Postma Young Professionals

The Postma Young Professional Medal was created to honor the accomplishments of young professionals who have made an impact and fostered a community culture in our region. Herman Postma, epitomized this spirit during his life; and his wife, Pat, continues the tradition of service to her community through her initiatives on behalf of the new high school project in Oak Ridge. This award is sponsored by the University of Tennessee, UT-Battelle, and CROET and will be given in conjunction with the Muddy Boot Award at the ETEC Annual Meeting.

Postma Young Professional Medal Recipients

2008-Leigha Edwards,Protocol and Community Uutreach Manager for ORNL.

2007-Alex Fischer, Vice President of Commercialization, Battelle Memorial Institute and David Bradshaw, President-Anderson/Roane Counties, SunTrust

2006 - Ken Green, Assistant Superintendent, Oak Ridge Schools.

2005 - Thom Mason, then Director, Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Chair of Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, now Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

2008 Medal Recipients

The East Tennessee Economic Council presented Leigha Edwards with the Postma Young Professional Medal, which is given to a young professional that exhibits leadership in the workplace and in community activities.

Leigha Edwards is all about results. Starting out as a clerk in the Lockheed Martin training division as a student, she has continually moved up the ranks in her work experience, first with ORNL Federal Credit Union, and now with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She’s done it with enthusiasm, attention to detail and “esprit de corps,” the latter being an honor she earned from working with Team UT-Battelle.

“Leigha excels at building strong relationships with business and community partners,” said Campbell. “She has excellent communication skills, and most importantly, really enjoys her work and the people around her.”

Edwards is in the laboratory’s communications group as manager of protocol and community outreach programs. Prior to that, she was an economic development associate in the ORNL Partnerships directorate. She worked with ORNL Federal Credit Union as Branch Manager and Assistant Branch Manager from 2000 to 2005.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, she also attended the Southeast Credit Union Nation Association Management School, University of Georgia. She has received many awards, including: Finalist for ORNL Federal Credit Union Community Champion Award, 2005; Junior Achievement Special Recognition; Southeast CUNA Management School Top Ten Project Awards; and UT-Battelle Esprit de Corps Team Award 2006.

She graduate from Leadership Oak Ridge, the East Tennessee Regional Leadership Association; and serves on the Leadership Oak Ridge Alumni Board. She is also a member of the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, and served as chair of its Community Service committee in 2006-2007. Oak Ridge City Council asked her to serve on the Highland View Redevelopment Advisory Board. She is also active with Altrusa International, Junior Achievement, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and United Way of Anderson County.

2007 Medal Recipients

The East Tennessee Economic Council presented two Postma Young Professional Medals to former Oak Ridge Mayor David Bradshaw and Battelle Memorial Institute Vice President Alex Fischer. Univeristy of Tennessee's Homer Fisher presented the awards to the two winners.

David Bradshaw, currently at SunTrust Bank in Oak Ridge, more recently was the Vice President/Chief Operating Officer and the Oak Ridge Operating Unit Manager for Southeast Community Capital Corporation (SCC). Mr. Bradshaw joined SCC as a full-time Lockheed Martin Loaned Executive in April 2000. Before joining SCC, Mr. Bradshaw gained 10 years experience in program and financial management in the manufacturing sector, having managed cost, schedules and budgets for the Seawolf Work-for-Others Project at Lockheed Martin Energy Systems in Oak Ridge. This multi-year, $60 million project was delivered on time and under budget. Mr. Bradshaw is also an adjunct faculty member in the Business Department at Roane State Community College, teaching college level accounting, business management, organizational development and business law.

He was the Secretary/Treasurer of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, the Chairman of Holston Conference Camping and Retreat Ministries, and Board Member of the East Tennessee Regional Health Council. Mr. Bradshaw has been elected to three four-year terms on the Oak Ridge City Council. He served as Mayor for six years before retiring from public office last summer—at least for now.

Alex Fischer is the Vice President for Commercialization for the Battelle Memorial Institute headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. In this position he has responsibility for the Technology Transfer and Economic Development activities at the seven national laboratories managed or co-managed by Battelle. This includes the coordination of the Battelle’s commercialization council and technology maturation investments as well as being one of the primary interfaces for the labs and Battelle’s venture capital investments.

Alex was previous the Director of Technology Transfer and Economic Development for UT-Battelle at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) where he oversaw tremendous growth in commercialization activities, the development of a new Science and Technology Park on the ORNL campus and the implementation of a technology-focused venture capital fund with local business leaders.

Prior to his service as Deputy Governor, Alex served as the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD). During Alex’s tenure, the State of Tennessee set numerous economic development investment records and was named “State of the Year” for its economic development accomplishments.

During his service in State Government, Alex acted as the primary state-liaison in the development of the successful bid by the University of Tennessee and the Battelle Memorial Institute for the management contract of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Alex was the co-founder of Comprehensive Community Care, a behavior health company (which grew to operate in four cities), the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Akins and Tombras Public Relations (a full service advertising, public relations and government relations firm), the founding Executive Director of Technology 2020 (a technology incubator in Oak Ridge, TN) and the Director of Planning for the Tennessee Technology Foundation.

A native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Fischer graduated from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in city planning. Fischer has been active on numerous boards and community organizations throughout East Tennessee. He is married and he and his wife Melissa have two children, Ethan and Anna. They current reside in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

2006 Medal Receipant

The East Tennessee Economic Council presented Ken Green, assistant superintendent of the Oak Ridge School System, with the second annual Postma Young Professional Medal in a ceremony on December 8, 2006. Thom Mason, assistant laboratory director for neutrons at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and winner of the first Postma Medal, presented the award to Mr. Green.

The award was presented at the Council’s annual meeting this morning in the Cumberland Room of the Oak Ridge Mall. Ann Pope, co-chairwoman of the Appalachian Regional Council, keynoted the event, which also featured special recognition of Carolyn Jensen, director of Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist’s East Tennessee office for the last 12 years; and a tribute to the Oak Ridge High School Siemen’s Award Winners.

Ken Green is assistant superintendent of the Oak Ridge School System. He is a former principal of Oak Ridge High School and at West High School in Knoxville, assumed the position of Assistant Superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools in June 2006. Green has served as the assistant principal at Jefferson Middle School, the principal at West High School in Knoxville, and the principal of Oak Ridge High School. Most recently he worked as the Senior Education Manager for the College Board. Green holds several degrees from the University of Tennessee. He is also a past member of the ETEC Board of Directors.

Objective

To recognize, appreciate, and reward the accomplishments of young professionals who make an impact and foster a community culture. Recipient will have significantly contributed to the community, in development of private company or product, politically, or within the federal programs

Award Includes

Public recognition of achievement
Cash prize to be donated to the charity of the recipients choice
Medal

Frequency

One given per year initially

Criteria for Honorees

Honorees shall be selected by any or all of the following criteria:

Community Vision: Emerging sense of community vision and leadership skills, ability to communicate vision within the community, and significant attempts to enhance quality of life.
Business Development: Entrepreneurial effort/innovative approach to grow and maintain business, accomplishments in, and applications of research and development, and ability to grow an existing business to new levels.
Building Consensus: Involvement in local, state, and/or federal government to positively affect both community and business; and ability to create partnerships and foster relationship building.
Other criteria as deemed appropriate by the selection committee.

Photos by: Lynn Freeney, Critique, Inc. DOE Photography