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Wellness Conference 2019 |
WELLNESS CONFERENCE- FACULTY
W. Dale Amburn |
Hon. Mary Beth Leibowitz |
Wellness Conference Faculty Bios
Dale Amburn is President/CEO of London Amburn. He graduated from the University of Tennessee (B.S. Business Administration) in 1976 and from the University of Tennessee College of Law in December 1978. He is a member of the American Inns of Court, the Tennessee, American, and Knoxville Bar Associations, and the American Health Lawyers Association. He is past Chair of the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Bar Health Law Section and a Fellow of the Knoxville and Tennessee Bar Foundations.
Booth Andrews helps build strong, effective, resilient leaders and humans by acting as a mentor and guide through strategic coaching, consulting, educational programs and public speaking. She has 20 years of experience leading individuals, teams and organizations through strategic, operational, and cultural growth and transformation. Her multi-disciplinary, professional experience includes 10 years in commercial real estate, 6 years as the CEO of a regional non-profit, and more than 10 years of consulting in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Since 2015, Booth’s sole focus has been improving organizations as an independent consultant and corporate trainer. Since 2015, in addition to her independent consulting practice, Booth has been a trainer, mentor and consultant for the Alliance for Better Nonprofits and the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center Booth’s long track record of community involvement includes: the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, City of Knoxville Industrial Development Board, Executive Women's Association, University of Tennessee National Alumni Association Women's Council, University of Tennessee at Knoxville Chancellor's Associates, Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, United Way of Greater Knoxville, Nucleus Knoxville, the Alpha Delta Chapter of Sigma Kappa, and the University of Tennessee College of Law Alumni Advisory Council. Booth is a graduate of the Leadership Knoxville Class of 2006, was named to the Inaugural Class of '40 Under 40' by the Knoxville Business Journal in 2007, and was a 2012 Finalist for the YWCA's Tribute.
Betsy J. Beck is a partner with Kramer Rayson LLP and serves as its current Managing Partner. She is an experienced litigator and focuses her practice on Employment and Labor law. She advises and represents employers on a broad range of employment and labor law matters arising under state and federal law. Her clients are from a wide range of industries, from quick-serve restaurants to non-profit organizations.
Hon. Robert L. Childers (Ret.) served as Circuit Court Judge in Shelby County for 33 years and retired in 2017. He served as President of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and the Tennessee Trial Judges Association. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Mindfulness in Law Society (MILS) and on the TBA and Memphis Bar Association Lawyer Wellbeing committees. He is frequent presenter on the topics of Mindfulness in the Law and Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training.
Dr. Monica Crane is a fellowship-trained geriatric medicine physician who has been recognized as an expert in multidisciplinary dementia care regionally and in the Southeast. Her sole career focus has been the clinical care, treatment and support for patients and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and the related dementias. She completed her undergraduate degree at Yale University and her medical school training at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Dr. Crane completed her residency and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. During her fellowship, she was honored as a new investigator by the NIMH for her study of the behavioral symptoms due to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Crane was a founding member of the International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias. Dr. Crane has received numerous clinical and research awards in the areas of Alzheimer's disease, geriatric depression, frontotemporal dementia and end-of-life care. Dr. Crane has served on the Board of Directors at Alzheimer’s Tennessee since 2007. She has been a leader in the Outreach Workgroup for the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. Dr. Crane has been recognized as a leader by the East Tennessee community as an inductee of Leadership Knoxville and the Executive Woman’s Association. Under her leadership, the Knoxville community started a frontotemporal dementia conference and a community-wide educational series with the goal of raising Alzheimer’s awareness.
Katherine Harp is a UT Law graduate who has been fortunate enough to practice with some of the best attorneys in Knoxville since being licensed in 2006. Prior to law school, she spent ten years “paralegaling” her way around the various legal systems in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, and then spent some time living at an ashram and teaching yoga. Nowadays she has a very small solo practice by choice, and mostly handles pro bono family law and criminal cases when she’s not too busy making her husband’s company pay her the big bucks to answer business and entertainment-law related questions.
Hallerin Hilton Hill is a radio talk show host, motivational speaker, and trainer. Hallerin’s morning radio show airs from 5:30-10 every weekday mornings on Newstalk 100 WNOX. In April, Hallerin was named to the "Top 100 Most Powerful People in Tennessee" and the “Top 50 Most Powerful African-Americans in Tennessee by Business Tennessee magazine (see April 2004; page 39). He is the author of the book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Hallerin is also the television talk show host of Anything Is Possible, airs Sunday’s at noon on the NBC affiliate in Knoxville. Hallerin has been voted Best Talk Show host by Metro Pulse 9 years in a row. His mission is to inspire, inform and entertain every time the microphone comes on. Hallerin is a graduate of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama where he studied Communications. Hallerin is the CEO and founder of Wisdom House - a multimedia company focused on inspiring people around the world to grow in wisdom. He speaks to thousands of people each year to help inspire, motivate and encourage excellence.
