At Scale: The tnAchieves Podcast
Listening and learning to better serve Tennessee students, at scale.
Displaying Episode 1 - 10 of 12 in total of At Scale: The tnAchieves Podcast with the tag “tuition-free college”.
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Training Tennessee's Workforce with TCAT Presidents Melody Edmonds and Cliff Wightman
October 6th, 2025 | 46 mins 38 secs
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
At tnAchieves, we like to put a big tent around the word college. College is not just four-year universities. It also includes community colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs). While many may think of TCATs as being separate, they DO belong under the college umbrella; the word college is right there in the name! In this episode of the At Scale podcast, we sit down with TCAT McMinnville President Melody Edmonds and TCAT Upper Cumberland President Cliff Wightman. They talk about their journeys to leading a TCAT and the privilege of training Tennessee’s workforce. They’re also sharing the advantages of enrolling at a TCAT and also clearing up some misconceptions about the future careers available to their students; it’s not just for welding!
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Policy in Action: Partnering for Tennessee’s Future Workforce with Michael Hendrix
September 22nd, 2025 | 38 mins 12 secs
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
Building Tennessee’s Future Workforce isn’t something that tnAchieves does alone. It takes support and partnership from a variety of partners. That includes our state’s government.
In this episode of the At Scale podcast, we sit down with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s Policy Director Michael Hendrix. He talks about the governor’s priorities while in office, which include a strong workforce, economic development and quality education. Hendrix explains why these were chosen to be focused on and how tnAchieves is uniquely suited to help push our state forward in these areas. -
An Idea On A Whiteboard with tnAchieves Chairman Randy Boyd
September 8th, 2025 | 35 mins 59 secs
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
Ever wondered how tnAchieves began? We started in 2008 as knoxAchieves. It began as a conversation…and an idea on a whiteboard. That brainstorming idea grew into a workforce development initiative in Knox County. From there it continued to grow and scale (hence our podcast name) before becoming the statewide and nationally recognized organization it is today. In this episode of the At Scale Podcast, we take a trip down memory lane with Randy Boyd. It’s a reminder of how we began, the lessons we’ve learned along the way and where we’re headed.
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Building a Better Future For All of Austin's Youth with Austin 2030 Network
August 25th, 2025 | 40 mins 28 secs
austin, austin texas, college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, texas, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
Austin 2030 describes itself as a network of school, higher education, non-profit, business, civic and community leaders who are committed to improving education outcomes for children and youth in Austin, Texas. Their current focus: establish a college promise for Austin’s youth. In this episode of the At Scale Podcast, tnAchieves sits down with Stacey Oliver and Geronimo Rodriguez to talk about the work it takes to make this pathway to an Austin Promise and why it will take a community-wide effort.
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Clearing Pathways for Students with THEC's Dr. Steven Gentile
August 11th, 2025 | 41 mins 20 secs
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
Did you know Tennessee leads the nation in 2025-2026 FAFSA filing? Each year, tnAchieves partners with THEC/TSAC, colleges and local school systems to provide FAFSA filing support. It’s just one of the ways THEC works to reduce the barriers to higher education. In this episode of the At Scale podcast, THEC’s Executive Director, Dr. Steven Gentile, explains how they’re clearing pathways to make sure every student in Tennessee can pursue a high-quality education and high-value credentials that will serve them as they enter the workforce.
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The Season of Value and The Great Admissions Redesign with Lumina's Melanie Heath
July 28th, 2025 | 48 mins 9 secs
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
In this episode of At Scale, The tnAchieves Podcast, Krissy DeAlejandro and Ben Sterling chat with Melanie Heath from The Lumina Foundation. Heath is Lumina’s Strategy Director for Access and discusses the next big goal Lumina is setting for the year 2040 and how it will empower America’s workforce, which aligns directly with tnAchieves taking a human approach to Building Tennessee’s Future Workforce. Heath also discusses Lumina’s new partnership in Tennessee to redesign the college admissions process. She explains the concept of Direct Admissions and how it will eliminate another barrier to post-secondary education.
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Get Your Money Right™ with SoFi's Brian Walsh
July 14th, 2025 | 35 mins 43 secs
banking, college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, financial literacy, higher ed, investing, personal finance, post-secondary attainment, sofi, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
In this episode of At Scale, tnAchieves sits down with SoFi’s head of advice and planning Brian Walsh—aka Dr. Money. This year, SoFi is teaming up with tnAchieves and five-time Grammy nominee Kelsea Ballerini to launch the Rising Stars Program. This partnership will help jump start a student’s financial literacy journey by covering topics like budgeting, investing and saving for the future. Dr. Money shares insights into what financial independence means for students as they enter the workforce and how planning for the future financially is crucial at the start of a student’s career.
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Pioneering Wraparound Supports with Donna Linderman
June 30th, 2025 | 39 mins 46 secs
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
In this At Scale episode, tnAchieves chats with Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Success for the State University of New York (SUNY). Donna Linderman is a pioneer in creating programs for college coaching. These programs are centered around customized, student-focused support that will help students through college completions. Donna shares insights into how these groundbreaking programs came to be, how they continued to scale until becoming statewide and the data it takes to tell the story of these programs’ success.
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Ensuring a Healthy National Talent Pipeline with College Promise
May 19th, 2025 | 47 mins 1 sec
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
In this episode, Krissy DeAlejandro and Ben Sterling talk with Dr. Martha Kanter, CEO Emerita of College Promise and former U.S. Under Secretary of Education, and Rosye Cloud, Interim CEO of College Promise. They explore how College Promise expands access to high-quality post-secondary opportunities for all students. The conversation highlights the movement’s role in strengthening America’s talent pipeline.
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Connecting Education to Employment with SCORE President & CEO David Mansouri
May 5th, 2025 | 42 mins 5 secs
college access, college affordability, college promise, community building, higher ed, post-secondary attainment, technical education, tennessee, tuition-free college, workforce, workforce development
In Episode 2 of At Scale: The tnAchieves Podcast, SCORE President & CEO David Mansouri discusses how aligning education with workforce needs can drive long-term success for Tennessee students and the state’s economy. The conversation highlights the power of collaboration, data-driven decision making, and cross-sector partnerships in transforming student outcomes. Mansouri and tnAchieves explore how intentional connections between education and employment prepare students for meaningful careers.