Chris is a licensed professional engineer in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. He holds a BSCE and a MSCE from the University of Tennessee.
Chris has been actively involved in ITE since college and recently served as the Tennessee Section President in 2011.
Born and raised in West Tennessee, Chris now lives in the Nashville area with his wife, Vonda, and their two sons, Will and Eli (ages 7 and 5). He is a rabid UT sports fanatic and also enjoys pick-up basketball and bicycling on the rare occasions that he finds the time to do so!
Q. When did you first participate as a student in a SDITE Leadership Class?
A. I was a student in 2011, when TSITE first offered this training. At the time I was President of TSITE and four of us decided it was our time to step up to the plate and tackle this program here in Tennessee. We applied for and received SDITE funding assistance and organized our first offering in the fall of 2011.
Q. What subjects had the most impact on you at the time?
A. Developing Leaders / Mentoring. Helping younger staff build not only their technical skills, but also the 'soft skills' needed to become effective leaders themselves. We, as professionals and an organization spend lots of time, effort and energy building our technical skills, yet it is our 'soft skills' that separate the good engineers, planners and consultants from the great ones.
Q. Have you taught in subsequent classes? If yes, what modules?
A. Yes. Cindy Pionke (TSITE Member - Knox County Engineering / Public Works) and I taught the Time Management Skills / Conducting Effective Meetings module as part of our TSITE Summer Meeting in 2013. We used it as an opportunity to garner interest for our 2014 Leadership Class, which we are currently planning and will be our 3rd class here in Tennessee.
Q. In what areas have you most improved as a leader in recent years?
A. Delegation. As an engineer we often have the mentality that "If I want it done right, I'll do it myself". However, to grow as a leader, it is your job to transition tasks and responsibilities to younger staff and not just walk them through the solution. Let them work through the issue with your guidance, not simply 'spoon-feeding' them the answer.
Q. What is your greatest leadership challenge at this time?
A. Taking the time and effort to mentor younger staff while trying to maintain a healthy work / life balance (i.e. professional work vs. personal life balance).
