Dr. Kelly D. Drummond is the Head of Talent Operations for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. A strategic human resources executive, leadership coach, educator, and nationally recognized speaker, Dr. Drummond brings more than 35 years of progressive leadership experience across public-sector, nonprofit, and education-based organizations, including more than a decade in chief human resources leadership roles.

Dr. Drummond is a subject-matter expert in talent strategy, succession planning, organizational development, employee relations, workforce retention, leadership development, change management, and purposeful career growth. Her work helps organizations build scalable people systems, develop effective leaders, strengthen workplace culture, and turn strategy into sustainable results. In her current role, she partners with Boys & Girls Club organizations nationwide to advance workforce readiness through training, onboarding, credentialing, career pathways, and culture-building initiatives.

Known for combining strategic insight with practical, people-centered leadership, Dr. Drummond guides leaders and professionals through change, career transitions, organizational growth, and difficult workplace dynamics. She is particularly passionate about helping organizations address harmful or toxic cultural patterns, build healthier and more accountable work environments, and lead change with clarity, empathy, and intention. She also equips high-achieving professionals to reclaim their voice, establish meaningful boundaries, strengthen their executive presence, and make career decisions aligned with their values and well-being.

Before joining Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Dr. Drummond served as Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Knoxville; Vice President of Human Resources and Leadership Development for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley; and Executive Director of Human Resources for Knox County Schools. She holds a Doctor of Education in Human Resource Development, a Master of Science in Organization and Management with a Human Resources concentration, and professional credentials in human resources, career coaching, and emotional intelligence coaching. As the founder of My Soul In Bloom, Dr. Drummond helps high-achieving professionals live, work, and grow in purpose, passion, and peace.

Meg Morgan is a dedicated community connector with a background in nonprofit management, cross-sector partnerships, and environmental advocacy. Passionate about equitable access to the outdoors, Meg brings deep experience working alongside Nashville's neighborhoods to advance long-term change.

Earlier in her career, Meg held communications and collective impact roles at the Center for Nonprofit Management, then served as Root Nashville Campaign Manager at the Cumberland River Compact, where she scaled citywide tree-planting efforts through hyperlocal grassroots engagement — quadrupling planting outcomes over five years. She most recently led capacity-building programming at the national environmental justice nonprofit Groundwork USA before stepping into her current role as Executive Director of Greenways for Nashville.

In 2020, Meg received the Nashville Emerging Leader Award in the environment and sustainability category, and in 2024 she was proud to accept the Community Partner Award from Neighbor 2 Neighbor. She is an alum of the inaugural Green Communities Leadership Institute cohort, a former member of the GCLI steering committee, and a current board member of the Green Communities Collaborative.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Knoxville, David is a proud graduate of The University of Tennessee (undergraduate and masters) and is passionate about the success of the Knoxville and east Tennessee.  Prior to joining the City of Knoxville, Brace was a firefighter on an engine company in Knox County and worked as a consultant in the industrial rescue, health and safety field. 
 
David has been with the City of Knoxville for 24-years serving under five mayors in various positions ranging from economic development to public works.  He currently serves as Chief of Staff for Mayor Indya Kincannon where he is focused on delivering on key priorities through strong relationships and collaboration.

David is a graduate of both Leadership Knoxville (2015) and Leadership Tennessee (Class VII) and has serve on a number of boards including the United Way of Greater Knoxville, Emerald Youth Foundation Soccer Program as a coach, the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad, Ijams Nature Center, Beardsley Community Farm and the Kim Health Clinic.   

Brace is  married to Ms. Gina Knapp Brace, an advanced practitioner midwife and they have three children Wyatt (22), Gianna (20) and Olivia (16).

Vicki Christiansen is a nationally recognized leader in natural resource management, with over 40 years of experience spanning state and federal executive leadership. She retired in 2021 as Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, where she led a workforce of 35,000 employees and managed a $7 billion budget. In this role, she championed collaborative, science-based approaches to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands. She is widely credited with modernizing landscape conservation through shared stewardship with states, tribes, and private partners nationwide. During her tenure she strengthened the agency’s focus on wildfire risk reduction, community resilience, and employee wellbeing.

