November Newsletter 
Monthly Meeting
Please join AFWA for our November 2026 Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, November 17th
11:30 am - 1:00 pm at the Walden Club
Presenter: Ten Keith, VP of Finance & Administration for the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority
Topic: Where Journeys Begin and Memories Soar
Field of Study: Accounting - General
CPE Credit: 1 Hour
About Our Presenter: Tena Keith, MBA, CPA, serves as Vice President of Finance and Administration, bringing 36 years of professional experience and extensive expertise in financial management, budget development, administrative leadership, and organizational operations. With a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and designation as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), she combines advanced business knowledge with extensive financial and administrative experience. Her leadership reflects a dedication to excellence in public service and ensures that financial and administrative operations effectively support the organization's mission and strategic priorities. Tena brings a hands-on, detail-oriented approach to management, emphasizing accuracy, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. A key focus is enhancing financial accountability, improving internal control processes, and promoting compliance with established policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. The one area that she feels is the most important accomplishment ever is being married to her husband, Sam, for 46 years and having one son and three grandsons in her life.
AFWA is registered with the National Association of State Board of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State Boards of Accountancy have final authority in the acceptance of individual courses of CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of Sponsors through its website: www.learningmarket.org.
Tickets
$30.00 Member Reservation
$35.00 Non Member Reservation
$0.00 First Time Guest Reservation
$15.00 Student Member Ticket
Calendar of Events
November 17th - Monthly Meeting with Tena Keith, VP of Finance & Administration Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority
December 5th - Annual Christmas Party
January 26th - Monthly Meeting with Emily Horn, Partner with Bradley Law
February 23rd - February Monthly Meeting with Michael Elliott, Certified Fraud Examiner
March 23rd - Monthly Meeting
April 27th PR Luncheon
May 25th - Monthly Meeting with Laura Von Wahlde, Professional Coach
June 22nd - Monthly Meeting
Keep an eye out for dates on our CPE Seminars and updates to the calendar!
Open Board Meetings held via Zoom the second Wednesday of every month.
We are always looking for topics and speakers of interest to our members. Any topic and/or speaker recommendations are welcome.
Any questions, suggestions or topics can be emailed to our general email address [email protected].
Annual Holiday Party!
AFWA CHRISTMAS PARTY
AT BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE TEAROOM
INSIDE MERCANTILE AT THE RIDGE
SATURDAY, DEC 5TH 11AM TO 1PM
It’s time for the most joyous meeting of the year - the AFWA Christmas Party! Please join us on Saturday, December 5th from 11am to 1pm at Beyond the Garden Gate Tea Room.
Celebrate the holiday season, enjoy the mimosa bar, and network with our AFWA community! Quiche, salad, and high tea will be served.
We anticipate lots of fun again this year with the gift exchange! The gift exchange is voluntary. If you choose to participate, we ask that you bring a wrapped gift with a minimum value of $20 (no gag gifts, please). The gift exchange fun starts immediately following our meal.
All are welcome, including non-AFWA members. We encourage you to invite your friends and family to attend and join in the fun! Please make your reservation by November 28th.
We look forward to celebrating with you!
Tickets
$30.00 Member Reservation
$35.00 Non Member Reservation
Member News & Announcements
AFWA Welcomes Our Newest Members!
Teresa Bailey is excited to join the Chattanooga chapter of AFWA and looks forward to getting involved. She has worked in banking for 46 years, including 26 years with Regions Bank, where she was a Retail Group Leader/Vice President. She has spent the past 16 years with FirstBank, starting in Retail Banking as a Senior Financial Manager/Market Leader and now serving as a Relationship Manager/Vice President. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, especially her son, daughter-in-law, and two sweet grandsons in Florida. She looks forward to sharing her experience, getting to know other AFWA members, and building new relationships
Casey Galanti, CPA, is the founder of Mosaic CFO, where she provides outsourced accounting and strategic financial advisory services to small business owners. She holds a degree in Economics and Finance from Loyola University Chicago and an MBA in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her professional background spans financial services, corporate finance, and public accounting, including experience at CME Group, Marsh, and Little Fish Accounting. She has also taught personal finance at UTC. Casey is passionate about helping entrepreneurs make informed financial decisions and exploring how technology is transforming the accounting profession. She lives in the Chattanooga area with her husband and four daughters.
Lisa Ainsworth is a Commercial Relationship Manager with FirstBank and has been there for 9 years. She's been in banking for 40 years (yikes, I’m old). Lisa has a husband, Dewayne and two children, Chandler and Lindee. She loves to read, play golf, and play with her pets - 2 cats and 2 dogs. She also loves the beach and shelling!
Student Information
AFWA Meet and Mentor Program 2026
Chattanooga AFWA's mission is to enable women in all accounting and related fields to achieve their full personal, professional and economic potential and to contribute to the future development of their profession.
Chattanooga AFWA is made up of all different types of professionals (you do not have to be a woman to be a member!) in the Chattanooga area involved in Accounting and Finance fields.
If you are a student that would be interested in meeting with a local AFWA Member over coffee (or a snack!) to discuss their experiences in the workforce and build a relationship in a relaxed atmosphere, check out some of the available members here!
We hope this is a valuable experience for both the students and mentors who participate. Feedback is welcome throughout this process!
If you are a member that would be interested in participating in this program, please email us at [email protected] with a brief bio to add to our list.
Hey Members!
Welcome to our new 2026-2027 Board. We are so excited for what the upcoming year will hold!
President - Jennifer Sabados
President Elect - Suzanne Beaty, Scholarship Committee
Vice President - Christie Jordan, Education/Legislation Committee
Treasurer - Kim Pace, Finance Committee
Secretary - Jennifer Lamb, Program Committee
Director Ex-Officio - Sandra Hogan, Public Relations Committee
Director - Morgen Rose, Publicity/Newsletter Committee
Director - Claire Ornsbee, Membership/Member Relations Committee
Director - Baylie Jones, Student Activities Committee
Director - Taylor Weaver, Bylaws Committee
Director - Taylor Chattin, Yearbook Committee
Off Board Committee Appointment - Melinda Askew, Chapter Development
Committee News
Feel free to email us at [email protected] if you'd like to be involved!
Chapter Development Committee
Education/Legislation
Finance Committee
Membership/Member Relations Committee
Program
Public Relations Committee
Publicity/Newsletter/Website
Scholarship
Student Activities
Yearbook
