July 2025 Employee of the Month Nick Bogle

The July 2025 Employee of the Month is a relatively new employee to the Town but one that has made a significant impact within the Park & Rec Team. Nick Bogle has been with the Town since May 2024 as our Wetlands Director.

Nick was nominated by 4 different individuals- his supervisor, 2 co-workers and another Department Director because the tremendous effort he has displayed to improve Wetlands and to be a great supporter of the Park & Rec team. Indeed, his work has not gone unnoticed.

Allow me to share some of the items listed in the nominations:

  • His creative programming is driving great attendance and allows for a longer season. The Wetlands attendance is up, and the park has made a profit for the first time in many years.
  • Nick & the Park & Rec staff did an excellent job with the presentation of Wetlands at the employee picnic. The updated painting, plants, and umbrellas made everything look good.
  • Attention to detail is what makes Jonesborough a special place to work and live and Nick is playing a crucial role in helping Jonesborough shine.
  • He is making a difference.
  • Nick has shown his willingness and desire to join us with all our programs and projects.
  • He has a true passion for ensuring our participants have the best time possible, which is a positive reflection on our Town staff.
  • As a former director myself, I can attest to the kind of dedication one must have to operate Wetlands Water Park while handling all the issues, pitfalls, and unforeseen circumstances the season can bring; Nick has not only handled these but has excelled in the position.
  • The fresh look of the park as well as it has updated operations is all because of Nick’s vision and hard work.
  • He truly embodies what it means to be an employee of the Town of Jonesborough.
  • Has taken on the role of Jonesborough’s flag football league; coaching 2 divisions and working on multiple Saturdays. When one team needed a coach, Nick stepped up without hesitation.
  • He performs his duties with a smile and calm attitude.
  • Nick does not cut corners; he fulfills his duties going above and beyond and is never hesitant to lend a helping hand when needed even if it is outside his normal duties.
  • Nick brings an infectiously positive attitude to everything he does. His energy, leadership and commitment to excellence have not gone unnoticed.

Thank you, Nick! You are appreciated!

June 2025 Employee of the Month Paul Harris

This month’s Employee of the Month has been employed with the Town since 2021 as a part time Event Coordinator and Visitor Center Host. Paul Harris is a person we all know, and he represents the Town so well thru his work at events and at the Visitors Center. Paul was nominated by his supervisor and two of his co-workers added to the nomination which demonstrates Paul’s commitment to not only the visitors of the Town but to his co-workers and everyone he engages with on behalf of the Town of Jonesborough. Some of the accolades that demonstrated Paul’s qualities for this award include:

  • Performs his duties flawlessly; he exudes a level of hospitality that leaves lasting impressions on both visitors and residents.
  • He is one of Jonesborough’s most enthusiastic advocates, embodying the essence of what makes our Town special.
  • He has a personal social media account where he shares updates about his adventures and activities in Jonesborough.
  • Always ready and willing to help whether it’s an employee or visitor in need; Paul can always be counted on.
  • When I think of Jonesborough, I think of Paul and how much his actions have helped the Town grow.
  • He ALWAYS has a positive attitude and never fails to put a smile on a visitor’s face.
  • He brings an upbeat attitude, is extremely kind, absolutely hilarious and someone you want on your team.

Paul recently listened to a visitor with a difficult situation, and he recommended several businesses that might be hiring. She shared his attitude and help was the motivation she needed and ultimately lead her to secure a job in downtown Jonesborough. Recently Paul was awarded the Northeast Tennessee’s Frontline Employee of the Year at the Tourism Pinnacle Awards on May 28th.

Thank you, Paul! You are appreciated!

May 2025 Employee of the Month Bre Walker-Schadler

Bre Walker-Schadler deserves to be Employee of the Month because of her constant and consistent friendliness and welcoming attitude for each person coming through the McKinney Center front doors or calling in.  Bre is the face of the McKinney Center and works hard to maintain a positive and professional atmosphere at our center.  She strives to make sure every student, parent, renter, etc., feels heard and has a positive experience at the McKinney Center.

Bre easily gets along with our coworkers and faculty.  She is a favorite of our Advisory Committee and each of the hosts that work here loves to take a moment to stop and chat with Bre.  Bre works hard, is always willing to help by showing up to outreach events, staying after hours, and giving a helping hand whenever needed.

