Our Team
Get to know the members of our team who help MetMin what it is today.
Staff
Bill Rush
CEOThe CEO’s role is to foster a positive agency culture; maintain stakeholder relationships; assure timely, accurate, relevant, and real-time messaging; and uphold financial integrity.
He has 37 years of experience in nonprofit management having come to Metropolitan Ministries after 36 years with the YMCA movement. He attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he serves on the advisory board for the Master’s School of Public Health. He is the board chair of the new charter school ChattaAcademy Community School and as one of the co-chairs of Blue Zones Chattanooga. He received his health equity certification from the Satcher Health Leadership Institute.
Miller Blain
Director of OperationsThe Director of Operations (COO) has 4 areas of focus: client services, facilities, administration, and communications. Miller has 14 years of experience in direct client service, business administration, special events, marketing, and fundraising. Miller is a graduate from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a BA in Psychology and Fine Arts. Miller is a member of Chattanooga Young Professionals and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and is an active volunteer in the community working with several local organizations. Miller is a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga, and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Hosanna Community.
The Director of Impact has 3 areas of focus: client services with a focus on rapid rehousing and emergency shelter, data collections, and administration.
He has worked with Metropolitan Ministries as the Impact Manager for the past two years. He is a graduate from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2019 with a Bachelors in Business Administration. His degree focus was in Business Analytics.
Director of ImpactMichael Smith
Jennifer Velasquez
Food Pantry ManagerMy name is Jennifer Velásquez. I am originally from Guatemala, and I moved to the United States in 2017 when I was 12 years old. I am fluent in three languages,my native language a mayan dialect, Spanish, and English.
I graduated from high school in 2023, and in 2024 I earned my certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant. I am currently a student at Chattanooga State Community College, where I am majoring in Teaching English as a Second Language.
In my free time, I enjoy exercising, spending time with my friends, and serving my community. I am passionate about helping others and using my language skills to support people from diverse backgrounds.
Scott Guinn
Director of Community EngagementHis role focuses on building relationships, outreach, and advocacy to support the organization’s mission. Scott has over a decade of experience in healthcare and community service.
After graduating from Lookout Valley High School, he became a CNA and worked at Alexian Brothers Valley Residence, providing care for individuals living with Alzheimer’s. He later joined Gentiva Health Services, offering home health care for elderly and homebound clients before transitioning to Memorial Hospital, where he spent eight years as a Patient Care Tech in the ER.
There, he developed skills in blood draws, EKGs, wound care, and crisis de-escalation. Scott’s passion for public health led him to Cempa Community Care, where he served as a Prevention Specialist, providing HIV/HCV education, testing, and community outreach. His work at Cempa connected him to Metropolitan Ministries, where he now works to support and uplift the community.
Gayle McMillen
BookkeeperShe has 40 years of bookkeeping experience, the last 10 years in nonprofit bookkeeping. She is proficient with Quickbooks Accounting Systems. Gayle oversees all the daily financial business operations for the Accounting System to flow to the Financial Statements accurately. She is also responsible for the Balance in the Checking Accounts and the Bank Reconciliations. She reports to the CEO on a weekly basis and serves as the liaison with auditors and the CFO.
Sam Weathers
Director of STEPTNHis role is focused on safety and compliance with the organization on risk management and for our programs for rehabilitation, recovery, safety, health, testing, and treatment. Sam attended Central High School and has worked in a variety of local food establishments. His previous work was with Cempa Community Cares before coming on board with MetMin. He served as a prevention specialist for public health, education, testing, and community outreach.
Leadership
Board Officers
Tammy Garland
ChairGarrett Holland
Vice ChairNancy Ruby
TreasurerRichard Beeland
Secretary
Lynn Schmissrauter
Past ChairJohn Dixon
Governance ChairRadonna Parrish
Strategic ChairBoard Members
John Berestecky
Abril Byrd
Kelly Coffelt
Zary Colon
Roger Crawford
Dr. Jacqueline Davis-Gines
Murdock Jones
Ward Nelson
Jonathan Panter
Janet Radden
Nicole Seiferth
Gerald Toney
Sam Wolfe