groceries up to twice monthly. By working alongside community food drives and through partnerships with local grocery stores, The Well is able to serve anyone in need with about a week's worth of groceries.