Bre interacts with students, parents, faculty, guests, customers, volunteers, every single person that comes through our front door.  The most difficult part of her job, in my opinion, is keeping up with our constantly changing schedule including private lessons for three different teachers, McKinney Center events, and rentals.  Bre keeps exceptional organization  of every little thing going on.  Within the past month, she has helped to organize the Masterpiece Mingle, the Center’s biggest fundraiser, by moving art pieces all over the building for the show and silent auction.  She catalogued all the donations for the silent auction, wrote bid sheets for the items, and arranged them in a pleasing fashion for the event.  She checked with artists to make sure they were informed about the special reception the night prior to the Mingle, helped set up for the reception, and worked to clean the Center and get it looking its best for the big night.  Thanks to her efforts, we hand another sold-out event with glowing reviews from the people who came and participated.  While all this was going on, Bre was also registering students for class, for summer camp, fielding rental calls, and scheduling our hosts to make sure the Center is well staffed.

One of Bre’s goals this year is to increase rentals at the McKinney Center.  She has created and distributed rental brochures, sent out press releases to advertise the McKinney Center, designed advertisements for the paper and bridal show magazines, and even went on the local news this year to bring attention to the McKinney Center as a rental facility.  She has also created plans for  Skye McFarland to post about rentals on our social media throughout the year.  This extra attention tot his part of the McKinney Center offerings has been something we have needed for years!

Not to mention, everything Bre has been doing lately she has been doing while expecting her first child.  It hasn’t slowed her down at all.  She is still more than willing to run up and down the stairs, move tables, etc.  In preparation for her upcoming leave, Bre has been creating a guide for everything she does, and it is A LOT.  She has actively been training fellow staff and the hosts to take over certain aspects of her job.  It’s easy to say, though, that she will leave big shoes to fill in her absence.  Nine times out of ten when the phone rings, we hear, “Is Bre there?”  Our hosts, students, parents, and renters all trust Bre to take care of them.  She has become synonymous with the McKinney Cetner and unparalleled customer service.  Good job, Bre!

Submitted by:  Theresa Hammons, McKinney Center Director

Thank you, Bre! You are appreciated!

April 2025 Employee of the Month Jimmy Nease

The April Employee of the Month is Jimmy Nease. Jimmy has been a part of the Jonesborough Team for over 35 years; yes, over 35 years. Jimmy received 2 nominations for this month’s award which demonstrates the quality and quantity of his work.

Jimmy is always eager to help and keeps his fellow co-workers in mind constantly; taking the time to train them, show them anything and everything about our Town’s water system. One of his nominations read that he has a very initiative-taking approach to his work so that not only is he early to work and ready to get a jump start on tasks, but he is also volunteering to work on call and overtime. He is basically on standby all the year as his knowledge of water distribution is amazing; he is a human GIS map for the placement on lines and values in our system.

During the flood, Jimmy showed his leadership skills as he directed crews to locate water lines, shutting off lines, valves, and hydrants. His locating and repairing main line leaks are vital to maintaining our water system. As Jimmy is responsible for value maintenance, he does it with a friendly demeanor and is always offering a helping hand to other departments whenever an emergency arises.

Jimmy Nease, our April Employee of the Month, goes above and beyond and gives 100% in everything he does for the Town.

Thank you, Jimmy! You are appreciated!

March 2025 Employee of the Month Morgan Rogers

I would like to nominate Morgan Rogers for Employee of the Month. Morgan works as the Options Counselor for the Senior Center and has worked for the Town for four years. Morgan assists area seniors with services in their home. Meals on Wheels and works to help keep them independent as long as possible. Her job takes her all over Washington and Unicoi County and she is a champion for the underprivileged. Her heart is so ready to help and give back to her community. She does an excellent job working with different agencies to secure services and resources for seniors in need. She helps with getting individuals additional food through partnerships with the First Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability. Human Resource Agency. Good Samaritan, Neighborhood Service Center and area churches. Morgan is a great help at the Senior Center as well, always the first to help the front desk, in the kitchen with meals or when volunteers can’t deliver meals. she is happy to help deliver.

Morgan has a can-do attitude and takes every opportunity to help any senior she can. After the flooding when the Senior Center collected food, Morgan helped with the collection every day and helped deliver food to various churches. The work Morgan does can be very difficult, being in some of the home situations in our area can be discouraging and she handles it with grace. Always showing the upmost respect for those she works with and realizes the limitations of certain situations: she takes that all in stride and works hard to change the things she can. Recently when talking with the staff about their goals for 2025, Morgan shared that her goals were for the Senior Center to provide more outreach to Bethal Housing, to have some specific events for the residents. She had the idea to use some of the Benevolence funding that we raised from the Christmas trees at Lincoln Park to help the residents of Bethal Housing. With some of that funding, detergent and quarters were provided to each person who lives at Bethel. In February, Morgan completed Understanding Dementia Training seminar to stay current on best practices in working most effectively with individuals and their families dealing with dementia. The Senior Center received a large number of adult briefs that were donated to our center and Morgan worked very hard contacting various agencies to get them to folks who need them most. I appreciate that Morgan always works diligently to get resources to those most in need. I could not be prouder of Morgan and the heart she has for our area seniors. She is an advocate and a champion of people in need. She is someone you want in your corner, and she serves with a giving heart every day. I would like to nominate Morgan Rogers the work she does every day to improve the lives of our seniors.

