Mary is retired Army with over 21 years active duty service where she served in many challenging positions and deployed with the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division during the Gulf War. After becoming a veteran herself, she accidentaly dedicated herself to advocating for all veterans but especially women veterans.  She is active in several veteran organizations, to include Women Veterans of America, Clarksville Women Veterans Network, as well as the VFW, American Legion and AMVETS. Mary was the first woman veteran to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tennessee State Veterans Homes Board.  She was the Tennessee Woman Veteran of Year for 2012, was selected as a Woman of Influence for Nonprofit Management by the Nashville Business Journal in 2015 and received the Nashville Business Journal Veterans Award September 2015. 

Her passion is working with women veterans.  Her mission is speaking for women veterans who are unable to speak for themselves.

Special Forces Warrant Officer
Army, 5th Special Forces Group
March 1990 – April 2010 (20 years 2 months)
Command Language Program Director / Special Forces Staff Officer, 2004-2010. 
Managed a civilian employee staff of 24 personnel, trained over 1200 personnel annually in various foreign languages, managed contracts, equipped and managed two educational facilities and accounted for an operational budget of over $2M annually. 
Special Forces Operations, 1990-2003. 
Conducted various operations in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Planned for and led training in foreign countries in nation-building efforts. Participated in and led combat efforts.

Ms. Fearn is President of the Executive Board for the Montgomery County Veterans Coalition, a Veteran’s service organization. She also serves as Vice President of Communications for the Austin Peay University Military Alumni Association. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Maryland University College in 2010 and a Master of Science in Health and Human Performance with a concentration in Leadership in 2012. 
Catherine served in the United States Army as a Water Craft Operator out of Fort Eustis, Virginia. Catherine is the mother of six children and grandmother to one. She and her youngest daughter have lived in Clarksville for the past five years.

Elizabeth Carmichael, CPA, CFE, MPAc graduated from Murray State University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science, concentration in accounting, and Masters of Professional Accountancy.  She joined Stone, Rudolph & Henry, PLC in 2006 as an intern and has progressed to Audit Manager since that time.  She serves as the firm’s audit team leader and assists with its internal quality control functions.  Elizabeth earned the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation in 2009.  Since joining the firm, Elizabeth has gained experience providing a variety of professional services including auditing, accounting assistance, tax preparation, and consulting services.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, Leadership Clarksville, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

I have embrace the knowledge from my experience as a healthcare specialist and trauma specialist rendering first hand treatment to traumatically, emotionally and psychologically wounded Soldiers and nationals of different countries. After my 24 years of caring for America's Heroes in battles, conflicts and peacetime my knowledge equips me to be an expert in the areas of trauma care. 
Specialized Area:
Bereavement Support Group Facilitator
Individual Grief and Trauma Counseling/ Conflict Resolution 
Family Grief Counseling
Genogram & Ecomap to Solve Problem
Customer Service for Healthcare Offices/clinic
Emergency Preparedness Planner and Officer/Veteran Liaison 
We Honor Veteran Co-Committee Leader

Misty Leitsch, BBA, BSW, Zero Suicide Director

Misty Leitsch oversees the statewide implementation of the Zero Suicide Initiative by the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network in partnership with community mental health centers, emergency departments in small and rural hospitals, alcohol and drug treatment facilities, and select private business partners.

Misty also works on the Clarksville mayor’s challenge to prevent veteran suicides, the statewide veterans suicide prevention task force, several intra-state departmental initiatives, and the Montgomery, Houston, Humphreys, Robertson, and Stewart Counties task force. Misty is a certified trainer for QPR, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, safeTalk, Youth Mental Health First Aid, safety planning and CSSRS. Misty is also a Psychological Autopsy Investigator.

Before joining TSPN’s staff, she served for five years on the TSPN Advisory Council, having been appointed to this post by the Office of the Governor of Tennessee. As chair of TSPN’s Mid-Cumberland Region, Misty organized the region’s first Annual Memorial Walk and conducted numerous suicide prevention training sessions for crisis centers, behavioral health facilities, schools, businesses, and civic groups.

Misty double-majored in social work and business administration while working on her bachelor’s degree at Belmont University in Nashville, graduating in 2007. Outside of work, Misty likes spending time with her family, being outdoors, and having food adventures.

Jeff M. Truitt, Chief Executive Officer Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tenn. Economic Development Council (EDC).

A 26-year resident of Clarksville-Mongomery County with ties to Fort Campbell Army Post, as a
veteran himself, with a strong business and communications background, including a Bachelor of
Science degree from Austin Peay State University. Jeff is a 2005 graduate of Leadership Clarksville and
a 2016 Leadership Middle Tennessee graduate. Truitt and his wife, Kristi, have one daughter, Macy,
who is currently a student at Belmont University. Kristi serves as the Student Services Coordinator at Clarksville Academy.

As the leader of the EDC he is responsible for coordinating, promoting and ensuring economic
development in Clarksville-Montgomery County as well as the Director of the Aspire Clarksville
Foundation, a privately funded, non-profit organization that helps to fund the initiatives of the EDC and
its member entities. At the EDC, Jeff applies his experience and passion for Clarksville-Montgomery
County daily when sharing the story of our community and talent we have locally.
Prior to coming on board as the EDC CEO, Truitt served as the Chief of Staff under Montgomery
County Mayor Jim Durrett, September 2014-January 2019. While there, he has played a key role in
managing the general operations for over 1,200 County employees. He is well versed in community
economic recruitment initiatives to include PILOT negotiations, TIF creation, Downtown revitalization
and workforce development. Truitt has also been an integral part in the direct recruitment of global
corporations such as Google, Hankook and LG to the Clarksville-Montgomery County Corporate
Business Park.

Preceding his four years as County Chief of Staff, Truitt served as General Manager, and then Vice
President, of Dex Imaging where he started and grew the local branch into a multi-million-dollar
location. He also previously worked for the Clarksville-based engineering firm, DBS & Associates
where he directed and managed business development.

Sherry Pickering serves as the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Veterans Coalition. She was an active duty spouse for 19 years and is currently the spouse of a 100% disabled veteran. She has served the Fort Campbell community through 3 consecutive deployments, as a Battery and a Battalion Family Readiness Group leader, as well as serving on several care teams in service to families of fallen comrades. Sherry is the owner of Just A Wife Publishing and author of the book Homefires: War Through the Eyes of a Military Wife. She graduated from Austin Peay State University with a Masters in Social Work. Her volunteer service within the Clarksville community has included work with the Montgomery County Veterans Treatment Court, Operation Stand Down, and with End Slavery in TN. She serves on the TN State Advisory Board for Recovery Courts. Sherry is a board member of Aseracare Foundation and the Clarksville Sexual Assault Center. Sherry’s leadership ability and commitment to serve past and present military members and their families has resulted in her receipt of numerous awards including the Molly Pitcher Award, the Citizenship Award, the Dr. Mary Walker Award, APSU Military Alumni Excellence Award, and the TN Governor’s Volunteer Star Award.