Tennessee Business Roundtable Welcomes Catherine Eakin as Manager, Events & Communications

The Tennessee Business Roundtable (“the Roundtable”) is excited to announce the addition of Catherine Eakin to its staff as Manager, Events & Communications, effective January 6, 2026.

Catherine comes to the Roundtable from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), where she was the Special Events Coordinator. This role involved working closely with university leadership and various campus entities, along with community partners, to ensure events were successfully executed. She helped implement over forty significant events annually, varying in scope and size.

“In Catherine, our organization is fortunate to welcome a dedicated, knowledgeable and talented professional to our staff,” says Roundtable President Pat Sheehy. “Throughout her career, Catherine has helped business executives, higher education officials and students, and community thought leaders to convene and communicate with purpose and at a level of excellence. Our valued members’ senior executives and our stakeholders will benefit as Catherine brings those assets to our Roundtable, where she’ll play a key role in connecting and informing them in pursuit of ideas and actions which help Tennessee’s economy and people to thrive.”

Before her time at UAH, Catherine served in various roles at the Collierville Chamber of Commerce. She led event responsibilities before moving to oversee all marketing and communications tasks for the Chamber. 

 “Joining the Roundtable is a great opportunity to come home and assist an important asset to the state’s business community,” says Eakin. “I am eager to work and help understand what drives business leaders and consumers throughout the great state of Tennessee, while assisting with communication and event efforts of the Roundtable.”

Catherine is a graduate of the University of Memphis, where she earned a B.A. in Communication and English, followed by an M.A. in Communication, with a specific research focus in politics and local community debate. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Catherine has lived most of her life in the Volunteer State.

ABOUT THE TENNESSEE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

Founded in 1983 at the recommendation of then-Governor Lamar Alexander, the Tennessee Business Roundtable is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization which convenes and empowers Tennessee's business decision-makers by fostering a collaborative environment where open dialogue and different perspectives drive innovative solutions and forward-thinking policies for a thriving Tennessee. Today, under the motto of Non Solum Pro Nobis, Sed Pro Omnibus Tennessee (Not for Ourselves Alone, But for All Tennessee) and comprised of over five dozen companies and organizations, the Roundtable and its members seek a prosperous Tennessee in which collaboration prevails over competition, open discourse shapes impactful relationships, and nimble advocacy drives economic success and resiliency across all communities throughout our state.