Moving to the Farragut area has had a couple of major benefits for Michelle Pence. One is that she no longer has to drive to Farragut from Crossville four days a week for her children’s sports activities. (Her son, Aiden, plays travel baseball, and her daughter, Addison, cheers at Premiere Athletics.)
The other is that she’s the new human resources manager for the town of Farragut. She just started two weeks ago, but she’s already feeling at home.
“Everybody seems to really care about each other here,” she says. “Everybody really helps everybody else.”
Michelle’s previous position was in HR with a flooring manufacturing company. Before that, she worked for Fairfield Glade, an unincorporated master plan community. Her husband, Patrick, is retired from the Navy, so the family is used to moving around. She looks forward to settling in so the kids can put down some roots.
She grew up in northwest Indiana and attended Purdue University. She’d always dreamed of being a pharmacist but working as a pharmacy tech at Walgreen’s changed her mind. She then pursued accountancy before she decided she didn’t want to stare at Excel files all day.
It turned out that human resources allows her to apply her data skills while making human connections.
“I get to be a resource to people. I like to make a difference.”
Michelle replaces Janet Curry, who recently retired from the town after 13 years of service. Welcome to Farragut, Michelle, and best of luck, Janet!
Town seeks help with Parks & Rec planning
The Farragut Parks & Recreation Department is asking the community to complete a survey that will help establish goals for a 10-year Parks & Rec Master Plan. Take it here.
The brief survey is about what programs, initiatives and facilities the community would like to see in the future. Residency is not a requirement for taking the survey, which must be completed by Sept. 12.
Flyers and cards with QR codes that lead to the online survey will be distributed at parks and events, and staff will also be conducting short in-person surveys at events in the coming months. In November and early December, the community will be invited to public hearings at the Farragut Community Center to look at initiatives/programs/facilities proposed by the Parks and Athletics Council based on the results of the survey. Attendees can vote for what they feel is most important.
A draft of the master plan will be discussed at a Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting in January and voted on in February.
Parks and other outdoor public spaces are important to the health of the community. Giving clear direction to future leaders will have a lasting impact on Farragut, so please take a few minutes to complete the survey.
Town of Farragut marketing and public relations coordinator Wendy Smith is your reliable Farragut insider.