Our Staff
Tracy Boatner
Tracy Boatner is President and CEO of the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC), where she leads efforts to strengthen East Tennessee’s role as a hub for nuclear innovation, workforce development, and economic growth. Under her leadership, ETEC has expanded its statewide impact, launching and stewarding the Tennessee Nuclear Network (TN²), the state’s official partnership for advancing nuclear energy and related industries.
Since taking on her leadership role in 2022, Tracy has focused on uniting government, industry, research institutions, academia, and community stakeholders to build strategies that ensure Tennessee remains at the forefront of energy innovation. She has overseen the growth of ETEC’s signature Nuclear Opportunities Workshop (NOW) from just over 80 participants in 2017 to more than 1,000 attendees from across 34 states in 2025. Her ability to convene leaders from national laboratories, utilities, universities, state and federal agencies, private industry, and all levels of government has positioned ETEC as a central connector in Tennessee’s economic and energy ecosystem.
Tracy was appointed to Governor Bill Lee’s Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council in 2023/2024 where she helped form statewide policy recommendations to position Tennessee as a leader in nuclear energy. She is recognized as a collaborative leader who bridges local and statewide priorities, ensuring Tennessee’s assets translate into long-term opportunities for communities across the state.
Her additional affiliations include: Nuclear Energy Institute Advanced Reactor Roadmap Implementation Board; Center for Energy, Transportation, and Environmental Policy Fellow, Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, University of Tennessee; ORAU Board of Directors; Tennessee Valley Corridor Leadership Council; Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation Board; Past-Chair, United Way of Anderson County Board; YWCA of the Tennessee Valley Board; Past President, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge; Past Chair, Leadership Oak Ridge Advisory Board; Leadership Oak Ridge Class of 2016; Leadership Knoxville Class of 2012.
Nicole Allen
Nicole Allen is Vice President of the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) and serves as the organization’s Director of Communications. Her role spans strategy, marketing, and program management across ETEC’s initiatives.
Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Nicole has lived in Knoxville since 2001 and has spent much of her career working in economic development nonprofits in East Tennessee.
Nicole has more than 21 years of experience managing ETEC’s communications, programs, and member engagement.
She currently serves on the Methodist Medical Center Foundation Board and the United Way of Anderson County Board of Directors, and volunteers with her child’s school activities and occasionally with the American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE). She has served as a program mentor for a local Girl Scout troop and as a mentor for TN Achieves through the Tennessee Promise program. She is a graduate of Leadership Oak Ridge’s Class of 2006 and is a member of Fellowship Church.
Nicole graduated from Cumberland College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.
She lives in west Knoxville with her family, her husband, Dr. David Allen, DVM, and their two children. Nicole enjoys playing with words and spending time with her family.
Melodie McDonald
Melodie McDonald is the Director of Operations for the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC).
She joined the staff in March of 2022. Her part-time work at ETEC includes, but is not limited to bookkeeping, human resource management, customer service, and facilities management.
Originally from Saginaw, Michigan, Melodie moved to Knoxville in 1997. Prior to working for non-profits, she spent 19 years in the financial industry with a focus on secondary marketing.
Melodie is dedicated to serving others in our community and has been involved in the international ministries in her church, hospitality outreach and helping the homeless.
Melodie attended college at Central Michigan University, where she studied Aerospace Engineering and discovered she enjoyed working with numbers more than equations and made the change to accounting.
She lives on a farm in west Knoxville with her family (husband, Michael and two children and seven grandchildren). Melodie enjoys most outdoor activities, remodeling, woodworking, reading and traveling.
William (Bill) Tindal
Bill Tindal is currently detailed to serve as the Director of the Tennessee Nuclear Network (TNN), where Bill leads statewide efforts to strengthen Tennessee’s nuclear workforce, expand collaborative partnerships, and advance strategic initiatives supporting the region’s rapidly growing nuclear sector. Bill serves in this capacity as a loaned executive from Omega Technical Services, where Bill is the Chief Executive Officer.
