TENNESSEE RIVERLINE ANNOUNCES 2022 AWARD WINNERS
Awards recognize leadership and innovation demonstrated by Tennessee RiverTowns communities
The Tennessee RiverLine announced the recipients of its 2022 awards at the 6th annual Tennessee RiverLine Summit, which was held in Guntersville, AL, January 23, 24 and 25, 2023 at Lake Guntersville State Park. The Tennessee RiverLine’s awards program recognizes communities, individuals, and organizations who best demonstrate leadership through their commitment to the transformational vision for North America’s next great regional trail system, and who embrace its guiding principles through innovative Tennessee RiverTowns programming.
“The Tennessee RiverLine is powered by partnerships. It stands as a testament that we can achieve something together that no one could accomplish alone,” said Brad Collett, Director of the Tennessee RiverLine and Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “Our team, the UT Institute of Agriculture, and our principal partners, UT Knoxville and Tennessee Valley Authority, continue to be inspired by the many and innovative ways that our partners in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee put these ideas into practice in their community and across the region.”
This year’s awards celebrate partners who have made substantial contributions to the ongoing impact and development of the Tennessee RiverTowns Program. Their individual and collective efforts in 2022 exercises the program’s potential as a framework for collaboration to fulfill the vision for the Tennessee RiverLine and the economic development, public health, resource stewardship, and equitable access benefits it promises future generations.
The 2022 Tennessee RiverLine awards include:
Organizational Partner of the Year: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association This award recognizes an organization who has made exemplary contributions to advancing the mission of the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership and the vision for the Tennessee RiverLine through their engagement as a partner or for their effort and impact as an allied initiative. In 2022 and beyond, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) has helped raise awareness of this historic initiative among its vast network of partners and enabled the Tennessee RiverLine to share its story with national audiences. AMLA’s advocacy on behalf of the Tennessee RiverLine to the Alabama Tourism Department, state and federal elected officials, federal agencies and countless other individuals and organizations has prompted unprecedented recognition of the Tennessee RiverLine as a multi-state initiative that values, prioritizes, and invests in the economic development, public health, resource stewardship, and equitable access potential of this trail system for the entire region.
Individual Partner of the Year: Terrence Johnson, Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area The award recognizes an individual who consistently demonstrates initiative and enthusiasm for the Tennessee RiverLine vision and upholds its guiding principles through their commitment of time and effort as a member of the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership. Terrence’s efforts to design and implement programming in The Shoals, AL, and break down barriers to recreation in his community are among the many valued contributions this year that motivate this recognition. He consistently prioritizes developing programming opportunities that open doors to those historically underserved by the outdoor industry. In addition to his community programming efforts, Terrence also completed a through-paddle on the Tennessee River this year, traveling 652 miles in 38 days, bringing awareness to the initiative and developing connections throughout the watershed.
Community Partner of the Year: South Pittsburg, TN This award recognizes a Tennessee RiverTowns community who consistently demonstrates enthusiasm for the Tennessee RiverLine initiative and a commitment to its guiding principles across its comprehensive efforts. In 2022, 110 participants experienced South Pittsburg’s second annual Pitt to Port Paddle that has become one of the Tennessee RiverLine’s largest and most anticipated community-led events. This grassroots enthusiasm sets a foundation on which community leaders, organizations and residents are developing a transformational vision for enhanced, equitable access to river spaces and experiences through the Connect South Pittsburg project, led by SPARQ South Pittsburg. Connect South Pittsburg proposes a new 16.5 acre riverfront park on public property and 5.5 mile system of connective bicycle and pedestrian trails to promote active and healthy lifestyles and accelerate economic development.
Extra Mile Awards: In 2022, more than 220 volunteer members who constitute the 20 Tennessee RiverTowns Local Leadership Teams organized river animation and stewardship events, advocacy efforts, and other initiatives to raise awareness of the Tennessee RiverLine and facilitate community engagement. Each community’s Local Leadership Team is offered the opportunity to nominate a single member of their team who demonstrates exemplary effort and leadership through their participation as an Extra Mile Award recipient.
2022 Extra Mile Award winners are:
John Bobenage – Bridgeport, AL
Blair Travis – Calvert City, KY
Terri Chapin - Chattanooga, TN
Rena Purdy – Clifton, TN
Jeanne Payne – Decatur, AL
Julie Patton – Guntersville, AL
Beth Pippin – Hardin County, TN
Brandi Quick – Huntsville, AL
Lydia Pennington - Jackson County, AL
Sheryl Ely – Knoxville, TN
Simon Bradbury – Loudon County, TN
Sunshine Loveless - Meigs County, TN
Suzi Davidson – Paducah, KY
Bonnie Angus – Roane County, TN
Walker Henley – South Pittsburg, TN
Norm McCowan - Spring City, TN
Terrence Johnson – The Shoals, AL
J.E.D.I Path Award: The Shoals, AL The J.E.D.I. Path Award recognizes exceptional efforts from community partners in advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Tennessee RiverLine programs. As a recipient of the Tennessee RiverLine’s 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Community Impact Grant, The Shoals blazed a trail for inclusive and safe river animation through partnerships with the Shoals Diversity Center, the Mitchell-West Center for Social Inclusion, and PFLAG National’s local Florence-Shoals Chapter to host multiple events for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
In addition to their grant-funded activities, The Shoals’ local leadership team partnered with Common Ground Shoals to introduce the river and kayaking to local youth. Through lessons and a scenic paddle experience, their new Kids in Kayaks Program demonstrated to participants that the Tennessee River is a welcoming recreation amenity that offers quality of life and healthy lifestyle benefits to all, overcoming barriers for those without paddling experience or access to gear.
