The East Tennessee Regional Leadership Newsletter, Vol 1, Issue 2

Welcome to the second issue of The East Tennessee LEADER, the newsletter of the East Tennessee Regional Leadership Alumni Association (ETRLAA).

With each issue, a highlight will be featured. Many times it will be a personal history of an alumni, but as a special feature of this second newsletter, we chose to bring you information about the dedicated staff of the East Tennessee Community Design Center.

This issue we will feature Perry Childress, Tim Ledford, Emily Lingerfelt and Jan Mosadegh:

About The East Tennessee Community Design Center

The East Tennessee Community Design Center – The Place and The People

By Jan Mosadegh



“Take a stroll through Ijams Nature Park, go to a concert at Laurel Theater or join a 
festival at Haley Heritage Square.  And offer a silent thanks to the East Tennessee 
Community Design Center that Knoxville has those pleasant places.”  

Marti Davis - News-Sentinel staff writer, 05/17/00


The East Tennessee Community Design Center has been around for over 30 years providing 
architectural, planning and other design services to community groups and nonprofits 
throughout East Tennessee.  The Community Design Center’s work has provided 
assistance for over 600 complete projects which have enhanced neighborhoods, 
facilitated the delivery of services, and made this area a nicer place in which to 
live.  As our slogan goes, we create better communities by design.

So, what does this have to do with the East Tennessee Regional Leadership Association?  
Everything, because when you mention the Community Design Center you are talking 
about the place where the East Tennessee Regional Leadership program began.

About four years ago, through their Community Development Program, the Design Center 
obtained funding from the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service

(UTIPS) and the Appalachian Regional Commission to expand leadership development 
activities in East Tennessee.  At the time there were 7 counties in East Tennessee 
that lacked leadership programs.  The Community Design Center wrote a curriculum 
called “Blueprint for Leadership” and then provided instruction to a core group of 
individuals from each of the seven counties.  The program was a success.  Now, four 
years after the project began, all counties have functioning leadership development 
programs.  

Having the new leadership programs in place, the Community Design Center then began 
focusing on the feasibility of establishing a sustainable regional leadership program 
in East Tennessee.  As a result, in year three of the contract with UTIPS, the East 
Tennessee Regional Leadership Association (ETRLA) was launched.  The program began 
with a steering committee (the first year’s class) which was made up of two selected 
graduates from each participating county’s leadership programs.   Over a ten-month 
period, these individuals attended a retreat and class days held in rotating 
counties.  Through many trials, ideas and details, they essentially shaped the 
program into what it is today.

The program is now in its third year and is governed by the East Tennessee Regional 
Leadership Board of Directors (members from the steering committee).  The East 
Tennessee Community Design Center’s current involvement in the program is one of 
administrative and financial support.  

When asked to write this article on the Community Design Center, the Alumni Committee 
also wanted me to write on the people behind the scenes at the Design Center. The 
staff at the Design Center includes Tim Ledford, Executive Director, Perry Childress, 
DesignWorks Program Manager, Emily Lingerfelt, Assistant Program Coordinator and 
myself, Jan Mosadegh, Administrator.  As most of you know I’m also the Administrator 
for the East Tennessee Regional Leadership program (my favorite thing about work)  so 
I will begin with myself. 

What did I do before the Community Design Center?  I have an extensive background in 
administration, public relations and communications for non-profits.  After 
graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1984 with a degree in Marketing, I was 
the Communications Coordinator for the Tennessee Valley Fair for many years before 
becoming the Marketing Director for United Way of Blount County. I have been with the 
East Tennessee Community Design Center since August 1998.  Currently at the Design 
Center, I focus on all the communication pieces the Center produces (brochures, 
newsletters, annual reports, news releases, etc.) as well as the accounting and daily 
business activities. I’m a Knoxville native, married to Steve Mosadegh since 1987 and 
have two beautiful children, Mitra who is seven, and Layla who is turning four on May 
9.  I live in a wonderful 110 year-old farmhouse in South Knoxville that my husband 
(who is a general contractor) completely restored in 1987.

As the Executive Director for the East Tennessee Community Design Center, Tim supervises 
all daily activities, Community Design Center programs and project development. Prior 
to his arrival at the Community Design Center in July 1996, Tim was the president of 
the Roane County Chamber of Commerce for five years and happens to be a graduate of 
Leadership Roane. In nine years of rural community development activity, Tim has 
acquired a diverse, professional background in areas such as enterprise development, 
industrial retention and recreational development.  Tim earned degrees in Psychology 
and Economics from the University of Tennessee. Unlike his predecessors who had 
architectural and planning backgrounds, Tim is taking the Community Design Center in 
new directions by utilizing his expertise in administering non-profit organizations. 
Tim lives in Roane County, is married and has two children.    Currently Tim’s 
supports the East Tennessee Regional Leadership Program by writing grants for the 
program and making sure I’m doing a good job.