Before serving as Chief, Vicki held senior executive positions in the Forest Service, including Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry and Deputy Director of Fire and Aviation Management. She began her federal service after more than two decades in state leadership, including appointments as Arizona State Forester and Washington State Forester. In these roles, she advised governors, worked closely with legislatures, and engaged diverse stakeholders to balance resource protection with community and economic needs.

Vicki started her career as a wildland firefighter while in college and went on to hold operational, regulatory, and land management roles with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, where she advanced to leadership of the state’s forest and geological survey programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management, cum laude, from the University of Washington. Vicki has been a member of the Society of American Foresters since 1983.

In retirement, Vicki continues to contribute her expertise through board service. She currently serves on the American Forest Foundation and the Forest History Society boards, and was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council.

Mitchell is an award-winning planner with more than 40 years of experience and is internationally recognized for his leadership and contributions to contemporary planning issues.

He is a prolific public speaker and specializes in urban planning, placemaking and implementation strategies. Mitchell served as the commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; Chief Planning Officer in Raleigh, NC and served as president of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Mitchell is one of the nation’s most celebrated urban thinkers. He was selected to Planetizen’s list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists in the world. In addition, he has been honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators in the world by UBM Future Cities, and the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment.

Hilary Franz is the President and CEO of American Forests, the nation's oldest nonprofit dedicated to forest stewardship and conservation, where she leads bold initiatives across 45 states to restore forests, end the wildfire crisis, and ensure tree canopy for every community.

Before joining American Forests, she served two terms as Washington State's Commissioner of Public Lands where she managed over 6 million acres of land, developed the state's first Wildfire Strategic Plan and Forest Health Plan, restored over one million acres of forestland and secured more than $500 million in wildfire, forest restoration and community resilience funding. During her tenure, 95% of wildfires were kept to 10 acres or less – a landmark achievement.

With nearly three decades of experience spanning natural resources conservation, public service and nonprofit leadership, Franz is a nationally recognized champion for forest restoration, climate resilience and healthier communities.

Erin Gill serves as Vice President of Communications & External Relations for Knoxville Utilities Board. In this role, she manages relationships with governmental and other regional partners and oversees the utility’s communications, executive services, and energy solutions teams. Erin joined KUB after over a decade of service at the City of Knoxville, where she served most recently as Chief Policy Officer and Deputy to City of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. Her professional experience focuses on improving the efficiency and resilience of urban systems, and she has led numerous initiatives and partnerships aimed at making Knoxville a safer, more vibrant and sustainable community.

Erin serves as President of the YWCA Knoxville & the Tennessee Valley, serves on the board of Zoo Knoxville, and volunteers as a Girl Scout Troop leader. She is an alumna of Leadership Knoxville, Class of 2020. She holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Yale University’s School of the Environment and a B.A. in History from the University of Notre Dame.

Cecil Konijnendijk has over 30 years of experience studying, teaching, and advising on aspects of urban forestry and nature-based solutions. From Utrecht, The Netherlands, he co-leads the Nature Based Solutions Institute, a think tank for the evidence-based greening of cities.

Cecil has held full and visiting professorships in Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, and Sweden. He has advised, national and local governments in more than 30 countries, as well as international organisations such as FAO and UNECE, on the formulation and implementation of green space and urban forestry policies and programs.

His books include ‘The Forest and the City: the cultural landscape of urban woodland’(2nd edition in 2018) and ‘Rethinking urban greens spaces’ (2024). He serves as editor-in-chief of ISA’s scientific journal Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. In 2021 he launched a new evidence-based guideline for urban greening, the so-called 3+30+300 principle, which is now used by municipalities, regional governments, and organisations across the world. Cecil is passionate about building meaningful relationships between people and nature to create better urban places.