 

Thank you, Morgan! You are appreciated!

February 2025 Employee of the Month Anne G’Fellers-Mason

Anne G’Fellers-Mason started as the Program Manager for the McKinney Center in December 2023 and has completely embraced every aspect of her job. Anne oversees the Story Initiative Program, which includes the monthly StoryTown Radio Show, the StoryTown Radio Show podcast, the story brigade, and other various projects.

Before being employed by the town, Anne would write monthly sections of the radio show called “Ask the Historian” which would feature historical stories from the area. Now that Anne has stepped into the role of Program Manager, she writes the script for the monthly radio show. She has some assistance from her writer’s group who turn in stories to feature in the radio show. Anne then casts up to twenty-five people in each show to make sure they each have a part that they will excel at. Anne directs the twenty-five-person cast while also being an integral part of the show herself. The radio show is recorded live to play on ETSU WETS and to be produced as a podcast. Anne will produce podcast episodes called “Director’s Cut” for any stories that were submitted but did not make it into the show.

Anne works very hard to make sure everyone in the volunteer cast is happy and that her production crew are a part of the process. I imagine it is difficult to write a hour long script for a show every single month. She also must secure and communicate with the musical acts that perform at each show. The 2024 season was her first full season of producing and directing the radio show. She put tremendous effort into every part of it and the data speaks for itself. The StoryTown Radio Show audience grew by 93% in 2024. Anne had 846 people in attendance of the nine monthly radio shows and sold out the 2024 Soups & Songs fundraiser. Anne worked hard and received $4,000 in sponsorships from 17 sponsors for the 2024 season. Anne raised $4,052.85 from the Soups & Songs fundraiser. StoryTown collected 83 stories in 2024 that included veterans, farmers, Jackson Theater stories, and the “Living Here” exhibit.

Her hard work will continue in 2025 and beyond. We are hosting the 2025 January Radio Show & Gala at the Jackson Theater on January 27th. On January 24th, the 275-ticket show sold out! She has currently received $2,250 from four sponsors for the 2025 season show. Anne’s hard work will completely rejuvenate and transform the radio show and the McKinney Center for many years to come.

Thank you, Anne! You are appreciated!

January 2025 Employee of the Month Mary Regen

The January Employee of the Month is an employee who has demonstrated consistent quality of work, been an asset to the community, presented an attitude of helpfulness, cooperative and been a positive role model for the Town of Jonesborough. This person was not only nominated by their entire staff but by a fellow co-worker who reflected on her commitment not only to her staff but to the Town of Jonesborough.

Mary Regen joined the Town of Jonesborough in 2015 as the Senior Center Director. She is known for her commitment to the Senior Center, her highest desire to serve the Town, the dedication she has for her staff and her continued support of all Town activities.

One nomination that was received states that the Jonesborough Senior Center is highly acclaimed, has received multiple awards, is accredited- the very valid reason for the success is Mary who works tirelessly throughout her tenure to build a firm foundation for our senior community. The passion Mary shows for the members is nothing short of amazing but is a small portion of the excellent work she accomplishes for her members day in and day out. One of Mary’s recent accomplishments is the

First Annual Christmas at Lincoln Park which not only brought together local businesses and community organizations to decorate Christmas trees to raise funds for the Senior Center Benevolence Fund, but this endeavor brought the community together and added a special new holiday tradition for many residents. Mary worked alongside the Park & Rec Director, Chris Kudera, to make this event as successful as it was. The tree lighting was a resounding success and enjoyed by all. If you know Mary, you know she strives for excellence in everything which she is involved; the Senior Cetner is providing mental, physical and emotional fitness, entertainment and most of all community- it is indeed providing a place to be active, fit and connected which is their mission statement.

The nomination from the Senior Center Staff was signed by every employee of the Senior Center which demonstrates their level of support for their leader who treats them with compassion, respect, and dignity day in and day out. The nomination spoke to the work of Mary with the Lincoln Park tree project and the amazing success of this project. In addition, the staff spoke of Mary’s commitment to teaching cooking and craft classes and managing the vegetable garden which feeds the senior center members through the

Café Connection meals. The nomination spoke of Mary’s willingness to host the Honor Flight of the Appalachian Highlands preview party of the WJHL special filmed during Mission 10. This event displayed to over 70 guests that night, the amazing facility. Mary’s commitment to serve Veterans is demonstrated through the work with Honor Flight but, also, with her organization and support of the monthly Veterans meeting hosted at the Senior Center and the Annual Veterans Day lunch for over 100 Veterans and guests at the Center. The staff shared that Mary is a diligent worker with a positive can-do attitude and is not afraid to ger her hands dirty and never asks the staff to do anything she is not willing to do herself. These words speak volumes to the dedication that the staff has for Mary, but that dedication is a two-way street as she cares about her staff and is dedicated to coaching, empowering, and leading the amazing Senior Center team.

