About Leadership Exchange
One Acadiana’s Leadership Exchange allows Acadiana’s top business and community leaders to explore challenges and innovations in another part of the country. Every two years, a group of roughly 70 leaders embark on a three-day trip to a city known for its success in areas that are important to Acadiana, such as regional economic development, workforce development, infrastructure investment, and urban revitalization.
The goal of Leadership Exchange is to expose Acadiana leaders to new ideas and best practices that they can bring back home to strengthen our own communities and region. The program also helps to build relationships between leaders from different sectors and places, leading to new connections and partnership opportunities.
Why Chattanooga?
With a city population of 185,000+ and a metro area of nearly half a million residents, Chattanooga has earned national recognition as one of the South’s most dynamic mid-sized cities. Once a manufacturing powerhouse, the city has undergone a multi-decade transformation fueled by bold public-private partnerships, strategic investment in its urban core, and a nationally known commitment to innovation.
Chattanooga’s municipally owned, community-wide high-speed fiber network, similar to Lafayette’s, has earned the city the nickname “Gig City” and helped position it as a proving ground for emerging technology and economic growth.
Mirroring several opportunities and challenges facing Acadiana, this exchange will explore:
- A long-term, community-driven vision for revitalization, including the 40-year effort that helped Chattanooga evolve from “the dirtiest city in America” to one of the nation’s most celebrated mid-sized cities, as well as major new investments shaping the next phase of downtown and urban-core redevelopment.
- Philanthropy and public-private partnerships as engines of community revitalization, demonstrating how civic alignment and strategic investment have accelerated transformative projects and strengthened the city’s economic competitiveness.
- How technology can power economic transformation, highlighting Chattanooga’s progression from “Gig City” to “Quantum City” as its municipally owned fiber network becomes the platform for emerging technologies, business attraction, and innovation-driven growth.
- Innovative approaches to talent and workforce development, including collaborative, sector-specific pathways that connect residents with high-demand careers and support long-term economic mobility.
Full trip agenda to be released soon!
Join Us in Chattanooga!
September 16–18, 2026
Ticketing
Early Bird Registration:
$3,000 (December 3, 2025 – April 3,2026)
General Registration:
$3,200 (April 4 – August 24, 2026)
Tickets Include:
- Round-trip transportation via chartered flight
- Single accommodations for a two-night stay in the The Westin Hotel – Chattanooga
- Select meals throughout the trip
- Access to all event sessions, workshops, and idea exchanges
- Exclusive networking opportunities with industry leaders
Meet Our Speakers
Our speaker lineup is continuously growing, with new leaders added regularly. Check back for updates!
Mayor Tim Kelly
Emily Mack
Janet Rehberg
Andrew Stone
Charles Wood, CEcD
Interested in Sponsorship?
Help fuel the exchange of ideas that strengthens our communities and drives regional progress. Explore Leadership Exchange 2026 sponsorship opportunities below.
Questions?
Reach out to our trip contacts:
Lindsey Faulk
Lindsey@OneAcadiana.org
André Breaux
Andre@OneAcadiana.org
Mayor Tim Kelly
City of Chattanooga
Tim Kelly is the 66th mayor of Chattanooga. He grew up in Chattanooga and attended undergraduate school at Columbia University. Upon return to Chattanooga, Kelly expanded his family’s automotive dealership and launched several successful ventures of his own, including co-founding Chattanooga’s professional soccer club.
He later earned his MBA from Emory University. Kelly has always been active in the community, serving on boards for multiple nonprofits and even teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
Since being elected mayor in April 2021, he has made great strides on his vision to create One Chattanooga – a city where every resident has the opportunity to thrive and prosper.
Emily Mack
River City Company, President & CEO
Emily Mack is the President & CEO of River City Company, Chattanooga’s non-profit economic development engine for downtown. She leads a team focused on ensuring downtown thrives as an economically strong, socially vibrant, and culturally rich place for residents and visitors alike. With a background in city planning, real estate development, and public-private partnerships, Emily previously served as Director of Metropolitan Development for the City of Indianapolis, overseeing large-scale redevelopment, economic incentives, land use, and historic preservation initiatives. She currently serves on numerous local boards, including the Chattanooga Tourism Company, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, the Enterprise Center, and the Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians. She is actively involved in national organizations, including the Urban Land Institute and the International Downtown Association. Outside of work, Emily enjoys time with her husband, Brian, and their rescued basset hound, Dixie.
Andrew Stone
Black Creek Living, Managing Partner
Perimeter Properties Real Estate, Partner
Andy Stone is a Partner at Perimeter Properties, a family-owned real estate development firm that is leading the redevelopment of 130 acres of brownfield in downtown Chattanooga, TN. Andy leads Perimeter’s engagement with construction contractors, the project’s world-class master developer, a local sports franchise, and local and state municipalities to repurpose a former foundry into a multi-purpose stadium surrounded by new commercial assets. Phase I of this project is expected to attract over $300 million in new investment.
Andy also serves as President of Black Creek Chattanooga, an award-winning master-planned community and golf club now in its 25th year. In addition to ensuring the community’s amenities, including its restaurant, bars, pools, hiking and biking trails, and the golf course remain best-in-class, Andy leads a team of talented professionals who are helping Black Creek double in size within the next few years with its new scenic neighborhoods atop Aetna Mountain.
A native of upstate New York, Andy earned degrees in Civil and Geotechnical Engineering from Vanderbilt and Cornell Universities. His background in engineering, combined with a deep appreciation for the outdoors, has positioned him as a leader in sustainable community growth. Since moving to Chattanooga in 2019, he has been committed to balancing economic development with environmental stewardship.
Andy is an active board member of the Chattanooga Zoo, the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, and other organizations focused on conservation and community development. He is also a proud member of the Urban Land Institute and the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Away from the office, Andy enjoys time with his wife, Kate, and their two children, Jasper and Genevieve. Somehow, Andy can still find time to mountain bike, fly fish, and ski.
Charles Wood, CEcD
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO
Charles Wood currently serves as President and CEO for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and previously served as the Chamber’s Vice President of Economic Development. Prior to joining the Chattanooga Chamber in 2012, Charles held economic development positions in chambers of commerce in Pensacola, Florida and Mobile, Alabama and worked in local government in College Station, Texas.
During his more than 25-year career in economic development Charles has led marketing, recruitment and expansion efforts resulting in thousands of jobs created by dozens of companies including Hewlett Packard, Mellon Financial, and Volkswagen.
Charles holds a master’s degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi, completed Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and holds the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council. Charles and his wife Angie have one grown son and live in downtown Chattanooga. In his spare time, he crews on sailboats, cooks Cajun food and can be found at his son’s coffee shop on the Northshore.
Janet Rehberg
EPB, President & CEO-elect
Janet Rehberg was named EPB President and CEO-elect in September 2025. She originally joined EPB as President of the Strategic Initiatives business unit with responsibility for operationalizing longer-term strategies to position Chattanooga for the future. Since joining EPB, Rehberg has advanced Chattanooga’s cutting-edge reputation through partnerships to add commercially available quantum computing and prepare our region for the future of the energy industry.
Before joining EPB, she served as Chief Strategy Officer & Vice President of Engineering at Tri-County Electric Cooperative in Aledo, Texas. In that role, she was responsible for formulating strategy and overseeing a wide range of departments. In another previous position, Rehberg led grid modernization efforts for American Electric Power.
Rehberg earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tulsa and a Master of Business Administration from Capital University. She currently serves on the board of the Hunter Museum of American Art and has served on non-profit, community and professional boards in several capacities.