College & Career Fair

Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee is thrilled to announce its 2022 College & Career Fair, presented by Arconic, will be on Thursday, October 27. The outdoor College and Career Fair will feature two-year, four-year, trade schools, and colleges/universities, as well as local companies and businesses. BBBS-ETN is always seeking community partners as resources for our Littles. If you are interested in tabling, attending, or would like more information please contact our Match and Family Engagement Manager, Allison Leavitt at ALeavitt@TennesseeBig.org

Thank you to our 2022 College & Career Fair Presenting Sponsor

Meet the Build Resilience Panelists

Matthew Best

Matthew Best is the Executive Director of the Change Center, a nonprofit in East Knoxville that provides first-job opportunities for high school students and serves as a safe space for youth and young adults to find fun and recreation. Matthew began his career with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Tennessee after graduating with a degree in Journalism and Electronic Media. He stayed on staff with InterVarsity for over seven years before joining Emerald Youth Foundation. Matthew then became the director of Johnson University’s Future of Hope Institute and served as Johnson’s first director of Multicultural Student Affairs. Matthew is currently the youth pastor at Children of God Ministries. He is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, an avid sports fan, a former UT track and field athlete, a lover of the arts, and he feels beyond blessed to share his life with his brilliant and dynamic wife, Yona Best.

Josh Smith

Josh Smith is a successful Knoxville business man and philanthropist who is dedicated to making prison a place of transformation and hope. Early in his adult years, Josh himself spent 5 years in federal prison for his involvement in drug trafficking. His prison sentence changed the course of his life; there he found hope and purpose in a relationship with God, and he gained knowledge available to him through books and life experiences of his peers he served time with. Josh applied those business skills he acquired in prison to build a massive home-improvement company worth nearly $30 million dollars when he sold it in 2019. Josh and his wife used a large portion of the proceeds to create the Fourth Purpose Foundation.

Lina Kornmeyer Evans

Lina Kornmeyer Evans is the Local Markets Organization Market Executive for Bank of America serving Knoxville, Tennessee. In this role, she is responsible for business integration, strategic planning, coordinating and leveraging of the bank’s local philanthropic contributions, managing events and sponsorships, driving engagement of local associates, and facilitating relationships with community leaders and key influencers. Lina moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2017 after spending the previous 16 years in the Denver, Colorado area. She is married and has six children, Erin (21) a student at the University of Tennessee, Max (6), and 4 bonus boys aged 12 & 11. Lina is heavily involved in the community through local non-profit engagement and continues to mentor both internally and externally.

Check out our Exhibitors for this year!

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