Kara Tapp, director of the University of Tennessee at Martin Somerville Center, is named among the 2019 Sterling Award winners, published April 2 by the Jackson Sun. The Sterling Awards are given annually to honor West Tennessee’s 20 most influential women and are a joint project of the Jackson Sun and Jackson Area Business and Professional Women.

Tapp has served as director of the UT Martin Somerville Center since it opened in April 2016. Prior to accepting this position, she served as a communications specialist for Fayette County Schools and as an admissions counselor for Cambridge College in Memphis. She is a 2018 alumna of the UT Martin WestStar Leadership Program and currently serves on the program’s alumni council. Tapp is also a current board member for the Somerville Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

WestStar Leadership Program alumnae Dr. Lisa Piercey (’15) and Vanessa Parker Presson (’10) also received 2019 Sterling Awards. WestStar alumni have received a total of 39 Sterling Awards since 2010.

For more information on the WestStar Leadership Program, contact Virginia Grimes, program coordinator, at 731-881-7298 or <a href="mailto:vgrimes@utm.edu">vgrimes@utm.edu</a>.

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