ORNL engineer to collaborate with professionals to address Tennessee’s most serious issues
Leadership Tennessee, a collective with a mission to foster nonpartisan dialogue on issues of state importance, has named Clarice Phelps to its 2024–2025 Signature Program Class XI. Phelps is an engineer in the Radioisotope Science and Technology Division at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
In Leadership Tennessee’s 11th Signature Program, 14 different Tennessee counties are represented with diverse professional experience in the business, government, education and nonprofit sectors.
“I am proud to bring my unique perspective to issues facing our great state,” Phelps said. “I admire the talented professionals also named to this year’s class, and I am certain that, working with this diverse group, we’ll be able to make a transformative impact for the betterment of our state.”
Over the course of 10 months, Phelps, a longtime supporter of STEM programs who spearheaded ORNL’s Chemical Radiation Technology Pathway partnership with Pellissippi State Community College, will join the cohort in visiting all corners of the state, analyzing challenges that Tennessee faces, and working together to identify solutions and opportunities. The group will produce a statewide study that results in concrete plans to continue dialogue and actions addressing the most serious issues uncovered.
"Whether in advancing science, inspiring others with her story, or building programs to prepare the next generation, Clarice is an exemplary leader," ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer said. “I look forward to seeing the impact she will bring to the state through Leadership Tennessee."
The group was selected by an anonymous selection committee based on the following criteria: leadership experience, a history of addressing statewide issues in both a personal and professional capacity, and a strong understanding of what challenges Tennessee faces today.
“In a time of increasing polarization, Leadership Tennessee’s mission to bring individuals together with the goal of bettering our state is something we can all be proud of,” said Alfred Degrafinreid II, president and CEO, Leadership Tennessee. “Year after year, we find that our programming helps folks to think critically while we are working together, and that continues long after the session has ended with professionals folding these major topics into their work.”
Previous classes have been able to facilitate numerous community engagement sessions across the state. Since Leadership Tennessee’s founding, more than 600 members have graduated through both the Signature Program and Leadership Tennessee NEXT, which is dedicated to emerging leaders.
The cohort’s work will begin in August and run through June 2025.
About Leadership Tennessee
Leadership Tennessee was founded in 2013 as an initiative of the College of Leadership and Public Service at Lipscomb University, and in 2021, it launched as an independent 501(c)(3). The program fosters collaborative, non-partisan dialogue on issues of state importance, connecting a network of diverse leaders and engaged citizens. Citizens with demonstrated community and professional leadership from every region of the state bring their diverse backgrounds and experiences to an in-depth exploration of the complex issues facing Tennessee, with a focus on how leaders can collaborate to effectively address those issues.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
