City of Chattanooga
Mayor's Council for Women
Statewide Women's Policy Conference
Steering Committee Bios
Dr. Carol Berz
Conference Chairwoman
Focusing on solution-based, collaborative problem-solving, in both the public and private sectors, Carol Berz has been a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Listed General Civil and Family Mediator and trainer for more than 25 years.
Dr. Berz is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Private Dispute Resolution Services, LLC, a mediation services and training organization headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She also serves as a Councilwoman for the City of Chattanooga, where she currently chairs the Budget and Finance Committee and is the co-founder of the City's Family Justice Center.
Through public and private partnerships, Dr. Berz has overseen the renaissance of commerce, economic development, and connectivity in a diverse business environment that includes healthcare, construction, government, employment, and finance.
Dr. Berz does extensive practice and teaching in both the public and private sector in the areas of mediation, law and ethics, and employment and labor/management issues relative to the costs of corporate conflict. She also is recognized as an authority in Family Mediation, with expertise in the special circumstance of domestic and workplace violence.
Dr. Berz holds a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Tennessee, a JD from the Nashville School of Law, a M.A. in Administration from the University of Tennessee, and B.A. in Human Services Management from the University of Tennessee, with additional studies at Emory University, Bryn Mawr College, and Harvard University. In addition, she is an IFTA certified Personal Trainer, an AEA advanced trainer, and a YMCA certified instructor and trainer in aquatic sports training.
Jenni Berz
Jenni Berz is the Director of Services for Private Dispute Resolution Services, LLC, a mediation services, training and consulting organization based in Chattanooga. With a background in communications and event management, she coordinates the firm's mediation services, training program and marketing and public relations.
Jenni is the former Director of Training for the Girl Scouts of the USA Moccasin Bend Council, where she worked with troop leaders and other volunteers to ensure they received the proper resources to serve the needs of girls in the eleven county service area. As a Membership Manager, she worked to develop Girl Scout programming in outlying counties.
Jenni served on the Southeast Development District Advisory Council to the Tennessee Economic Council on Women traveling the District learning from women what holds them back economically and helping to establish the Southeast Development District Economic Summit for Women, an annual event that responded to the needs and issues of women in the Southeast Development District.
With a passion for fitness and the outdoors, you will often find her involved with local sporting events. She is on the Board of the Chattanooga Track Club, most recently serving as President. Jenni is also the Race Director for the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon and is the Community Relations coordinator for Team Magic, Inc., a multi-sport event management company. She is in her 25th year as a Group Fitness Instructor with the City of Chattanooga Fitness Center at Warner Park.
Jenni currently serves on the Mayor's Council for Women Healthcare Committee - Chattanooga Fitness workgroup.
Jo Coke
Jo Coke's career in the concrete materials industry culminated in her position as the first woman president of the American Concrete Association, an organization producing codes, guides, and standards for the use of concrete in this country and many others.
Moving to Chattanooga in 2000, Jo became immediately involved with the cultural and nonprofit aspects of her new city. She has served as Board member and president of the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Chattanooga History Center, and the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Guild. Currently she serves on the boards of WTCI and the CSO.
Jo was an American Lung Association Woman of Distinction in 2008 and later an Unbought and Unbossed awardee. She is also current president of her Wellesley College class.
Eva Dillard
Eva retired in 2015 after 29 years of service with United Way of Greater Chattanooga and 17 earlier years of service in speech pathology, mental health and developmental disabilities. Eva became the first female chief executive and president in United Way of Greater Chattanooga's history.
While with United Way, she was an active volunteer at the state and national levels, as well as serving on many local boards and committees. Eva also made it a priority to make time to mentor several young female professionals looking to climb the ladder to professional leadership with integrity.
Since retiring, Eva has served as a consultant for several local nonprofits, focusing on management and resource development strategies. She currently volunteers as a member of the Orange Grove Center's Board of Directors, the Heritage Landing Owners Association Board, and the Vestry of St Paul's Episcopal Church.
Eva and her husband Dick are a family-oriented couple. Together Dick and Eva have been blessed with a daughter, Tempe Wagner, two sons, Duke and Duffy Dillard, and 11 grandchildren. While Eva and Dick enjoy traveling, they spend much of their free time with their grandchildren, especially at their school and sporting events.
