Janet Ridley (BSN [UTK], MSN [UTHSC]) has been appointed the new director of the Tennessee Department of Health’s East Region. She assumes the role after serving as director of nursing for the Department of Health’s Southeast Region since 1995.
“I know Janet to be a woman of strong character and vision,” said Dr. Cathy R. Taylor, assistant commissioner for TDOH’s Bureau of Health Services Administration. “She is a respected professional, dedicated to overcoming challenges to improving the health of those in her care. I look forward to working with her in this new leadership role in our East Region.”
Ridley is an active member in both the Tennessee Public Health Association and the Tennessee Nurses Association and has held leadership positions in both organizations. TPHA acknowledged her dedication and leadership by awarding her its highest honor in 2009, the prestigious R.H. Hutcheson Award, which recognizes a career commitment to and significant achievements in public health.
UT alumna Tracy Pollock (’03, ’08) was recognized on National Public Radio for her cartographic assistance on the network’s Morning Edition program. Pollock worked on the series “Along the Grand Truck Road,” which highlighted the lives of young people living along the ancient road, which stretches from Peshawar, Pakistan, to Calcutta, India.
Gerald Stump (COE ’82) has been named chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies for the 2010–11 term. ACEC, based in Washington, D.C., is a business association representing approximately 5,500 independent engineering companies throughout the United States. Stump is currently the executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Wilbur Smith Associates in Franklin, Tennessee.
Jennifer Wielbruda (’96) has won a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship. The fellowships are designed to recruit outstanding teacher candidates and prepare them for a career in the classroom. Wielbruda will receive a $30,000 stipend and will enroll in a master’s degree program that provides intensive clinical preparation for teaching math and science in urban and rural high schools that are most in need of strong teachers.
Note Worthy
’73 Davey L Bledsoe was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in Houston, TX at the 2010 National Championships Event. I became the 45th member of the HOF and was inducted in recognition of his constant excellence as a Professional Athlete in the sport of Racquetball.