Jennifer Lewis - Executive Director

Jen Lewis has a passion for the visual arts and non-profit management. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara, Jennifer began her career in Jewish Community Centers. Among her proudest achievements was the creation of Live Yes Studio, an alternative arts based day program for adults with developmental disabilities in Lincoln Nebraska. When not working, Jen focuses on her son, a budding artist in his own right, who loves musical theatre.

Tim Goldsmith - Curator and Education Director

Tim Goldsmith is a native Chattanoogan whose family has been in the area for more than two hundred years. He has a BA in art from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia and an MFA in Socially Engaged Art from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA. Outside of maintaining a multi-media art practice of his own, he has a variety of experiences as an arts educator, and most recently as an Adjunct Instructor in the Art Departments at UTC and Covenant College. As a curator, Tim has several years of experience curating exhibits and installations.

Sarah Moore - 4 Bridges Arts Festival Director and Programs Coordinator

Sarah Moore is a native Chattanoogan who has spent her entire professional career in the nonprofit sector, dedicated to arts and educational causes. With a BA in art from Carleton College and an MA in museum studies from George Washington University, she enjoys helping others find ways to create a meaningful space for art in their lives. In her spare time, she’s an avid knitter and loves to cook and bake, and enjoys long walks in Chattanooga's many parks. She lives with two ridiculous cats who have their own social media following.

Mason Elmore - Operations Coordinator

Mason Elmore is a Chattanooga transplant originally from Florida. They have a BA in Nutrition & Dietetics from the University of North Florida. With an extensive background in health coaching, Mason makes it a priority to empower others towards their goals and overall happiness. For the last eight years Mason has specialized in Pet portraits in acrylic paint. When they aren’t painting animals, Mason is looking for any opportunity to paint large scale murals within the community and beyond.

Laura Cleary Williams - Artist Coach

A Chattanooga native, Laura Cleary Williams earned a BFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 2009, followed by a Master’s in Printmaking from SCAD-Atlanta in 2012. She worked on an ambitious print collection with Kiki Smith and Valerie Hammond, later co-founding Straw Hat Press.

Now focused on drawing, Williams has exhibited widely, including solo shows at the Good Art Co. in South Carolina and Carrie Able Gallery in Brooklyn, with upcoming residencies in France and Tennessee.

Carrie Pendergrass - CHA ART SPACE Curator

Carrie Pendergrass holds a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an M. Ed. in visual art from UT Chattanooga. With twenty-five years of experience as an artist and educator, she has earned recognition for her alternative printmaking, including awards from the 4 Bridges Arts Festival. Carrie is also the curator of the CHA ART SPACE at Chattanooga Airport, a public art exhibit she founded in 2021. CHA ART SPACE became a satellite program of AVA in 2024.