Reelfoot Forward

As an Emmy award-winning writer and producer, Henri Giles has many fascinating stories she now shares with her students at the University of Tennessee at Martin. After earning her bachelor’s degree in communications, she worked in a variety of positions in broadcast and cable television. In this episode, she shares details about her unique life experiences that include working as a field producer...

April Lieberman, West and Middle Tennessee Rotary district governor, returned home to Gleason, Tennessee after successful careers that included time as a model, federal judicial law clerk and appellate attorney. A graduate of Yale Law School and Vanderbilt University, she now dedicates herself to serving throughout West Tennessee and encouraging those she encounters to “be the change they want to...

As a doctor of audiology with a passion for hunting, Dr. Bill Dickinson is an entrepreneur who merged his professional calling with one of his hobbies. He co-founded TETRA Hearing to provide perfected hearing protection and targeted enhancement that was awarded the 2020 Guns and Ammo Best New Technology of the Year. In this episode, listeners go behind the scenes and learn how he took this new pro...

Charles Brubaker’s path has taken him from a childhood on the busy streets of Isahaya, Nagasaki in Japan to life with his six cats and two dogs living in the rural community of Martin in Northwest Tennessee. In this episode, he shares how he turned his early passion for art and illustration into a successful career as a storyboard artist, cartoonist and animator. After graduating from the Universi...

From the hustle of New York Fashion Week to overseeing the visionary process of music videos, editorials and merchandise design, Nashville stylist Krista Roser has an exciting career in the fashion industry. Originally, from Dyersburg, Tenn., Krista’s passion for design was sparked by a college trip with University of Tennessee at Martin to New Orleans where she visited Saks Fifth Avenue for the f...

Through his nonprofit, Special Ops Xcursions, founder Scott Graves is devoted to providing unique adventures to Special Operations Forces service members and their families at no cost. The list of adventures includes hunting, fishing, skeet shooting, archery range days, family retreats, safaris and even music-writing getaways with Nashville recording artists. In this episode, Scott shares the stor...

In this episode, host Scott Williams talks with Caroline Meinert, artistic director for Ballet Arts in Jackson, Tenn. She shares her story of auditioning for the Radio City Rockettes in New York City, her decision to become a dance instructor and why she decided to come back and run the studio that sparked her passion for dance. Caroline also discusses the importance of having a strong arts progra...

As a fourth generation hunter from Samburg, Tennessee, Ben Parker created Parker's Outfitting to provide hunting and fishing adventures in the region. Recording from his lodge at Reelfoot Lake, Ben talks about his time on the professional fishing circuit and how he developed the idea to provide outdoor excursions in his hometown.

It's not every day you get to hear firsthand what it's like to ride into a rodeo arena. In this episode, Casey Allen, a graduate student and member of the rodeo team at the University of Tennessee at Martin, shares about the thrill of barrel racing and break-away roping. When she is not in class, she is practicing and competing in rodeos across the country. Raised just outside of Pittsburg, Pennsy...

Charles Choate, the host of “30 Minutes,” a community affairs program from the Thunderbolt Broadcasting Company, turns the tables on “Reelfoot Forward” host, Scott Williams, to find out more about Discovery Park of America’s new exhibit on innovation in agriculture. By 2050, agricultural production must increase dramatically to support an estimated global population of 10 billion. In this episode,...

Jake Bynum describes his job as Weakly County mayor as being a salesman for the county. In this episode, you’ll hear how he transitioned from serving on the city board to running and winning the position of county mayor.  Whether he’s looking for ways to increase economic development or make high-speed internet access available in rural communities, Jake uses his leadership role to help improve th...

By the end of this episode, you will want to hop in your car and head to Martin for some of the tastiest BBQ in Northwest Tennessee. Blake Stoker, the young, enthusiastic owner of Blake’s BBQ, shares how he discovered his love for grilling and how he is turning his food trailer business into a brick and mortar restaurant. For those listeners who enjoy grilling, Blake also shares some insider tips...

