Special Thanks to Gray Line Tennessee

Leadership Franklin is pleased to announce that Gray Line Tennessee is the official transportation provider for the Class since 2023. Gray Line is Middle Tennessee’s leader in transportation services for the past 50 years. Special thanks to Chuck Abbott, President and CEO, for this generous sponsorship.

Mayor Ken Moore Receives Leadership Franklin Caroline J. Cross Service Award

The Leadership Franklin Class of 2024 selected Dr. Ken Moore, Mayor of Franklin, as this year’s recipient of the Caroline J. Cross Award.

Mayor Moore is the 31st Mayor and second physician to head the City of Franklin. He is the former chair of the Middle Tennessee Mayor’s Caucus. In addition to this recognition from Leadership Franklin, he has received the Leadership in Regional Thinking and Action Award at the Power of Ten Summit, Tennessee Mayor of the Year by the Tennessee Municipal League, and the Hank Thompson Award for leadership and integrity by the Greater Nashville Regional Council. He is the co-founder of Unite Williamson, an effort on uniting the community through and prayer and commitment to bring hope and unity in a time of great need, should it arise. Mayor Moore has a passion for delivering healthcare to the underserved and is medical director for the Shalom Foundation, which provides free surgery to poor children in Guatemala. He has focused on health in the City of Franklin with a particular focus on mental health through Find Hope Franklin. He is a 2013 Graduate of Leadership Franklin.

According to Leadership Franklin Board Chair Julian Bibb, “Dr. Moore lives out his love for Franklin. Under his leadership, the City has prospered and achieved national recognition as being one of the best cities to live in America. But beyond that. Dr. Moore serves as a role model to all of us for generosity, collegiality, and as a true servant leader. We are delighted that he is the recipient of the award this year.”

The Caroline J. Cross Award was established to honor Caroline J. Cross, Founding Executive Director of Leadership Franklin, and create an ongoing award that identifies a leader in the community who exemplifies the values and lessons of Leadership Franklin. This award was created as the class project in 2007. Criteria for nomination include leadership that motivates and inspires other individuals along with traits of creativity, character, dedication, and community service.

Past recipients of the award are (LFA: Leadership Franklin Alumnus): Jimmy Gentry; Rogers Anderson (LFA); Julian Bibb III (LFA); Scott Roley (LFA); Janice Keck; Alma McLemore (LFA); Rick Warwick; Emily Magid; Paige Pitts (LFA); Dr. Joseph Willoughby; Mary Mills; Judy Hayes; Brandy Blanton (LFA); Tom Lawrence (LFA), Debbie Henry (LFA), Robert Blair (LFA), and Chris Whitney (LFA).

Leadership Franklin Announces 2024-2025 Class

Leadership Franklin is pleased to announce its twenty-seventh class.

  • John Bibb, Wilson Bank & Trust

  • Jessica Borne, Binkley Borne Law

  • Brian Clifford, State of Tennessee

  • Will Cross, Oversite, LLC

  • David Dingler, Healthcare Connector

  • Chris Feemster, FirstBank

  • Teresa Ashworth Harris, Consultant/Board Chair for Franklin Tomorrow

  • Jennifer Henry, Pinnacle Financial Partners

  • Colby Layne Hogan, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation

  • Chris Hollingsworth, City of Franklin Police Department

  • Justin Johnson, Cross Point Church

  • Rodney King, Williamson County Sheriff's Office

  • Lynne McAlister, Community Volunteer

  • Michael McGhee, St. John's Anglican Church

  • Jason Potts, HCA Healthcare - Parallon

  • Lee Rose, BrightStone

  • Steve Seger, Middle Tennessee Electric, Board Chair

  • Sam Shepherd, Franklin Cancer Walk

  • Alan Simms, QuikQ LLC

  • Wayne Smith, Franklin Christian Academy

  • Michael Walters Young, City of Franklin

  • Claudia Zuazua, Williamson, Inc.

 

Sponsors for Leadership Franklin Class of 2024-2025

Special thanks to the following sponsors

Presenting Sponsor for Transportation

  • Gray Line Tennessee 

    Gold

  • FirstBank 

    Silver

  • BMC Metalworks, LLC

  • Middle Tennessee Electric

  • One Generation Away

  • Pinnacle Financial Partners

  • RaganSmith a Pape-Dawson company

  • Southern Land Company and Westhaven Foundation

  • Stites & Harbison PLLC

  • Visit Franklin 

    Bronze

  • BELL Construction Company

  • BlueTrust

  • Boxwood Insurance Group

  • City of Franklin

  • Gresham Smith

  • METTLE5, LLC

  • Williamson County Government

     Friends of Leadership Franklin

  • Stable Reserve

  • Dr. Trish Holliday – Holliday | Kenning

  • Williamson Herald and Southern Exposure Magazine

    If you or your business is interested in being a sponsor for Leadership Franklin, please contact Paula Harris (paula.harris@leadershipfranklin.com).