At Omega, Bill has guided the company’s vision, mission, and long‑term strategy, drawing on more than 35 years of leadership and operational experience in highly hazardous nuclear facility operations. Before becoming CEO, Bill served as Omega’s President, overseeing day‑to‑day operations, financial performance, and companywide resource alignment to support growth across diverse customers and markets. Bill continues to remain engaged with Omega’s executive team while on detail to TNN.
Prior to joining Omega, Bill served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, the management and operating contractor for the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y‑12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee—organizations comprising more than 10,000 personnel and managing annual budgets exceeding $2.5B. Earlier, as Chief Operating Officer, Bill worked closely with leaders across both sites to strengthen internal operations, respond to emerging financial trends, and enhance collaboration with nuclear weapons design agencies.
Bill holds a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering from Penn State and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Tennessee. Outside of work, Bill enjoys baseball, woodworking, traveling with his wife, Karen, and spending time with his grandchildren.
Dana Richey
Dana Richey is the Events and Program Manager for the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC), where she leads the planning and execution of ETEC and Tennessee Nuclear Network (TN²) programs and events. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of events—from early planning through post-event wrap-up—working closely with leadership, partners, and stakeholders to create meaningful, high-quality experiences that support regional collaboration and growth.
Originally from Vero Beach, Florida, Dana brings a diverse professional background spanning military, government, higher education, and private industry. Prior to joining ETEC, she served as the Events Coordinator at the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies (CECS) at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Her career includes roles as a Protocol Specialist, Enrollment and Program Assessment Coordinator, Executive Assistant, Sales and Training Manager, and Store Manager—experience that reflects her strengths in organization, leadership, and building strong relationships. Her adaptability and resilience have been shaped in part by the dynamic nature of military life.
A veteran of the United States Air Force, Dana served with honor and completed deployments to Uzbekistan, Qatar, the Horn of Africa, and Afghanistan.
She now proudly calls Grainger County, Tennessee home, where she lives with her two sons and their chocolate Labrador. Outside of work, she enjoys painting, reading, gardening, fishing, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
Chandra Wright
Chandra Wright is a proud Texas-born-and-bred woman now happily calling East Tennessee home. With deep Southern roots and plenty of Southern hospitality, she brings warmth, hard work, and a touch of Texas charm to everything she does.
In her role as Leadership Support Specialist, Chandra delivers high-level administrative and operational support to executive leadership. She manages correspondence, reports, calendars, travel arrangements, and meeting logistics for the President, Vice President, and TN² Nuclear Network Director. She also coordinates committees, events, webpages, and training initiatives while serving as a trusted liaison between leadership, members, and external stakeholders. In short, she keeps the trains running on time so the leaders can focus on the big stuff.
Previously, Chandra served as an Administrative Support Specialist (Level III) (DOE Q-Cleared) with a subcontractor for Sandia National Laboratories supporting the Y-12 SIRP Project. There, she handled workforce administration, employee onboarding and offboarding, training compliance tracking, personnel documentation, and led control management for RFIs, submittals, and technical documentation — keeping everything audit-ready in a highly regulated environment.
Before stepping into the nuclear world (yes, she went from owning multiple businesses to security clearances — talk about a plot twist), Chandra spent years as an Aveda Educator and Owner/Manager of ENV Salon & Spa. She also enjoyed a successful run as a New Mexico Real Estate Broker with ReMax Pros & Realty One, where her team ranked #2 and #3 in the Southwest Region. Whether closing multimillion-dollar deals or running busy retail operations, she has always loved helping people and keeping things running smoothly.
Outside of work, Chandra enjoys all things outdoors when the sun is shining! Boating, hiking, riding the Harley, gardening, and spending quality time with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. Texas will always have her heart, but East Tennessee is quickly winning her over.
She is excited to bring her extensive experience, fresh perspective, and Southern hospitality to the East Tennessee Economic Council.