Emily Lingerfelt, who many of you have met, assists in a broad range of program work and 
in-house technical activities. Emily began working at the East Tennessee Community 
Design Center as an intern while finishing her Bachelor of Architecture degree from 
the University of Tennessee. She was top graduate in her class in the spring of 1997. 
After completing her degree, Emily served as a VISTA in the DesignWorks Program. She 
was added to the Community Design Center staff in December 1998. In addition to her 
education in architecture, Emily also has extensive experience with computer systems 
and software. Originally from Niota, Tennessee, Emily currently lives in South 
Knoxville with her husband Ryan Collins and her two cats Blixa and Meta.

Perry Childress, who has been at the Community Design Center for seventeen years, works 
directly with client groups and volunteer professionals on direct technical 
assistance projects.  After receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree from UT in 
1984 he served as a VISTA at the Community Design Center and then stayed on as a 
staff member.  A lifetime resident of Knoxville, Perry specializes in assisting 
community organizations and individuals to undertake projects of historic 
preservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse as well as other neighborhood 
revitalization efforts.  If you ever need to know anything about Knoxville, 
historically or otherwise, just ask Perry.  I call him our unofficial Knoxville 
historian.

The East Tennessee Community Design Center is governed by a 27 member Board of Directors 
which I’m going to list because there might be one or two that you know (but didn’t 
know was connected to the Community Design Center.)  If you happen to know one of our 
Board Members, this will serve as a good topic of conversation next time you see 
them.  They are as follows: Faris Eid, AIA, Chair, Design Innovations Architects;  
Curtis Catron, ASLA, Vice Chair, Bullock Smith & Partners;  Andy Beam, Treasurer, NBC 
Bank;  Gideon Fryer, Secretary (also one of the founding members) Professor Emeritus, 
University of Tennessee College of Social Work;  Beth Phillips, Past Chair, Economic 
and Community Development; Mike Arms, S.A.I.C.;  Doug Berry, Hodge Engineering 
Company;  Doris Scott Crawford, Knoxville College;  Pat Hardin, University of 
Tennessee College of Law School;  Ray Hayworth, M.D., Retired;  Jim Hodge, Hodge 
Engineering Company;  Bill Lauer, Retired, School of Architecture and Planning;  
Jennifer Martella, AIA, Martella Associates;  Doug McCarty, AIA, McCarty Holsaple 
McCarty;  Sharon McKee, Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon;  Ric Mixon, AIA, Wystwynd 
Designs, Inc.;  Ronald Nesbitt, SunTrust Bank;  Mike Parish, FMP Real Estate 
Services, Inc.;  DeWayne Pendley, AIA, McCarty Holsaple McCarty;  Mike Terry, 
Traveler’s Insurance;  Jenny Thurman, ASLA, Benefield Richters Co.;  Kim Trent, 
AmSouth Bank;  Jay Vincent, Retired, Community Volunteer;  John Walker, Attorney at 
Law, Walker and Walker PC (also one of the founding members).  Ex-Officio Members 

(Appointed by a Sponsoring Organization) include: Frank Sparkman, AIA, Sparkman & 
Associates Architects, Inc.; Rogers Doughty, City of Knoxville Department of 
Community Development; and Curtis Stewart, ASLA, Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc.

If anyone would like more information on the East Tennessee Community Design Center, 
please call us at 865-525-9945 or see our web page at:

East Tennessee Community Design Center

NOTICE

The Annual TACL (Tennessee Association of Community Leadership) Conference will be held in Memphis this year. The dates are Wednesday, October 24 - Friday, October 26. Carolyn Forster (Blount County) is checking into the cost of chartering a bus and Bob Gonia suggested a possible "Package Deal" for the ETRLA partcipants. The 2001 class will probably be unable to attend since the first day of the conference falls on a class day. But the Alumni are invited to attend. Details and updates to follow in upcoming newsletters.

Linda's Fence Post See the happenings around the region and also catch up on personal information about what East Tennessee Regional Leadership graduates are doing. Keep up with the current news! Click on the above link to read the current issue of "From the Fence Post" by Linda Ogle.