Excellence in River Animation: Calvert City, KY The Excellence in River Animation Award recognizes a Tennessee RiverTowns community that has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to breaking down access barriers to river spaces and experiences through river animation programming that is safe, inclusive, and innovative. Calvert City has intentionally planned recreational events that show a strategic investment in building experiences for beginners in the community and developing a culture around river recreation for everyone. The commitment to breaking down barriers by implementing skill and confidence building in a pool at Paddle Skills Day, as well as building community around the river at Kentucky Lake Paddle Up, shows Calvert City’s dedication to growing an inclusive paddling culture.
Excellence in River Stewardship: Hardin County, TN The Excellence in River Stewardship Award recognizes a Tennessee RiverTowns community that has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to inspiring new generations who understand and are invested in the stewardship of our natural and cultural heritage through river stewardship programming that is safe, inclusive, and innovative. The Tennessee RiverLine Partnership believes that the stories of our river are stories worth telling, and Hardin County’s walking tour of the Shiloh Indian Mounds not only stewarded the Tennessee River’s natural resources, but also allowed participants to dive into the history of the land’s earliest inhabitants. This event served as a great example of the educational emphasis the Tennessee RiverLine will incorporate in future programming.
Event of the Year: Bridgeport, AL The Event of the Year Award recognizes programming that is an exemplary demonstration of the Tennessee RiverLine’s guiding principles. Bridgeport’s 2022 Tennessee RiverTowns programming, which included multiple river recreation and stewardship events, was an exemplary demonstration of the Tennessee RiverLine’s guiding principles, including river visibility and awareness, collaboration and regionalism and education and interpretation. Intro to Kayaking events gave new paddlers a safe environment to build their skills, while guided paddles introduced local students to Bridgeport’s reach of the river and its role in the Civil War. The Pitt to Port Paddle in partnership with South Pittsburg, TN, exemplified the region’s legacy of collaboration and cooperation to accomplish shared goals while helping realize the Tennessee RiverLine’s vision and exercise shared values.
Powered by Partnerships: Meigs County, TN The Powered by Partnerships Award recognizes a community or organization that exercises the idea that we can achieve something by working together that no one can achieve working alone. Meigs County put the power of partnerships into practice with the creativity and initiative to plan and host their inaugural Partner Paddle and Celebration in collaboration with the Hiwassee River Blueway and Outshine Adventures. Meigs County has strategically developed partnerships to help sustain their participation in the Tennessee RiverTowns Program and provide a foundation to accomplish their local vision for the Tennessee RiverLine.
Legacy Awards: Amanda Johnson and Dustin Toothman The Legacy Award recognizes individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the Tennessee RiverLine, and have demonstrated commitment to its guiding principles over a sustained period of time. This year, Amanda Johnson and Dustin Toothman receive this recognition.
Since joining the Partnership in 2018, Amanda Johnson has enabled us to communicate our mission and our vision clearly, concisely, and professionally. As the Partnership transitioned from vision awareness to implementation and entered a period of growth in 2021, she continued to offer valuable insight and welcomed feedback on communications strategy and organizational goals. Amanda was instrumental in planning signature events and announcements that celebrated the Tennessee RiverLine’s collective impact and achievement, and establishing a unified voice that amplifies our stories across the region and around the world.
Dustin Toothman also began supporting the Tennessee RiverLine initiative in 2018 as a Graduate Research Assistant in the UT School of Landscape Architecture. He contributed to branding and website development and Pilot Community programming, and later helped shepherd the initiative through a period of rapid growth as its first full-time Planning & Design Manager. In this role, his versatility helped launch the Tennessee RiverLine Summit, the amenity inventory and gap analysis, and the Community Planning Initiative. Dustin also mentored emerging professionals, including research assistants, student interns, and AmeriCorps members.
“All of our partners have made meaningful and essential contributions to the Tennessee RiverLine initiative this past year,” said Lizzy Gardner, Tennessee RiverLine Programs Director. “We’re moved by the effort and commitment these recipients have shown, and it’s their impacts that will further inspire the work we share to make the Tennessee RiverLine vision a reality.”
All awardees were recognized at the 2023 Tennessee RiverLine Summit, presented by Board Safe Docks. This year’s Summit convened more than 140 partners from across the region for three days of engaging sessions and excursions at Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge in Guntersville, AL.
Award recipients are nominated by members of the Tennessee RiverLine staff, the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership and Local Leadership Team members of each Tennessee RiverTowns community. All award recipients received a custom plaque commemorating their achievement. The award plaques are designed and fabricated by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students at the College of Architecture and Design’s Fab Lab.
About the Tennessee RiverLine
The Tennessee RiverLine is North America’s next great regional trail system, a multi-generational initiative that offers economic development, public health, resource stewardship and equitable access benefits to 2.4 million people in diverse Tennessee River communities in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Tennessee RiverLine is an initiative of the UT Institute of Agriculture and principal partners, UT Knoxville and TVA, in collaboration with the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership, a diverse consortium of organizations committed to realizing the vision for the Tennessee RiverLine. The initiative began in and continues to be supported by the UT School of Landscape Architecture, which is a partnership of the UT College of Architecture and Design and the Herbert College of Agriculture. For more information visit tnriverline.org.
Contact: info@tnriverline.org