January 2026 KTC Board Meeting Minutes

The Knoxville Track Club Board of Directors met Monday, January 26, 2026 at Casual Pint, Northshore. 

Members present were: Amber Carroll, C. John Chavis, Brandon Collier, Karla Gander, Zane Hagy, David Hinkle, Adam Kolatorowicz, Tina Fickey, Melissa Kanipe, Kunle Lawson, Don Madgett, Angel Norman, Matt Stegall.

Staff members Eric Weatherbee and Jason Altman attended as guests, as well as KTC member Kathy Nash.

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by board chair Hagy. 

The minutes from November and December board meetings were approved after a motion by Matt Stegall and a second by Brandon Collier. 

The consent agenda based on reports submitted from staff was accepted unanimously after a motion by David Hinkle and a second by Matt Stegall.

Under old business, executive director Weatherbee informed the board that KTC has entered into an agreement to purchase Knoxville Youth Athletics that will finalize on Feb. 16. Combining the organizations offers broader scope for KTC and increased exposure/efficiency for KYA. 

Weatherbee reviewed the current situation with RunKnox for the benefit of new board members. Jason Wise will work with Scott Schmidt to move toward a more inclusive running community. Members will be advised of the opportunity by late January. 

The bylaws have been updated on the KTC website.

New Business included:

Introduction of new members Amber Carroll and Melissa Kanipe

Zane spoke favorably about the club’s position and recent progress.

Angel mentioned an annual audit, since the club was not audited in 2024 or 2025. She suggested the name of an audit company and the board approved unanimously after a motion from David Hinkle and second by Matt Stegall.

Race results prior to RunSignUp will soon be available as a database archiving the history of the club. 

Zane will be contacting committees to see how members want to move forward. He stressed the importance of maintaining momentum.

All members of the club are eligible to attend board meetings under the following guideline and can address the board under the following guideline:

Guests may speak 1-3 minutes on items related to the agenda or current club matters.

Round Table:

• Eric described a summer competitive program, noting that KYA sends a team to Junior Olympics, has great promise and a fantastic summer development program. We’re missing track and field competition for adults. He suggests starting an umbrella of training and development, hopefully putting on adult track and field meets, masters championships, and building towards youth knowing there’s something for them beyond high school.This vision fits our mission of healthy living through running and walking by encouraging young people and adults who still want to be competitive. This will set us apart from other track clubs. 
• New member Amber Carroll mentioned that she’s excited about seeing people jump into sport and the sense of community.
• Coach Lawson mentioned an article on weight lifting for distance runners in Footnotes.
• Coach Madgett gave kudos to Eric for great ideas, specifically adding Hal Canfield to Vol Track Classic.
• Adam K mentioned two great upcoming trail races – Wanderers Feb 7, Dark Hallow Wallow on 2/22. He stated that there had been some difficulty with the trail side of results tracking, but can we leverage a new data set for results for Trail races as well. 
• Jason A. mentioned the upcoming Kids Run Kickoff at Zoo Knoxville on Feb. 7. 
• Tina noted that there is a lot for the membership committee to do in order to reach membership goals.
• Brandon asked what the staff needs in order to do their jobs. 
• Melissa encouraged board members to volunteer for Straw Plains, citing door prizes as encouragement.
• Matt offered kudos to Eric and Zane for the difference in club from when he started to now, citing improvements in efficiency and effectiveness
• David H. stated that when he joined the club several years ago, we had less revenue. Today the club has significantly more revenue and it’s a real business. David appreciates being part of the board. We’re in a community that’s going to continue to grow. He offered thanks to everyone for making things happen.
• Zane reminded the board that it’s easy to pick things apart because you want them to get better. Anything you see that we need to address or adjust, we can start building that list now of what needs to be improved. We’ve got the right people here now and good forward momentum.

THe meeting adjourned at 6:48 PM after a motion by Matt S. and a second by David H.