Four new faces and a familiar one are now members of the Maryville College Board of Directors
Oct. 11, 2024
Stewardship of Maryville College is a tremendous responsibility, and with some new faces (and a familiar one) joining the MC Board of Directors, the College is undoubtedly in great hands.
The board assembled for its annual autumn meeting on Oct. 10 and 11, after which five individuals were named to open board seats: Claudia Caballero, president and CEO of Centro Hispano de East Tennessee; Jenny Jett Erwin ’68, retired regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau; Dr. Karla Beard Heidelberg ’88, professor of biological sciences and environmental studies and director of the Sea Grant at the University of Southern California; Marissa McInnis ’04, senior director of global sustainability for Verizon; and Rev. Dr. Wendy Neff, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of East Tennessee.
“We are so pleased and grateful to welcome these leaders to our Board of Directors. They each bring insights, expertise, and experience that will be invaluable, as we continue the work of advancing Maryville College in this disruptive yet auspicious period for small colleges,” said Dr. Bryan Coker, president of Maryville College.
As president and CEO of Centro Hispano — the leading resource both for East Tennessee’s Latino community and for East Tennessee regarding the Latino community — Caballero and her team work to “promote empowerment and civic participation through education, workforce development, youth and family engagement, and community-strengthening initiatives.” A 2010 graduate of Catholic University of Honduras with an MBA from Vanderbilt University in 2023, she is an active member of numerous philanthropic boards and efforts, including Unidos U.S. Affiliate Council, the Knoxville Utilities Board, the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Board and the Truist Bank Advisory Board. She’s the founder of the Young Professional Latinas Network and the Latino Student Success Coalition co-founder and has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2019 YWCA Emerging Leader Award and the 2019 Outstanding Young Professional Award from the Young Professionals of Knoxville. In addition, she was named as one of the top “40 Under 40” influencers in the Knoxville area, where she lives with her two cats, Whipa and Memo.
An Elementary Education major at Maryville College, Erwin went on to obtain a master’s in guidance and counseling from Northern Arizona University before completing both an international study tour of career education and guidance through Western Illinois University and postgraduate work in school administration from Northern Arizona. Throughout her service with the Department of Labor, she received numerous honors, including the 2014 Secretary’s Award through the Women Veteran’s Employment Initiative in 2014, the Veteran’s Employment Assistance Team Award in 2012 and the Award for Distinguished Career Service in 2010. A veteran of the Maryville College Board of Directors, Erwin previously held a board seat from 2012 to 2021. She lives in Reno, Nevada, and is the mother of one son, Doug Erwin, and grandmother to Dylan and Wyatt Erwin.
As director of the Sea Grant Program at USC (located in Los Angeles), Heidelberg coordinates with a network of 34 programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program. A “federal-state-university partnership that integrates research, education and outreach with a specific focus on the ‘Urban Ocean’ and solving issues arising out of managing people and natural resources in an intensely urban and developed coastline,” it’s the latest in a long list of community efforts that Heidelberg has been a part of over the years, including director of the USC Environmental Studies and Marine Biology programs, the board of directors of the Association for the Science of Limnology and Oceanography, the lead U.S. science representative for the Antarctic Research Program, director of faculty development in the Natural Sciences Division of USC Dornsife College and many more. At MC, she built her own individualized major (Recreation) and went on to obtain her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, where her concentration was in oceanography. A recipient of the Maryville College Alumni Citation in 2021, as well as the Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni in 2001, she’s also the recipient of numerous awards at the local, state and federal levels. She and her husband, Dr. John Heidelberg ’87, have two children, Christopher and Jessica.
At Verizon, McInnis is responsible for direction of the “continued evolution and implementation of Verizon’s Sustainability Strategy as well as its enterprise-wide relationships across its sustainability portfolio,” according to a recent biography for the podcast Sustainable Nation. “She focuses on operationalizing Verizon’s internal and external commitments while tracking its progress across the enterprise to ensure holistic management in the areas of sustainability and driving profitable growth.” Before joining Verizon in early 2024, she worked for the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., on climate policy and interagency engagement. She served as the climate policy advisor to the assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment and has served in a number of posts within the White House and the Pentagon, including director for climate adaptation and resilience, climate program director for the secretary of defense and the secretary of the Navy. From 2006-2014, Marissa served in various leadership roles at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including the Office of the CFO and the Tribal Affairs Office. A 2016 recipient of the Maryville College Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni, she and her husband, Ariel Laguilles, have two children, Kai and Elle.
As a former member of the Maryville College Board of Church Visitors, Neff brings a wealth of experience from local ecumenical and philanthropic causes. Having received her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama and her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Columbia Theological Seminary, she has also served on the board of directors of Family Promise of Roane County, the Blount County Ecumenical Action Committee, Inner City Churches United for People, and as treasurer and board member for the Hardin Valley Academy (HVA) Foundation, and as chair of the HVA Football Parent Leadership Team. A former pastor of Highland Presbyterian Church in Maryville, Neff now serves as the executive leader of the Presbytery of East Tennessee, a role in which she leads the organization in discerning and carrying out its mission and priorities for ministry. She and her spouse, Brian Shelby, have two children, Isaac and Rebecca.
The autumn installation of the new members wraps the third and final in-person meeting of the Board, which also gathered earlier this year on Feb. 8-9 and May 2-3.
“Recent years have brought a period of great momentum for the College, and a strong Board of Directors is essential, as we continue the work of advancing Maryville,” added Mike Davis, current chair of the board. “These new Board members understand the challenges and opportunities facing the College and are ready to give of themselves, in serving as advocates for — and advisors to — the institution.”
The 2024-25 Maryville College Board of Directors includes: Front row, from left: Dr. Karla Beard Heidelberg ’88, Claudia Caballero, Marcia Kilby Rethwilm ’89 (assistant secretary), MC President Dr. Bryan Coker and Marissa McInnis ’04.
Second row: Jenny Jett Erwin ’68, Jane Alexander Carl (Synod lay), Mary Crawford, Kyle Duke ’97 (Maryville College Alumni Association president), Wayne Kramer ’74 and Alvin Nance ’79.
Third row (from left), Dr. James “Jim” Kulich, Margaret (Peggy) Cowan, Rev. Gradye Parsons, Joe Emert, Steve Diggs ’88, Charles West, Judge W. Neal McBrayer ’86 and Tim Topham ’80.
Fourth/last row: Mike Davis (chair), Rev. Dr. Wendy Neff, Don Hickman ’70, Adriel McCord ’00, Gregory Gheen ’83 and Dr. William Kenneth “Ken” Bell. Not pictured: Jason Brooks ’97 (Presbytery lay), Dr. Jennifer McCafferty-Fernandez ’94, Erin Palmer Polly ’99, R. Adam Ray ’97 and Charles Wright.