The greater Chattanooga tri-state regional growth initiative, Thrive 2055, named Ruth Thompson as new communications and outreach manager, Bridgett Massengill, project manager for Thrive 2055, announced.
Ms. Thompson joins the Thrive 2055 team after serving for nine years as the marketing and events coordinator with the City of Chattanooga’s Outdoor Chattanooga division. As the self-titled ‘Cheerleader for Chattanooga’s Outdoors,’ Ms. Thompson led community public relations and communications efforts in promoting an outdoor lifestyle for Chattanooga and the surrounding region.
“Now that Thrive 2055 is transitioning from a planning initiative into tangible actions, we were looking for a strong communicator to tell the world about this remarkable place and promote the great things we are doing for the first time together as a region,” Ms.
Massengill says.
“Ruth is not only passionate about our region, but also understands the remarkable challenges we face, and the diversity of culture and resources that set us apart from anywhere else in the world.”
Ms. Thompson grew up in Maryville, Tn., where she graduated with a bachelor of arts in English, with awards, from Maryville College. Her diverse professional background includes traveling the Southeast as a professional actor and managing Hard Rock Cafés and a small fine dining restaurant in the Great Lakes region. She has lived and worked in Boston, Miami, Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham, and small towns in West Virginia, western New York and northwest Michigan.
“A lifetime of traveling and living throughout the southeastern U.S. gave me a broad view of the benefits and the challenges of living in this region,” Ms. Thompson says. “I chose the Chattanooga area 12 years ago because it gives me the best of both worlds: the opportunity to have a fulfilling job and a vibrant cultural scene – as well as easy access to quiet, natural spaces.”