STAFF SPOTLIGHT: CHRISTY POWELL, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Get to know TennGreen Land Conservancy’s Director of Operations in our latest Staff Spotlight.

“I feel like we were always meant to be here,” says Christy Powell, TennGreen’s Director of Operations. Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Christy and her husband, Jason, have always been in the Southeast U.S., yet always wanted to live in Tennessee.

“We didn’t know why in those earlier years,” she adds, “but now we understand that it was just how it was supposed to be. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

As Director of Operations, Christy has put tremendous effort into ensuring TennGreen’s success, helping catapult our rate of land conservation in recent years. She oversees all accounting and financial reporting alongside the direction of personnel benefits and human resource policies, utilizing her Bachelors in Business from Faulkner University and Nonprofit Accounting Professional certification.

Through it all, this avid reader loves spending time with Jason and their daughter, Catherine, alongside their three dogs as they frequent Percy Priest Lake and Long Hunter State Park, with each visit to Tennessee’s grand outdoors solidifying why she loves what she does.

Alright, Christy Powell. What is your connection to Tennessee?

Left to Right: Christy hiking at Fiery Gizzard State Park, Christy with our Multi-Media Coordinator, Karlie Stroud, at the Lamar Cedar Glades & Woodlands dedication, and Christy with our Operations & Engagement Manager, Chad Green, at the Chattanooga Outdoor Festival.

In 2016, when we got serious about moving here, it was solely because of the outdoors. I think being the most biodiverse inland state in the country is amazing. It’s astonishing to think we have caves, forests, mountains, and river basins that are habitats for so many amazing creatures—and all right in our backyards.

Tennessee rocks!

Has raising a family here impacted how you feel about Tennessee’s nature?

We live in an old farmhouse that once sat across from 55 wooded acres with lots of wildlife. In 2017, the view out our front door was nothing but trees, fields, turkey and deer.

Today, that view is now 162 houses in the subdivision across the street where that thriving ecosystem once was. It’s all gone. This really drives home how important our organization is to myself and my family.

Our work is hard. Our work is never-ending. If we stop, the land disappears. If we stop, Tennessee won’t be the Tennessee that we all know and love. I have learned that it takes every one of us to fight. Conservation is not just the duty of organizations like TennGreen, it is the duty of every single person living in Tennessee.

Outside of this, we have experienced so much outdoor family time in Tennessee that I can’t even begin to describe the positive impact it has on my family.

Are finance and accounting things you’ve always been drawn to?

Oddly enough, no. I was in pre-med in college in 1995. Then, the short story is, after a car accident I ended up working at a concrete company where I was taught accounting. It was supposed to be temporary.

After getting married in 1997, things just fell into place. The rest is history. Life works like that a lot of the time, and I do enjoy numbers and making sure everything balances at the end of the day.

What brought you into the nonprofit world?

Being in the for-profit space for 23 years, I never felt fully satisfied. So, when an opportunity at another local nonprofit organization opened in 2019, I jumped on it and never looked back. It was not until I joined TennGreen in 2022 that I fully understood how fulfilling this work can be.

How has TennGreen merged these worlds for you?

I get to steward the funds that we receive, which aids our full team in fulfilling our mission to conserve land. Finance is a behind the scenes piece of the puzzle that helps our work continue and flourish. I’m really grateful for that.

I feel like my strong love for nature came later in life, too. My family went camping and boating when I was younger. We didn’t have access to all the diversity and parks Tennessee has to offer, though.

After getting married, Jason, Catherine, and I have been able to experience the rainforest in Puerto Rico, dog sledding and hiking in Colorado, caves and hikes in Florida, and many more trips—but now we don’t have to travel for the same beauty. It’s right here at home.

Any words of wisdom for future nonprofit professionals?

Nonprofit work is often nonstop and exhausting. But it is also the most rewarding work there is.

Pick a cause near and dear to your heart and go for it. You won’t regret it.