CCI alumni Ellie Amador (BS/PR ’04, MS/C&I ’10), Kathryn Hemphill (BS/PR ’09), Drew Rutherford (BS/PR ’10), and Ashley Saunders (BA/CS ’10) were named to the annual Knox.Biz 40 Under 40 Awards.
The Knoxville News Sentinel released interviews with all 40 award winners to start 2021. Read more about our alumni at the links below.
Ellie Amador is the Director of Marketing for the University of Tennessee System and has been working in university system communications since 2007. She is a breast cancer survivor, and her experiences have motivated her to be involved in the Susan G. Komen Foundation of East Tennessee. She has found ways to help patients who lack support systems and resources to advocate for their health.
Kathryn Hemphill is the Special Projects Director for Friends of the Smokies, a fundraising and volunteer organization committed to helping the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. She has spent much of her career working for non-profit organizations, including the Friends of the Smokies and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Drew Rutherford is the Senior Business Advisor for Transworld Business Advisors of Knoxville, a company focused on business brokerage, franchise consulting, and franchise development. You may have seen his handiwork outside the Communications Building on the Circle Park Lawn. From 2012 to 2019, he launched and was general manager of Tailgate Tennessee, a premium tailgate venue for football games. He was also a general manager for All Occasions Party Rentals.
Ashley Saunders is the End State and Federal Land Reuse Manager, UCOR, an Amentum-led partnership with Jacobs Engineering. UCOR is the U.S. Department of Energy’s main cleanup contractor for the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation. She has been very engaged in the community, serving on the boards of the Oak Ridge Public School Education Foundation, the Foothills Land Conservancy, and the Development Advisory Board for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.