A Look into the TNBA’s Past Successes & Future Possibilities

A Discussion with Carrie Huckeby and Levoy Knowles

On this special episode of “Lead Tennessee Radio,” Government Affairs Director Levoy Knowles takes the hot seat and is interviewed by Stephen Smith and joined by the new TNBA Executive Director, Carrie Huckeby, making her first appearance on the podcast. They talk about their new roles at the TNBA and how the necessity of splitting the role of executive director into two separate roles only reflects the massive growth the association has had over the years.

Carrie Huckeby describes her journey into the telecommunications world, which started 30 years ago, having worked with Levoy as he became the youngest person to be named CEO at Ben Lomand Connect. She says her career has been a winding road that has come full circle — now she is excited to apply her experience and knowledge to represent the TNBA.

Carrie and Levoy also discuss how the “Lead Tennessee Radio” podcast has helped build better relationships with legislators since its launch in 2019, serving as a vehicle for members of the legislature to get to know the TNBA and vice-versa. Carrie points out several ideas she has to expand the podcast in 2022, covering topics such as positive changes that can occur after broadband becomes available in a community.

Levoy also talks about how the expansion of broadband services resulted in the need for many members to change their names to reflect the new services they were offering. This lead to the need for the association to overhaul their branding, working with WordSouth to reveal their new name and logo at the 2019 convention. Carrie, who was working for the WordSouth team at the time, provides several insights on how the TNBA rebranding process played out and what made it successful.

Levoy looks back at the main accomplishments of the TNBA during his time as the executive director, and mentions several victories he is proud of: The new logo rollout, the TNBA’s participation in the formation of the Tennessee Broadband Act as well as having been influential in the passing of many bills that helped members save millions of dollars in taxes. Carrie wraps up this episode by talking about her future plans as the new TNBA executive director, which includes conducting the “Lead Tennessee Radio” podcast and creating content that helps members do their job and get answers, making the TNBA the place they go to to find the resources and information they need.

The “Lead Tennessee Radio” podcast is an opportunity to discuss issues facing Tennessee with state leaders and lawmakers.

“Lead Tennessee Radio” can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play, as well as at the Tennessee Broadband Association website.