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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Two women who have risen to
professional positions in their 20s, one as an attorney and one in
Army public relations, will be the featured speakers Monday evening
for a presentation to Tennessee Tech’s female
student-athletes about women in leadership roles.
The program, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled
for 7 p.m. Monday in the Don Ervin Auditorium on the first floor of
Johnson Hall. It is the latest in the Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Leaders
for Life Program, an endowed program to enhance the educational
opportunities for Tech’s female student-athletes.
The two speakers, Natalie Ivey and Kristen Marquez, grew up as
friends in Cookeville and have taken different career paths each
leading to successful professional positions. Ivey is the
Assistant District Attorney General for Tennessee’s
13th Judicial District, which is comprised of seven
counties. Marquez is the Public Affairs Officer at Ireland Army
Community Hospital at Fort Knox, Ky., and oversees MEDDAC public
relations for six states.
Ivey graduated from Cookeville High School in 2003 and enrolled at
Tennessee Tech, earning her bachelor’s degree in history in
2007. She worked as a student intern and student attorney in the
Office of the Public Defender, and entered the University of
Tennessee College of Law in 2007, receiving her J.D. degree in
2010. She spent some time serving as Legal Advocate for Genesis
House in Cookeville, and was named Assistant District Attorney for
the 13th Judicial District in 2010. Among the duties of
that role, she prosecutes crimes of domestic violence in Putnam,
Dekalb and White Counties.
Marquez is a 2001 graduate of Cookeville High School and a 2004
graduate of Austin Peay State University with a degree in mass
communications. After positions at newspapers at both Fort Campbell
(Ky.) and Fort Sill (Okla.), she was accepted into an Army
Internship program. During that two-year span, she was posted at
Fort Jackson (S.C.), attended DINFOS at Fort Meade (Md.) and served
at the Pentagon. Upon completion, she spent three years as PAO at
Heidelberg (Germany) Army Hospital, before moving to Fort Knox in
2011.
The Leaders for Life program has included a number of prominent
speakers in the past several years, including its namesake, Dr.
Murphy, in 2011. The most recent speaker was OVC Commissioner Beth
DeBauche, who spoke at the event in October.
"This program targets the common challenges facing women today,"
said Mark Wilson, TTU Director of Athletics. "Tennessee Tech
Athletics is excited about promoting the importance of women's
athletics and providing outstanding opportunities for leadership
development in its female student-athletes.
"We're looking forward to an informative presentation from these
two young professional women, and we’re extremely grateful to
Dr. Murphy for her support of this program and her commitment to
our student-athletes," he said.
Murphy is a two-time graduate of Tennessee Tech, earning
bachelor's (1972) and master's (1973) degrees in health and
physical education. While enrolled at Tech, Murphy was actively
involved with the TTU athletics program, as a student-athlete in
three sports (basketball, tennis and volleyball) and as a graduate
assistant coach (women's basketball). In 2005, she earned the
school's distinguished alumni award for her professional
achievements.
The Leaders for Life program at Tennessee Tech is the second
leadership lecture series created by Murphy through charitable
gifts. In 2005, she endowed the Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Distinguished
Lecture Series in Sports Management at Florida State University.
Murphy earned a Ph.D. from Florida State University in
1980.
"The Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Female Student-Athlete Leaders for Life Program is providing a permanent legacy to one of the University's most accomplished alumni," Wilson said. "Our female student-athletes benefit tremendously from the Leaders for Life Program.
