Kingsport Leadership Programs

🇺🇸 Registrations are OPEN for the 72nd Annual Mack Riddle & American Legion Independence Day Parade! 🇺🇸

The parade will be on Saturday, July 4 at 10:00 A.M. The route will begin on Center Street at the Renaissance Center and will follow Center Street to Fort Henry Drive ending at Memorial Park across from Dobyns-Bennett High School.

Guidelines are at the end of the online registration form. Deadline to register and pay is Thursday, July 2, 2026 at noon.

Register here: https://klpchamber.wufoo.com/forms/independence-day-parade-registration-2026/

Your Kingsport Chamber

We appreciate the Sullivan County, TN Sheriff's Office for helping us prepare community leaders!

Thank you, Appalachian Community Federal Credit Union, for investing in our community leaders!

Thank you, Tele-Optics Incorporated, for your continued support of our leadership programs.

It was a joy having Frank Waldo lead the invocation at this morning’s Leadership Kingsport Community Breakfast.

We were honored to have Dr. Brenda White Wright as our keynote speaker for the Leadership Kingsport Community Breakfast.

An inaugural member of the very first Leadership Kingsport class in 1983, Dr. Brenda White Wright truly embodies the mission of this program: to develop leaders who give life to community dreams.

Dr. White Wright is a dynamic motivational speaker, gifted storyteller, and experienced leadership and diversity trainer with more than 50 years of experience empowering individuals and strengthening communities. She served for more than two decades as President and CEO of Girls Inc. of Kingsport, where she helped shape the lives of countless young people and families throughout our region.

Her leadership, service, and impact have been recognized through numerous honors, including the Leadership Kingsport Distinguished Leadership Award and Your Kingsport Chamber Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award.

Most importantly, Dr. White Wright has spent her life investing in others — encouraging people to lead boldly, serve generously, and make a difference in their communities.

Leadership Kingsport
Community Breakfast

Thank you Brightspeed for being the Leadership Kingsport Class of 2026 sponsor!

We enjoyed having Heather McConnell with us this morning at the Leadership Kingsport Community Breakfast.

Each year, we present the Rising Star Awards on behalf of PEAK - Kingsport Young Professionals. This recognition celebrates emerging leaders who are making a meaningful impact early in their careers. This award highlights individuals who demonstrate exceptional promise, leadership, and commitment to both their profession and our community.

Each recipient exemplifies the very spirit of PEAK: passionate, engaged, ambitious, and kind. Their light is already shining bright, and we can’t wait to see how high they’ll rise.

Congratulations to this year's recipients, John Pendleton and Makenzy Tester!

John is an Account Director at Mycroft Signs, a member of the PEAK Leadership Team, Chair of Leadership Kingsport and Vice Chair of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kingsport, he is already making a meaningful impact through his leadership and commitment to others. He exemplifies the spirit of the Rising Star Award — passionate, engaged, ambitious, and community-minded.

Makenzy is the Assistant General Manager of the Kingsport Axmen with the Appalachian League, a member of the PEAK Leadership Team, serves on the United Way of Greater Kingsport Board of Directors and many other community initiatives. She has always led with heart, energy, and a genuine love for people. She also invests in the next generation by coaching young athletes and encouraging others the same way she has been encouraged along her journey.

We are so proud of our rising stars! 🌟

Your Kingsport Chamber Mycroft Signs

Thank you, TCAT Elizabethton, for allowing Brice Matthews to be a part of the Leadership Kingsport Class of 2026! His servant leadership is contagious!

We are so thankful for the Kingsport Fire Department and for leaders like Pete Vandagriff! Thank you for your continued support of Leadership Kingsport.