Tullahoma ratifies Kelly North as TAEDC executive director; North vows local focus

The Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Sept. 8 voted 6-0 to ratify Kelly North as executive director of the Tullahoma Area Economic Development Corporation (TAEDC) after the TAEDC board made a unanimous selection.

Dave Bond, vice chair of TAEDC, summarized the recruitment process to the board and said the organization received roughly 40 applicants before selecting North. Bond told the board the TAEDC selection was unanimous and that the board believed North was “imminently qualified.”

During the meeting North spoke to the board and described the appointment as both a professional and personal commitment. “I am deeply honored to accept this appointment and serve as the next executive director of the Tullahoma Area Economic Development Corporation,” North said. She told the board she spent the last decade serving Bedford County in a similar capacity and that her priorities include business recruitment and retention, workforce development, small business development and tourism promotion.

North said she has local ties: she attended high school in Tullahoma, her children attended local schools and she and her husband own a business in the community. “I very much look forward to working with the TAEDC board, the city of Tullahoma, and our many partners across the region to advance that vision,” she said.

The board’s ratification completes the local step required after the TAEDC board’s selection. The motion to confirm the appointment was made and seconded on the agenda and carried without recorded opposition.

Bond and the city administrator asked the board to validate the TAEDC board’s selection and consider the appointment as ratification of the corporation’s hiring action. North’s start date was not specified during the meeting and will be determined by TAEDC and city staff.