Stephanie Coleman's Blog

Raising Expectations for Tennessee Students Through Common Core State Standards

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:07:19 GMT

At the Nashville Area Chamber, we understand the connection between quality education, a skilled workforce and regional economic prosperity. That’s why we’ve made public education improvement our No. 1 priority. The business community’s support is a key component in reaching the level of educational excellence our children deserve.

For this ...

Don't Miss the Chance to Connect with Legislators about Issues That Impact Your Business

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:52:52 GMT

As the Tennessee General Assembly works toward the end of this year’s session, several key issues that impact business will be up for final votes. We’ve included updates below and encourage our members to use Middle Tennessee Business Voice to make your voice count by connecting with your state representatives. ...

Chamber Releases 2013 State Legislative Agenda

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:31:53 GMT

One of the Nashville Area Chamber’s primary roles is to ensure that your business needs are a top consideration when policy decisions are made. Today, we released our 2013 state legislative agenda, which includes policy priorities in the following areas:

An environment where business can prosper;
Talent development of the ...

Chamber’s Report Card Committee Anxious for Dramatic Gains

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:26:10 GMT

Yesterday, the Chamber’s Education Report Card Committee presented its annual evaluation of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to a standing-room-only crowd at the Adventure Science Center. Along with school system performance, the committee analyzed charter schools due to the timeliness and urgency around addressing how charter schools will be integrated ...

Help Us Spread the Word: When You Expect More, Students Achieve More

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:08:08 GMT

Improving public education is the Chamber’s No. 1 priority because of the many ways school quality impacts our community’s overall prosperity. That’s why we’re part of the Expect More, Achieve More coalition, a statewide alliance of business, community and education organizations working to build local awareness around Tennessee’s new Common ...

Video Now Available From 'Affordable Care Act: Impact on Business' Event

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:45:18 GMT

As the dust settles from Election Day, the policy implications for business are becoming a bit clearer. One issue that has been on many business owners' minds is the impact of federal health care reform legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In early October, the Nashville Area Chamber ...

Business Advocacy in 2012 - Did Our Efforts Pay Off?

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Over the past year, we’ve been working at the Chamber to more fully engage our members in business advocacy. Why? Because the more you become involved, the stronger our collective influence will be as we advocate for policies that lead to job creation and economic growth.

But, as many business ...

Regional Partnership Strengthens Business Voice

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:34:00 GMT

We are excited to announce a new advocacy partnership with the Rutherford County Chamber that will leverage the resources of both organizations and give you – our members – a stronger voice in policy issues that impact your business.

Last year, we developed a policy process to better engage our ...

Business Owners Preparing for Impact of Affordable Care Act

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:55:14 GMT

On Oct. 4, members of the Nashville Area Chamber and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) heard from experts about the impact the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will have on business. Panelists included Brian Haile, director of the Insurance Exchange Planning Initiative at the Tennessee Department of Finance ...

The Chamber Needs Your Feedback on Our Annual Policy Survey

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:51:01 GMT

To better understand policy issues that impact your business, we are asking for your involvement in our annual policy survey. Be on the lookout for an email on Wednesday, Oct. 10, that includes your password and a link to the 10-minute survey.

The collective results of the survey will help ...

Growing our Economy through Global Opportunities

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 09:47:34 GMT

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition conference in Washington, D.C. The conference brought together business, military and community leaders to learn about the international affairs budget and its role in our economic and national security. The international affairs budget makes up 1.4 percent ...

Learn about Metro School Board Candidates Before Voting in August

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Nashvillians will head to the polls on Thursday, August 2, to elect five of the nine Metro school board members. This year’s election could be one of the most important in city history, as those elected will be in place to potentially hire a new director of schools when Dr. ...

Business Participation Needed for East-West Connector Community Forums

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee have announced a series of community forums for the proposed East-West Connector bus rapid transit (BRT) service that would extend from Five Points in East Nashville to White Bridge Road in West Nashville. The East-West Connector is ...

Transit, Sustainability Among Best Practices Learned From Portland, Eugene

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:50:37 GMT

Having just returned from our four-day Leadership Study Mission and Transit Study Mission to Portland and Eugene, the lessons learned are still fresh on the minds of the 117 delegates who attended one or both of the visits.

The best practices that stand out the most include transit and sustainability. ...

MNPS Reveals Details of New State Accountability System for Public Schools

Stephanie Coleman - Policy — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 brought a focus on data, accountability and success for all students. Still, most education observers believed the goals and deadlines were unrealistic. Tennessee now has a waiver releasing schools and districts from the NCLB accountability requirements and replacing them with ...