Twelve distinguished leaders from key medium-sized Knoxville area manufacturers came together at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville on August 22nd to learn about the new Executive Peer Group hosted by the UT CIS Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership (TMEP) program, part of the UT Institute for Public Service. The peer group is led by noted author and former manufacturing executive Ashleigh Walters. Ashleigh has recently moved back to East Tennessee after 20 years with Onex, Inc. in Erie, PA, ultimately serving as president there from 2013 until 2022.

Ashleigh noted that during her time at Onex, “The MEP organization in Pennsylvania was immensely helpful to me. Now that I am back in Tennessee, I am delighted to be able to work with the Tennessee MEP program to lead this important manufacturing executive peer group.” 

This first cohort of the peer group will meet monthly for the upcoming year, gaining exposure to executive leadership development and valuable peer group interaction. Each meeting is carefully curated to energize, inspire, and strengthen participant leadership skills. Dr. Herb Byrd III, VP of The University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service, kicked off our initial meeting at Neyland Stadium and provided vital leadership insights to the group.