KNOXVILLE, TN – The Tennessee RiverLine announces recipients of its 2021 awards that recognize communities, individuals, and organizations who best exemplify a commitment to the Tennessee RiverLine’s transformation vision and embody its guiding principles each year.
This year’s awards showcase partners who made substantial contributions to the success of the inaugural year of the Tennessee RiverTowns Program. Their individual and collective efforts in 2021 established a foundation for the program as a framework for collaboration to fulfill the vision for North America’s next great regional trail system and the economic development, public health, resource stewardship, and equitable access benefits it promises.
“The Tennessee RiverLine is powered by partnerships. It stands as a testament that we can achieve something together that none of us could accomplish alone,” said Brad Collett, director of the Tennessee RiverLine and associate professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “Each year we are inspired by the many and innovative ways that our partners put these ideas into practice in their communities and across the region.”
The 2021 Tennessee RiverLine awards include:
Community Partner of the Year: The Shoals, AL
Individual Partner of the Year: Clay Guerry, TVA
Organizational Partner of the Year: Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful
Excellence in River Stewardship: Decatur, AL
Excellence in River Animation: Paducah/McCracken County, KY
Extra Mile Awards:
JC Johnsonius, Benton County, TN
Chris Gunter, Bridgeport, AL
Blair Travis, Calvert City, KY
Lindsay Ross, Clifton, TN
Danielle Gibson, Decatur, AL
Katy Norton, Guntersville, AL
Lauren Whaley, Hardin County, TN
Jennifer Moore, Huntsville, AL
Tim Hester, Knoxville, TN
Rachel Harrell, Loudon County, TN
Jeff Canter, Paducah, KY
Bonnie Angus, Roane County, TN
Walker Henley, South Pittsburg, TN
Don Bailey, Stewart County, TN
Tommy Barnes, The Shoals, AL
“All of our partners made meaningful and essential contributions to the Tennessee RiverLine initiative over the last year,” continues Collett. “We’re moved by the effort and initiative these recipients have shown that will further inspire the Tennessee RiverLine journey we all share.”
Award recipients are nominated by members of the Tennessee RiverLine staff, the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership, and local leadership team members in each Tennessee RiverTowns community. Additional details about each award can be found at tnriverline.org/news/2021awards.
The awards were announced during the 5th annual Tennessee RiverLine Summit, which was held virtually January 25- 26, 2022. All award recipients have received custom plaques commemorating their achievements. The plaques were 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 historic multi-generational initiative that offers economic development, public health, equitable access and environmental stewardship benefits to 2.4 million people in diverse Tennessee River communities in four states. The Tennessee RiverLine is led by the University of Tennessee School of Landscape Architecture, which is a partnership of the UT College of Architecture and Design and the Herbert College of Agriculture, and principal partners, UT Knoxville and Tennessee Valley Authority, in collaboration with the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership, a diverse consortium of organizations committed to realizing the vision for the Tennessee RiverLine.
For more information visit tnriverline.org.
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Contact: Lizzy Gardner (865) 974-8657, lizzy@tnriverline.org