Beverly Johnson
Beverly retired from the City of Chattanooga in April 2013 having served in her last position as the first female Administrator for the Department of Neighborhood Services and Community Development. Prior to this mayoral appointment, for 18 years she was the first African American and female Deputy Administrator for the Public Works Department. Her professional and consulting experiences include working in housing, community and economic development positions in Atlanta, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Washington, D.C.
Beverly has an undergraduate degree in history and political science from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) and a graduate degree in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). She holds a certificate in Practical Politics from the Institute of Politics and Government (Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation), is a National Urban/Rural Fellow (Ford Foundation), and graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and Tennessee Leadership.
Beverly's professional and civic memberships and activities are many for which she has received numerous awards and recognitions. She serves on the National Board of Directors of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) and is Immediate Past President of NCBW Chattanooga Chapter, Inc. where she is also a Charter Member and the Founding President.
Beverly and Curtis are proud parents of a blended family of four adult children and one grandson. Both are active members of Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist Church, avid golfers on a constant hunt to find new golf courses to play, and share a love for volunteerism always looking for opportunities to "pay it forward."
Terri Lee
Terri Lee manages the community relations needs of Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, assisting in building relationships and growing the team's brand throughout the region. She's responsible for overseeing the street team and player appearances, assisting with the organization's events and coordinating game day Fan Zone activations. As Director of Community Relations, Terri brings a passion for soccer and strong background in managing game and practice logistics as both a youth team manager and parent to two active children.
Serving numerous positions with Big Ridge Elementary Parent Teacher Association, Terri is deeply involved with the school system while serving as a liaison to other parents in the community. She loves soccer and especially enjoys working with families to encourage children to be active and grow from the experience of a team environment.
Prior to her position with Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Terri served as City of Chattanooga's Treasurer, maximizing collection of property taxes while also engaging citizens through community tax assistance programs. Before that, Terri spent 17 years with Unum Group, most recently as Director of Banking Operations.
With a strong commitment to contributing to her community, Terri also actively serves on the Mayor's Council for Women. Terri graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is an alumni of Ooltewah High school. She lives in Hixson now with her husband Rusty and two children Landon and Juliet.
Beverly McKeldin
Beverly A. McKeldin is an independent Benefits Advisor at the American Family Life Assurance Company (AFLAC), where she coordinates employee supplemental products for businesses across the state of Tennessee and Georgia. Beverly worked over twenty years for the City of Chattanooga Human Services department, first implementing the Foster Grandparent program and was later promoted to the Early Childhood Education Manager. She has served as state and local President for the Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare, and Southeast Council on Children and Youth.
Beverly is a member of several organizations and boards, to include National Coalition of 100 Black Women Chattanooga Chapter, Inc., where she serves as Fundraising Chair, Girls Inc. Board, Ambassador for the Chattanooga Chamber, and past board member of Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare. She is a past honoree of the UnBought and UnBossed award and the SECCY Community Service award. Beverly graduated from Tennessee State University with a Bachelor Degree in Social Welfare/Public Relations.
Brooke Satterfield
Brooke Satterfield joined the City of Chattanooga in 2017 and currently serves as a Project Coordinator in the Office of Mayor Andy Berke, where her responsibilities include staffing the Mayor's Council for Women, planning and managing special events including the Statewide Women's Policy Conference and the Mayor's annual State of the City address, and assisting Mayor Berke and his Chief of Staff on a variety of special projects and initiatives.
An avid runner and fitness enthusiast, Brooke also serves as the Volunteer Director for several major local athletic events, including both IRONMAN races in Chattanooga and the Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon. Brooke also devotes her time to supporting local organizations that support girls and empower women, including Girls, Inc. of Chattanooga, and enjoys participating in programming for students at her alma mater, UTC.
Brooke holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Jeannine Carpenter
The Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga unites efforts for social change that improve life for women and girls across the region. Through advocacy and philanthropy, the Women's Fund catalyzes movement toward a just society that is safe, nurturing, and full of opportunity for women. As the Interim Executive Director and Director of Research and Policy for the Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga, Jeannine Carpenter leads research, policy recommendations, lobbying, issue education, and advocacy engagement efforts designed to elevate Tennessee beyond its status as one of the worst states in the country for women. 49th simply isn't good enough.