As the director of the University of Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center at Milan, Blake Brown experiences firsthand the innovation that comes as a result of agriculture research. Since opening in 1962, thousands of projects have taken place on crops including corn, cotton, soybeans, grain-sorghum, wheat and more. In this episode, Brown shares a little of what is happening at the center toda...

In this episode, three members of the Weakley County Reconciliation Project share the organization’s goal of creating a diverse, nonpartisan group of community members seeking to engage others in an open dialogue on matters of race, racism and social injustice in the region. Guests include Robert Nunley, youth programs worker; Bro. Randy Cooper, minister at First United Methodist Church of Martin;...

From singing in her church choir to playing piano in school recitals, Achana Jarrett’s passion for the arts has played a significant role in her life. That passion is even more evident in her career. As the executive director of the Brownsville-Haywood County Arts Council, Achana continues to cultivate art programs in the community where she was raised. Listeners will enjoy hearing from this chari...

As the executive director of Stax Museum in Memphis, Tenn., Jeff Kollath is surrounded by the history of American soul music every day. He shares the story of STAX Records and the powerful message of educating young people by using songs from the greats, such as Jimi Hendrix, Creedence and Otis Redding. In this episode, listeners will enjoy hearing about the “happy accidents” that came from the li...

Matt Marshall is a passionate advocate for racial reconciliation in West Tennessee. In addition to getting to know this fascinating West Tennessean a little better in this episode, you’ll hear more about some of the work he and others are doing to provide venues for listening, learning and discussing race, diversity, inclusion and equity in our communities. Matt’s motto, “The way forward is togeth...

She now calls West Tennessee home, but Lauren Smothers spent much of her childhood in Krasnodar, Russia and the United Kingdom with her missionary parents, and often had her nose in a book or could be found writing in her journal. Today, Lauren is an independent bookstore owner in Jackson, Tenn. and continues her writing. This episode is especially meaningful for those who love book stores in rura...

In this special episode, we’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment and kicking off Discovery Park of America’s new pop-up exhibits on the women’s suffrage movement. Guests include Dr. Renee LaFleur, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Women and Gender Equality at the University of Tennessee at Martin; Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls, the Tom...

This podcast episode is sure to be a “treat.” Jessica St. John and her brother, Jordan, along with their parents, own and operate Sweet Jordan’s Baked Goodies and Ice Cream Shop in Paris, Tenn. They employ over 30 special needs individuals who work the register, bake the tasty treats or help with other important tasks. In this episode, Jessica shares how this business idea originated and more abou...

The legacy of Elvis Presley is alive and well with guests traveling from around the world to West Tennessee to experience Graceland his home in Memphis. Joey Sulipeck, Elvis fan and Fox 13 chief meteorologist, has been part of Elvis-related programs and events for the past 20 years. In 2000, he was a co-host of the first live, online broadcast of the candlelight vigil, the “VigilCast” on America O...

As a dedicated journalist and co-anchor of WPSD Local 6, Jennifer Horbelt Bonds delivers the news to households across our region every night. In this episode, Jennifer shares her thoughts on being a reporter during a time of great crisis in our country, the impact of our constantly changing media landscape and some of the reasons local and regional news remains so crucial to the long-term health...

Scott Conger, mayor of Jackson, Tenn., follows three principles when navigating his role as a leader in local government: transparency, efficiency and inclusion. He is the third member of his family to serve as the mayor of Jackson and is passionate about giving back to his community. In this episode, Scott shares how he has learned to pivot at a moment’s notice, communicate more effectively and e...

Paula Casey, publisher of The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage, has a passion for sharing the story of how Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, making women's suffrage legal in the United States. In this episode, especially relevant as we prepare to commemorate the 100th anniversary on Aug. 18, 2020, Casey takes listeners behind-the-scenes to discover three pi...

As a high school football player, Ted Kluck, assistant professor of communications at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., never imagined he would one day become an award-winning author and publisher. An unfortunate injury in college led him to discover his passion and talent for writing. In addition to authoring nonfiction books, memoirs of great athletes and several theological works, he’s dedica...