Thank you, Mary! You are appreciated!

December 2024 Employee of the Month Nicole Widner

I nominate Nicole Widner as the December employee of the month. Nicole has been employed with the town almost two years. In that time she has been an asset from the start, With 10 years in working at a utility, she has proven time and time again that she has excellent skills in communication, leadership, and integrity throughout her short time at Jonesborough. Nicole has effectively completed the installation and maintenance of a new filing system for cross connection, tap, and flushing files, and much more, She quickly was promoted to Cross-Connection Specialist. She has completed and holds her backflow prevention certification, and is qualified to test and evaluate backflow preventers. She was instrumental in the ARM system start up as well as initiating our in house programing of our digital meters. She does not hesitate to assist with in field operations or assisting our field personnel. Helping to train her fellow co-workers in the removal and installation of new digital meters. She works with multiple departments on a daily basis and has a wonderful working relationship with all. She has offered innovative solutions and idea proposals to inner-departmental challenges that have been faced which have been of paramount importance. Nicole has an eye for detail and a very positive approach to her work. She does not hesitate to perform any task asked of her. Her work with our set up to digitize files and reduce paper waste, has helped to provide a more organized work place. She strives to learn and perform hands on tasks in the field. She arrives early to set up and prepare for the day’s assignments for her fellow co-workers to ensure all the computer systems are operating properly. Her attention to detail and manners allow her to communicate with our customers and staff clearly and respectfully. She volunteers to work outside of normal operating hours in any way needed. It is for these reasons that I nominate Nicole Widner for December employee of the month.

Thank you, Nicole! You are appreciated!

November 2024 Employee of the Month Zach Williams

I want to nominate Zach Williams, Equipment Operator II Water Distribution – County Crew, as the November Employee of the Month. Zach has been employed for over a year and in that short time he has showed great potential he volunteers to work over and on call. He strives to do his best and will help coworkers and other departments in need. He has been a true asset during the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Not only has he performed his regular duties, but while out assessing the damage caused by the flooding to our water system, Zach came upon a car trapped in the rising waters, and without hesitation or a thought to his own personal safety, he jumped out and ran into the flood waters in order to rescue a woman, her child, and a disabled man. Zach Williams was able to remove all parties safely from the vehicle. Zach Willaims goes above and beyond, not only in his duties, but gives his all for his community and the Town of Jonesborough. It is for these reasons that I am nominating Zach Williams for November Employee of the Month.

Thank you, Zach! You are appreciated!

August 2024 Employee of the Month Allen Weems

I would like to nominate Allen Weems for Employee of the Month. How many of us can say our actions led to someone’s life being saved, Allen can. One of our members, Mr. Wilson, who is also a dance instructor had recently taken off the month of July from teaching but was set to return to teaching his class the first Tuesday in August. When he didn’t show up that evening some thought oh well maybe he meant to also take this evening, but Allen said, I have a bad feeling about this. Allen tried contacting the instructor again and when Mr. Wilson did not answer, Allen called his emergency contact, when that person did not answer he called the next contact. Allen explained his concerns about Mr. Wilson not being there for his class the man agreed to go by his home and check on him commenting it was unusual for him to not show up. When the gentleman went to Mr. Wilson’s home, he found he needed immediate medical attention and he was swiftly taken to the hospital where he remained for several days. How often do we have those nagging feelings that something is not quite right? Allen had that feeling and he followed his instincts. Allen could have dismissed it but he instead, he followed his instincts and got Mr. Wilson the help he needed. To quote Mr. Wilson “If you hadn’t called my contact, last Wednesday, I’m not here today. My unbounded thanks.” When Mr. Wilson shared with me in his own words what happened and his profound gratitude to Allen, the story brought me to tears. When you think about the impact of someone caring enough about other person to take the extra steps to ensure that someone is okay and that is what Allen did. Words cannot express how proud I am that Allen is a team member at the Senior Center. That is the kind of people we need, those who go above and beyond and follow their instincts and look out for those in need.

I would like to recommend Allen Weems for Employee of the Month for his actions that lead to saving Mr. Wilson’s life.

Thank you, Allen! You are appreciated!