Jeannine believes that advocacy is for everyone - regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, race, physical ability, economic status, or educational attainment. One of her favorite parts of working at the Women's Fund is empowering all women to use their voices and passions to make the difference that they want to see in the world.
Before joining the Women's Fund, Jeannine worked in education, communications, and issue advocacy, as well as adapted athletics. Jeannine received a PhD in Sociolinguistics from Duke University, a Master's Degree in English language studies and a Bachelor of Arts from North Carolina State University. She currently lives in Chattanooga with her husband, Richard, and their rescued Doberman, Nikki.
Stacy Richardson
Stacy began serving as Chief of Staff to Mayor Andy Berke in 2015. Prior to that, she served as the Chief Policy Officer and Senior Advisor to the mayor. Her background is in both politics and policy, serving as the campaign manager for the Berke for Mayor Campaign and as a research fellow at the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies.
Over the years, Stacy has worked alongside numerous public and private partners to help implement several key mayoral initiatives, including growing Chattanooga's innovation and technology economy through the Innovation District, ensuring families have the opportunity to succeed through Baby University, and coordinating the work and policy directives of the Mayor's Council for Women.
A native to Chattanooga, Stacy graduated with both departmental and university honors from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Most recently, Stacy obtained a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California's Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Brenda Freeman-Short
Brenda is a community and political leader. She ran for the office of U.S. House of Representatives for the Third District of Tennessee in 2010. She was elected as a Charter Commissioner of her city and served a two -year term. She has served as East Tennessee Vice President for the Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women. Brenda was appointed by former Congresswoman Marilyn Lloyd as a coordinator of a Child Care Task Force.
She is a member of the Chattanooga Women's Leadership Institute, Tennessee Bar Association, and serves as Vice President of Community Bridgebuilders, Inc. She presently serves as co-chair of the Justice Committee of the Mayor's Council for Women.
Brenda is an advocate for women and children, working tirelessly to help develop and introduce policy that will improve the lives of women. She has worked with abused children through the Chambliss Center for Children. She is an advocate for former women inmates, in court as well as teaching in the prison system. Brenda received her law degree from the Nashville School of Law and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee.
Deborah A. Flagg
Deborah A. Flagg, a native of Detroit, Michigan, has resided in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the past eleven years. Recently retired, she worked for Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union in various financial services capacities.
Deborah has an extensive background in sales and accounting. She was employed as Accounts Payable/Receivable Manager for Cadillac Plastic & Chemical Company in Madison Heights, Michigan for seven years and was the first African American female to work with their management team. After employment with Cadillac, she became an Accounts Payable Supervisor with the National Bank of Detroit. She was promoted to Bank Officer after a short period of time and later as Assistant Vice President working in Cash Management; however, after several mergers the company was acquired by JPMorgan Chase.
In conjunction with her bank tenure, Deborah was an entrepreneur. She was a District Sales Manager for Personal Preference Inc., an art distribution company, headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Through her strong determination and motivation, her team excelled and received numerous sales and recruiting awards and rose to become the "Number One Sales Team" in 2005.
Deborah was educated in Michigan and attended both private and public schools. She received her Associate's Degree in Business Administration from Oakland Community College in Royal Oak, Michigan, and also attended Wayne State University in Detroit. She uses her eclectic background inspiring others to attain their goals.
She has been a member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Chattanooga Chapter, Inc. since 2009 and is currently serving a second term as Chapter President. Deborah is an active member of Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist Church.
Deborah is married to her soul mate, Denis; together they have five wonderful children and seven loving grandchildren. She loves spending quality time with her family and enjoys traveling, dancing, and reading fiction novels.
Tina Fielder-Gibson
Tina Fielder-Gibson is a native of Flint, Michigan and has been living in Chattanooga for the past 11 years. She retired in 2008 from the Genesee County Sheriff Department after 22 years of service.
Beginning in 2009, Tina held a few positions with Partnership for Family, Children and Adults first as a coordinator of a homeless program, Front desk supervisor, and Foster Parent Trainer. Tina then moved on to become the Transformation Facilitator at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy employed from 2014-2018. Always evolving, Tina became a license esthetician July 2019. Tina is also owner of her own handmade jewelry line, Nice Things By Tina.
Tina is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Chattanooga Alumnae Chapter, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., and Chattanooga Chapter of the Links Inc. She is also a member of Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist Church. Tina is married to Thomas Gibson.
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