Tom Edd Wilson Accepts CAMOY Award

Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Edd Wilson said the shift has been generated by a realization that Chattanooga built virtually no new wealth in the 1990s, by public-private partnerships making economic development a priority and by a growing commitment to public education from the business community – a commitment exemplified by the Chamber’s Education Initiative and other programs that support public schools.

"This community cannot achieve its potential without schools that supply businesses with well-prepared workers," Wilson told a Convention Center audience of 500, shortly after he accepted the CAMOY Award for 2006.

"The recent hiring of a new superintendent gives all of us an opportunity to start anew and unite in support of high-performing public schools. This will not happen overnight. As a community, we will have to find a way to transcend controversies and rise above short-term self-interest in pursuing our own greater good."

During the award ceremonies Wilson was praised for his distinguished 35-year-career in banking and his extraordinary success in leading the Chamber to launch the region’s first comprehensive job creative initiative. He was also recognized for his community service as a volunteer leader of the Chattanooga Opera and Symphony Association, Allied Arts of Chattanooga and other non-profit organizations.

Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, the CAMOY honoree of 2003, said Wilson is "a steadying influence" as well as being "an outstanding citizen. We’re fortunate to have a man of his caliber to serve as head of the Chamber."

"I can think of no one more worthy of this recognition," said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. He said the city, the county and the Chamber have never enjoyed a better relationship and gave Wilson much of the credit for the harmonious partnership.

The CAMOY Award winner for 2005, Vicky Gregg, noted Wilson’s sartorial flair, along with his professionalism, character and management skills. The CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee said the combination of characteristics "proves that style and substance are not mutually exclusive."

She said that with Wilson at the helm, the Chamber has become an "integral" part of all the progress Chattanooga has achieved over the past few years.

The Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year Award is made annually by the 19 member organizations of CAMOY. The award recognizes an executive manager who has made significant contributions to the Hamilton County area.

A native of Crossville, Wilson concluded his banking tenure in Chattanooga as president of the East Tennessee Region of Bank of America, holding that position from 1992 through 2001. After Wilson became president and CEO of the Chamber in 2002, he restructured the organization, led the largest capital campaign in the Chamber’s history and relocated the Chamber to new offices that better support its mission.

As board president of the Symphony and Opera, Wilson strengthened the organization’s board and finances. In the same role at Allied Arts, he grew the endowment by $7.5 million, increased funded organizations from nine to 23 and refocused the organization on arts in education.

Wilson led the 2000 United Way campaign that generated over $11.6 million, the most money ever raised in a single campaign for the local organization. In 1998 he received the National Philanthropy Day Leadership Fundraiser of the Year Award, presented by the Southeastern Tennessee Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives.

Chattanooga Mayor Jon Kinsey proclaimed May 5, 2000 as Tom Edd Wilson Day, noting that Wilson "has contributed his time, his talent and his tireless energy to the civic community of Chattanooga, and has used his business and management skills and experience to encourage and take initiatives and to support and benefit the healthy growth and development of the arts and cultural organizations of this city."

Wilson received a B.S. degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.

Wilson is a member of the Mayor’s Taskforce on Renewal Communities and the Rotary Club. He serves on the boards of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Tennessee River Gorge Trust and United Way. He is an elder at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church.

Wilson, who served as chairman of the board of the Cherokee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, received the Silver Beaver Award and was the Council’s Eagle Class Honoree in 1997.

Wilson and his wife, Barby, have three children, seven grandchildren and three canine "children."