Young Alumni Panel
Fresh Perspectivies
TTU Young Alumni Panel
Laura Canada
Laura came to Tennessee Tech from Lorain, Ohio, on a volleyball scholarship in 2001. She earned her B.S. in Merchandising and Design in 2005 and her MBA in 2006. Following graduation, Laura became the Convention & Visitors Bureau Director for the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. In this position, she played a vital role in landing the BlueCross Bowl (TSSAA High School Football State Championships) bringing over 20,000 visitors to Cookeville with an economic impact of more than $1 million on the community. She was also project coordinator for the Highlands Visitor Center, which opened in January 2009 and serves as a first-stop for visitors coming into the area. She currently serves as Vice President of Communications & Programs for the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.
Peyton Gibbs
Peyton graduated from Tennessee Tech with a B.S. in Political Science (’08) and later earned a Masters in Health Communication at Boston University. While at TTU, Peyton was a member of the Men’s Golf Team, Kappa Alpha Order, and several student government committees. He was also a member of the Presidential Advance Team for former President George W. Bush. During graduate school, he was involved in the non-profit healthcare field. Currently, Peyton works in the Government & Community Relations division of the Nashville Convention and Visitor Bureau as a lobbyist at both the state and local level in promotion of tourism. He will graduate in May 2011 with a second masters degree from Liberty University.
Craft Hayes
Craft graduated from Tennessee Tech in both undergraduate (General Management, ’07) and MBA (’08) programs. As a student, he was elected to serve as SGA President, and during his tenure, he generated student interest in clean energy sources for campus. Craft is employed with Bernard Health where he works in business development, specifically in effectively utilizing Health Savings Accounts. Craft also helps train new members of Bernard’s development team as they learn to explain HSA's clearly to client management teams and employees.
Ashley Warrington
Ashley graduated from Tennessee Tech in May 2009 with a degree in Political Science. During her time at TTU, she was elected as SGA President and President of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, was a member of the TTU Speech and Debate Team, and served on numerous campus committees. She completed internships with Governor Bredesen’s re-election campaign and Congressman Lincoln Davis’ D.C. office. Ashley currently resides in Nashville, TN and works on Mike McWherter’s gubernatorial campaign as a member of his finance team.
