BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Text here about Compassion Counseling’s board of directors.
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Wendy Teffeteller
Board Chair
Wendy grew up in Maryville, attending Maryville High School, and then attended college in Georgia. Wendy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Mercer University and a Masters of Education from Georgia College & State University. After moving back to East Tennessee, she married her childhood best friend, Dustin and they have a 9-year-old son, Wyatt. Wendy has over 20 years of experience in education. She taught middle school science for 18 years and now works as a Director of School Success with Project Lead the Way. A few other community organizations she has been involved with include Knoxville Mobile Meals, Greyhound Retirement Foundation of Tennessee, Random Acts of Flowers, Alcoa City Schools Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and Alpha Delta Pi Sorority.
When Wendy isn’t working, she loves to travel, flip houses, take her two rescue greyhounds Sparkle and Elmer everywhere she goes, and is often cheering from the bleachers for her son.
Janie Wallace
After leaving a decades-long and successful career in human resources, Janie Wallace now spends the majority of her time actively working in the Blount and Knox County communities. Janie believes that through synergy we can make meaningful changes and impacts – no one person or organization can do it all, but together, without competition, we can. When she’s not spending time with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, and grandsons, she focuses her skills and efforts within her church by chairing several key teams/committees and serving on the boards of directors for the non-profit organizations Family Promise of Knoxville and Compassion Counseling. Additionally, she continues to serve as a Champion for the United Way of Blount County. A few other community organizations she has been involved with include Compassion Food Connection, Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, Maryville Kiwanis, and Full-Circle Re-Entry Program.
Janie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organization Management from Tusculum College and previously held two professional certifications in human resources. She is also a graduate of the Leadership for Accelerated Performance program through the Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University.
Jill Pope
Jill Pope grew up in Knoxville and attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Lincoln Memorial University. She holds degrees in Spanish, Curriculum & Instruction, and Administration & Leadership. She worked at Maryville High School for the last 25 years of her career. After retiring from 32 years as a public high school teacher, Jill is now the executive director of DayBreak Dementia Respite.
Jill has been married to Albert since 1990, and their daughter is pursuing a PhD in near east archaeology. Jill is an active member at First United Methodist Church, Maryville and has also volunteered at many charities in the Knox and Blount county areas for decades.
When not at work, Jill can be found hiking the trails of Tennessee and North Carolina, baking, making stained glass, reading and traveling.
Jill Murphy
UT SWORPS Prevention Specialist
Alex Ardison
Alex brings a wealth of experience and a passion for supporting youth to the board. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (minor in Anthropology) and a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she began her career making a difference at a non-profit residential treatment agency for adolescent girls. For over 27 years, Alex has been a steadfast advocate for Upper School Students as a School Counselor at the Webb School of Knoxville, her alma mater. When not dedicating her time to students, Alex cherishes moments with family and friends, participates in book clubs, enjoys various “granny hobbies,” and immersing herself in the natural beauty of East Tennessee.
Jana Fitts
Jana Fitts is an accomplished Operations Associate Manager at Accenture, LLC with over 15 years of finance and accounting experience across several key industries. Specializing in financial consulting and process optimization, Jana excels in strategic planning and operations leadership. Throughout her career, Jana has focused on ensuring feedback flows through the entire cycle to decrease knowledge gaps and optimize business processes.
In addition to her professional expertise, Jana enjoys cooking and following their heart rather than a recipe. She is an avid volunteer in the community working with the youth and on the job she is a co-lead of the African-American Employee Resource Group, promoting an inclusive work environment and building community partnerships. Jana believes that building strong communities of inclusion is important because representation matters.
You can connect with Jana on https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-fitts-91965283
Mike Swift
Board Treasurer
Casey Boring