Episode 212: Tyler Ford: Mentorship, Opportunity and Building Tennessee’s Workforce

In this episode, Tyler Ford, Vice President of Workforce at Tennessee Achieves, the nonprofit organization behind the Tennessee Promise Scholarship, shares his inspiring journey from growing up in a small town in Illinois to working at Walt Disney World and eventually helping shape the future of Tennessee’s workforce through mentorship and education. Listeners will learn how Tennessee Achieves connects students to opportunity by pairing scholarships with hands-on mentor support—especially for first-generation and rural students. Tyler discusses the life-changing power of internships, the importance of community involvement, and how volunteers across the state are helping students access higher education and career pathways. With an impressive 84.7% of Tennessee Achieves graduates staying in-state and contributing to an $18.9 billion economic impact, this episode shines a light on how mentorship can transform both lives and communities. This episode is sponsored by Main Street Union City.