Where I’m From
I was born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Melissa and Robert Mann. After my father passed away, my mother moved our family back to her hometown of Maryville, where my grandparents, Ralph and Maria Collins, lived along with my great‑grandmother, Maria Zubller Collins.
We first lived in the Cherokee Heights neighborhood before moving to Alcoa. We later returned to Maryville to help care for my grandfather in his final years. In the late 1990s, our family moved to Miami, Florida, where I attended high school.
Education
I attended Alcoa Elementary and Middle School, Miami Palmetto High School, Maryville College, and the University of Tennessee, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History.
Career
For the past 15 years, I have worked for Clayton and Vanderbilt Mortgage in a variety of roles, including Account Representative, Legal Representative, and Legal Team Leader.
Over the last eight years, I’ve served in leadership positions during key phases of Clayton’s customer experience transformation. This has included helping build and lead Clayton’s first dedicated customer service team and, most recently, guiding the modernization of Clayton’s lead generation strategy.
Throughout my career, my focus has been on strategic, data‑driven leadership that puts customers and team members first. Servant leadership , putting people above processes , has always guided my approach.
Faith
I am a Christian, and my relationship with Christ guides and holds me accountable for how I live and lead. My faith shapes the way I approach leadership: with a focus on serving others and putting myself third.
When I make leadership decisions, my goal is always to ensure I am serving the people I am responsible for, and that my choices align with my values and morals. Our family’s home church is Victory Baptist Church, where I serve on the First Impressions team.
Family
My wife, Jessica, is the owner and operator of Vibes Glowtique and has worked in the service industry in Maryville for nearly 20 years. Her passion for people inspires me every day to stay focused on serving others.
We have two wonderful kids. Taylor is a graduate of Maryville High School, where Taylor was a four‑year member of the Red Rebel Marching Band and a founding member of the Lady Rebs lacrosse team. Tristian is a sophomore at Maryville High School and is one of the top tennis players in Maryville.
My mother is a graduate of Maryville High School and Maryville College. She recently retired after more than 50 years of teaching Spanish, French, and ESL.
My grandparents, both influential members of the Maryville community and now buried in the Maryville College cemetery, were lifelong educators. My grandfather served as the head of the foreign language department at Maryville College, and my grandmother founded the Anglo‑American School in Moscow in 1949 to educate my aunts, uncle, and other U.S., British, and Canadian diplomatic families.
My Leadership Approach
I believe in servant leadership , putting others first and leading with integrity, accountability, and a commitment to doing what is right. My focus is on strong, confident, and strategic leadership rooted in clear values and a dedication to serving others.
When change is needed, my priority is always to ensure that the decisions I support are the ones that best serve the people I’m responsible for.
