At Scale: The tnAchieves Podcast

Most people know Goodwill for its stores. Fewer know what those stores pay for.

Cindy Varner, Chief Mission Officer at Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, joins Ben Sterling and Graham Thomas to explain how retail revenue funds education, training and employment services across 48 counties. She walks through Goodwill’s new Opportunity Center in Nashville, short-term training shaped by employer advisory councils, a training stipend of at least $150 a week and an individual career and financial plan for every person who comes through a Goodwill center.

She also shares her path from 20 years in Arkansas state government to Goodwill, plans for an Excel Center adult high school in Nashville and why she believes Tennessee’s connected approach to education and workforce sets it apart.

Listen now at tnachieves.org/news/goodwill.

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Most students picture one job when they picture Tractor Supply. Melissa Kersey, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, is here to widen the frame.

Melissa joins Ben Sterling and Graham Thomas to talk about what a career at Tennessee’s largest rural lifestyle retailer actually looks like: about 100 internships a year, co-op programs in engineering and IT that earn college credit, a dedicated college recruiting team that visits community colleges alongside four-year campuses and tuition assistance that now covers trade certifications for part-time team members.

She also explains why store managers are given funds to invest in their own communities, why she started her own career as an hourly team member at 14 and what she looks for in students entering the workforce today.

Listen now at tnachieves.org/news/tractor.

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Sylvamo spun off from International Paper five years ago, but its Memphis roots run much deeper. On this episode of At Scale, Neki Catron, Global Community Engagement Manager at Sylvamo, sits down with hosts Krissy DeAlejandro and Tyler Ford to talk about how a global paper company builds real community engagement at home.

Neki walks through her own path from Memphis native to what she calls her dream job, the culture of volunteerism inside Sylvamo and why she frames education investment as strategy rather than charity. She and the hosts also dig into what employers need from the next generation of workers, how AI and automation are reshaping the skills that matter and why exposure, mentorship and a willingness to be uncomfortable move students forward.

Sylvamo is a funding partner behind MemAccess and MemCOMPLETE, tnAchieves initiatives that help Memphis students earn postsecondary credentials and step into careers.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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Economic prosperity has always been the goal.

For nearly two decades, tnAchieves has helped Tennessee students navigate the journey from high school to college, from college to graduation and, increasingly, from graduation to a meaningful career.

What began as a local idea has become a statewide model built on a simple conviction: opportunity only matters when students can turn it into lasting economic prosperity.

tnAchieves is more than programs. We represent a student-centered continuum, driving economic prosperity for Tennessee students by Building Tennessee’s Future Workforce.

tnAchieves graduates will generate an estimated $40.6–$45.9 billion in lifetime earnings, a direct return on helping more Tennessee students complete postsecondary credentials — prosperity that extends to their families and communities.

Read the report: tnachieves.org/prosperity-report

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Mentor registration for the tnAchieves class of 2027 is open, and this episode of At Scale is dedicated entirely to the mentor program: why it exists, how it has changed, and what it looks like today.

tnAchieves Chief Content Officer Ben Sterling and Chief Community and Government Affairs Officer Graham Thomas open the episode by revisiting 2008, when the mentor program launched with 165 volunteers in Knox County working with fewer than 500 students. From there, Vice President of Workforce Tyler Ford talks about the mentor program's growth into a statewide, community-based effort that has recruited more than 100,000 mentors over nearly two decades, and the shift to a virtual model during the pandemic that made workforce mentoring possible. Director of Mentors Baylor Atkins closes the episode with a look at the program as it stands in 2026: two tracks, Access and Workforce, an opt-in model that connects mentors with students who ask for support, and a goal of 5,000 mentors by November 20 to serve the class of 2027.

In this episode:

— Why tnAchieves built a mentor program alongside its scholarship model

Register to become a mentor: tnAchieves.org/mentors

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Hilton has stood alongside tnAchieves since 2011, making it one of the organization's longest-standing corporate partners. On this episode of At Scale, hosts Ben Sterling and Tyler Ford sit down with Hope Thomas, Senior Manager of HR Consulting at Hilton, to talk about what that partnership looks like today and why Hilton continues to invest in it, even as Tennessee's economy and workforce needs have changed over the past decade and a half.

Thomas walks through the full arc of Hilton's student investment: job shadow days that expose students to careers across the company, a ten-week internship program open to every function, and Launch, an early-talent program that moves recent graduates into entry-level roles at Hilton. Along the way, students build durable skills, professional networks, and a clearer picture of what's possible, well before they ever apply for a job.

The conversation also turns to what students should be thinking about as they weigh their next steps: culture, professional development, and long-term stability alongside pay. For Hilton, that means treating students not as future hires to develop someday, but as talent worth investing in now, a mindset that connects directly to tnAchieves' work building pathways from high school to college to career.

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Everyone's asking if college is still worth it. Dr. Jeff Strohl, Director of Research at Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce, brings 20+ years of labor market data to answer that question — and to define what actually makes a job "good." He talks with At Scale hosts Ben Sterling and Tyler Ford about earnings variance, underemployment myths, credentialing, and what it takes to connect a post-secondary credential to a career, not just a job. A must-listen for anyone thinking about college access and success in Tennessee and beyond.

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On this episode of At Scale, tnAchieves welcomes Dr. Brian Noland, President of East Tennessee State University, for a conversation on building Northeast Tennessee’s workforce from the ground up.

Dr. Noland shares how ETSU is expanding access, supporting student success and working with regional partners to create stronger pathways from high school to postsecondary education to career. The conversation highlights high-touch advising, faculty relationships, workforce partnerships and the importance of redefining college as every high-quality pathway beyond high school.

From Ballad Health and Eastman to Northeast State and TCAT Elizabethton, ETSU is helping students see a future in Northeast Tennessee while strengthening the talent pipeline the region needs.

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Herbert Brown didn't set out to work in construction. A Memphis native with a political science degree from UT and a master's in public administration from TSU, he spent his early career at the Higher Education Commission and the Nashville Chamber of Commerce — learning how education, workforce, and economic development all connect. Today, as Community and Citizen Director at Turner Construction, he's putting all of it to work on some of the biggest projects in Tennessee history.

In this episode of At Scale, Graham Thomas and Tyler Ford sit down with Herbert to talk about what it really looks like when a major construction firm invests in the communities it builds in. From the Titans Construction Training Camp — a paid, five-week credentialing program now in its eleventh cohort — to student art competitions, K–12 job shadows, and partnerships with Nashville public schools, Turner is doing workforce development differently. Herbert also gives listeners an inside look at the new Nissan Stadium, including a first-of-its-kind NFL community room dedicated to nonprofits and civic organizations year-round.

Whether you're a student exploring careers, an educator building employer partnerships, or just curious about who's shaping Tennessee's future — this one's worth your time.

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In this episode of At Scale, tnAchieves welcomes Alfred Degrafinreid II, President and CEO of Leadership Tennessee, for a conversation about leadership, education, public service and building stronger connections across the state.

The episode also explores the mission of Leadership Tennessee, which brings leaders from across Tennessee together to better understand the state’s communities, challenges and opportunities. Alfred discusses the importance of exposure, regional understanding and creating spaces where leaders can learn from one another.

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