Hon. Steve Hornsby has served for 38 years as a trial lawyer, judge, senior state government official, health care executive, consultant and coach. His efforts throughout all of these careers have been to help people and improve systems. He is a certified leadership and life coach and works with professionals using a mindfulness and strengths-based approach. Steve also works with organizations, facilitating executive meetings and retreats. He is a graduate of the University of Memphis (1978; 1981); Coach for Life (2018); Circle Process facilitator (2009); and, The Silva Method (1970).
Hon. Mary Beth Leibowitz was a criminal court judge for the Knox County Criminal Court in the Sixth Judicial District of Tennessee. She was sworn into office on February 15, 1989, and was most recently re-elected in 2006. Judge Leibowitz retired at the end of her last term on August 31, 2014. Judge Leibowitz received her undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary and her J.D. degree from the University of Dayton School of Law.
Monika MIller is the Tennessee's first Certified KonMari Consultant. She is excited to help busy professionals to bring the life-changing magic of KonMari clutter clearing and home organization into their lives.
J. Douglas Overbey has served as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, since November 21, 2017. Previously, he was the Senior Partner at Robertson Overbey and serving his third term in the Tennessee Senate. He served in the State House from 2000 to 2008. Overbey received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Carson-Newman College in 1976 and graduated first in his class from the University of Tennessee, College of Law, where he was named to the Order of the Coif, in 1979.
Karen Pershing provides organizational oversight and helps guide MDC’s mission. A 30 plus year veteran of public health, she has devoted her career to improving the health of families in Knoxville. Karen works with local and state policymakers to advocate for laws that help prevent substance abuse and its consequences. Karen is passionate about prescription drug abuse prevention, specifically targeting Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and increasing access to treatment for pregnant women. In 2012, she was chosen as one of only four community leaders to serve on a statewide planning group to develop a five-year prevention plan for Tennessee. Karen is a graduate of Leadership Knoxville Class of 2013 and women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute Class of 2013. The Knox County Prescription Drug Task Force that was formed under her leadership has been recognized as a model coalition by the Tennessee Department’s of Health and Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. She received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies and a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Cheryl G. Rice focuses her practice primarily in the area of civil litigation, with emphasis in Business and Commercial Litigation, Banking Law, Creditors' Rights and Trade Practice Litigation. Cheryl has practiced law for over 20 years and is a licensed attorney in Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia. She has extensive experience handling civil litigation matters for individuals and businesses in both state and federal courts and regularly assists large and small companies with breach of contract claims, unfair trade practice claims, entity governance issues, tortious interference disputes and other matters involving business relationships. She also represents the interests of businesses and individuals in matters such as enforcement of non-compete and confidentiality agreements, trade secret matters, personnel policy issues, and wrongful termination. Cheryl enjoys helping her clients work through the legal issues they face and serving as their voice with opposing parties, judges and others.
Hon. Deborah C. Stevens is a graduate of Virginia Tech and the University Of Tennessee College Of Law. She was appointed by Governor Haslam in March of 2013 to serve as the Circuit Court Judge for Knox County, Division III. Prior to joining the bench, she was a shareholder with the law firm of Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop-- a sixty lawyer firm with offices in Knoxville and Nashville and for over 15 years she served as the President and Managing Shareholder of the firm. Her law practice involved product liability and professional liability cases and she has tried more than 100 cases in federal and state courts throughout the Southeast. In 1996, the National Law Journal named her to their annual list of the top ten litigators in the country.
Since graduating law school in 2002, Joanie spent six years in private practice before joining the Knox County District Attorney’s Office. While working as an ADA, the majority of her cases were centered on the physical and sexual abuse of children. She was named a Top Attorney by CityView for several consecutive years, and has served on several KBA committees. In 2018, Joanie stepped away from the traditional practice of law to study wellness initiatives. She became a certified running coach and currently works with Knoxville Endurance to train athletes looking to complete their first half or full marathon. Combining her interest in athletics with her legal experience, Joanie is studying the effectiveness of wellness and inclusion initiatives in the legal workplace. Joanie is an unabashed fan of cats and dogs, including her own - Elvis, Goobie and Chloe. She and her husband, Keith, also an attorney, live here in Knoxville.
Hon. D. Kelly Thomas, Jr. received a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1977. He engaged in the private practice of law from 1978 until 1990 when he was elected Circuit Judge for the Fifth Judicial District, Division II. He was reelected Circuit Judge in 1998 and 2006. Judge Thomas was appointed by the governor to serve on the Court of Criminal Appeals in November 2006 and was elected to that position in August of 2008. Judge Thomas is a past President of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and has served on the Executive Committee for the same. He is a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and a member of the Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court. He is a past president of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association. He has served as a faculty member of The National Judicial College at the University of Nevada, Reno. Judge Thomas has lectured on legal topics to judicial conferences, court clerks’ conferences and other groups, and has taught classes on criminal law.
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