9 AM—Dr. Claudia Kramer (Scott L. Probasco Jr. Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise and Professor of Economics)

· Is the first woman to hold the Probasco Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise at UTC, a role she has held since 2020, and serves as Director of the Center for Economic Education.

· Accomplished scholar in applied economic development and political economy, with 50+ refereed journal articles and work featured in The Economist and the BBC.

· Leads community outreach through programs like the Phillips Scholarship in Free Enterprise and initiatives to advance K–12 economics and financial literacy in Tennessee.

· Teaches across the undergraduate, MBA and doctoral levels, mentoring students while connecting economic theory to real-world applications.

9:15 AM—Undergraduate students Beeta Baghaevaji (bag-ah-vah-jee) and Bridgette Greene

Beeta is the Student Government Association president for 2025-26. She is beginning her senior year at UTC.

· Pursuing a degree in Political Science and Public Service, focusing on International Relations and Comparative Politics.

· Last winter at the annual Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) at the State Capital, she helped lead UTC’s delegation to Best Overall Delegation honors for the third time in five years; as part of the event, she earned the Carlisle Award—the highest honor award at TISL—after authoring and sponsoring her own bill which was passed into formal “law” within the mock legislative process.

Bridgette is the SGA vice president for 2025-26. She is starting her junior year at UTC.

· A native of Portland, Tennessee, she is a marketing and professional sales major in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.

· Was one of the featured speakers during last month’s groundbreaking on a new on-campus housing project, the nearly 800-bed Oak Street Residence Hall.

9:30 AM—Katherine Goforth Elverd (Director of Music Therapy)

· Founded and now directs UTC’s music therapy degree program—the first public university program of its kind in Tennessee—which was launched in fall 2019 and is growing steadily in enrollment and clinical reach.

· Is a Chattanooga native, attending Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences.

· Along with her mother, Kathy Goforth, she established the Trembling Troubadours—a choir of individuals with Parkinson’s disease—combining clinical therapy and community performance in a powerful example of music’s healing role.

· Recognized in 2023 by Chattanooga’s Chatter magazine as one of its “20 Under 40,” spotlighting her emerging leadership and community impact.