Chamber offers free adult education resource dinner

KINGSPORT — About a dozen people gathered at the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce Thursday evening for pizza and key resources geared toward continued education. The Adult Education Resource Dinner — hosted by the chamber's Education and Workforce Development program — gave local adults the chance to connect with educators, resources and opportunities for their education journeys. The dinner event was free and open to anyone interested in learning about available resources for adult education. Whether currently pursuing a degree, transitioning out of military service, seeking a high school equivalency diploma, looking to advance in the workplace or starting a new career altogether, the event offered support for any scenario. The resource dinner was a product of chamber and city collaboration. Madison Greene, the chamber's communications and initiatives manager, shared that city leaders expressed a desire to improve enrollment in adult education in Kingsport, so she and other chamber staff designed the resource dinner. "This event is incredibly important to us because there are workforce shortages across all industries, and some of that comes from different needs not being met. One of those needs not being met is access to higher education and continued education for our adult learners," Greene said. "We want to make sure that folks that want to take advantage of these resources are able to." Greene shared that with higher rates of adult education enrollment comes a growing workforce and an improved community. "Your Kingsport Chamber is very proud through our Education and Workforce Development program to work with learners of all ages, from early childhood all the way up to adult learners, returning back for higher education opportunities through our partnerships with local education institutions like TCAT, Northeast State, ETSU and Tennessee Reconnect," Greene said. The event featured speakers from several local higher education institutions and programs who explained the options available through their respective organizations and how to become involved if interested. Attendees heard from institutions like Northeast State Community College, which offers pathways such as a high school diploma program, English as a Second Language, workforce initiatives, a construction program and a healthcare program. Anita Ricker, the adult education program director at Northeast State, shared that in 2025-2026, there were about 8,500 adults in Kingsport without a high school diploma and over 30,000 people across the eight counties she serves. She shared the importance of continued education and even said that she becomes emotional watching her students succeed. The dinner also included speakers from Tennessee College of Applied Technology's (TCAT) Kingsport location, Tennessee Reconnect, East Tennessee State University and Tennessee Higher Education Commission's Veteran Initiatives. All shared their unique services and how people can get involved in a path that interests them.