The Gallatin area has so much to offer and we are eager to help you continue to make the most of it. Let us help you experience the support of our team, educate the community about your offerings, and engage with other members in meaningful ways.
Kim Baker, IOM, TCEcD, TNCCE
President & CEO
Meet Kim Baker
Kim Baker who began work with the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce in November 2013 and was named CEO in February 2015.
Calling Gallatin home since 2000, Kim is always proud to share that she’s a Knight, Green Wave, Pioneer, Vol, AND Blue Raider! After finishing at Vol State, she headed down the road to become a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication as well as University of University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, where she obtained her Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCEcD) designation. Additionally, Kim completed the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives Institute as well as four years of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute, earning the designation “IOM”. In 2022, Kim became a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Leads Fellow, after completing a fellowship focused on pressing education and workforce challenges nationwide. Earlier this year, Kim became one of the first Chamber leaders in the state to earn the Tennessee Certified Chamber Executive designation.
Kim is a graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee, Leadership Sumner, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee’s Transit Citizen Leadership Academy, and serves as a co-coordinator for Leadership Gallatin, launched in 2019.
Kim currently serves as a Girl Scout leader for Gallatin’s newest troop #1882, as a board member for the United Way of Sumner County, Young Life of Sumner County, Gallatin Shalom Zone, Volunteer State Community College Foundation, and Recovery Court of Sumner County.
Kim considers herself to be a lifelong learner, valuing the importance of education in our community, and enjoys serving on the Career and Technical Education Advisory Panels at her alma mater, Gallatin High School, and also Station Camp High School. As an alumna of Pope John Paul II Preparatory School, too, she is proud to serve as a member of their recently developed Innovation Advisory Team.
Kim was named Leadership Sumner’s Alumni of the year in 2019, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives’s Top 40 under 40 in 2021, and Pope John Paul II Preparatory School’s Mentor of the Year in 2023.
Prior to joining the Chamber team, Kim spent many years in the service industry tending bar as well as working as a nanny for local families. Because of this, Kim still enjoys free-lance bartending and working with children. Sometimes, you can find her and her husband serving as “local celebrity” bartenders at fundraisers where they donate their time and she considers some of her best days when she’s invited to read to local kiddos!
Kim is a Wonder Woman enthusiast who almost always has a coffee in-hand, loves Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, has a niche for event planning, and is passionate about small business as well as local growth and development. When Kim is not spreading the local love around Gallatin, she enjoys spending time just about anywhere with her history-lovin’ husband, Ryan, Eagle Scout bonus son, Hayden, and wild, redheaded daughter, Annlyn Graham. Add their wild hound dog, Georgia, to the mix, and you can officially say Gallatin, Tennessee has a circus!
Zena Parks
Vice President of Operations
Meet Zena Parks
Zena Rodgers Parks began work with the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce in February 2007 as Assistant Director and was named Chief Operating Officer in November 2014. She celebrated her 15th year with the Chamber in 2022. Before coming to the Gallatin Chamber, Zena worked in the Optometry field as an Optometric Assistant and Administrative Assistant for over 20 years. She was also licensed in health, life, property and casualty insurance.
Zena is a lifelong resident of Gallatin, contributing a wealth of knowledge of the community to the Chamber and its visitors. She attended Middle Tennessee State University where she studied Business Administration. Zena completed her training in the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives Institute in March of 2009 and continues to attend continuing education courses throughout the year. Currently, Zena serves as the market manager of the Gallatin Farmers Market under the umbrella of the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of Tennessee Association of Farmers Markets and the Tennessee Farmers Market Coalition.
She has served as Vice President of Historic Cragfont and on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Gallatin Downtown Library and Greater Gallatin, Inc./Downtown Gallatin. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Historic Rose Mont, Zena was also active in the Junior Service League of Gallatin where she served on the Fundraising committee, the Board of Directors, as Secretary, Provisional Chairman, and President in 2009-2010. In 2007 she won the Junior Service League’s President’s Award.
In addition to her community involvement, Zena is quite the craftsman with her fabulously designed jewelry pieces created by hand and inspired by her nieces, Ella and Grace, she also enjoys painting. She enjoys attending live sporting events as well as a variety of musical performances in and around the Nashville area. Zena loves to travel and is always looking forward to her next adventure.
Angela Anderson, IOM
Vice President of Member Experience
Meet Angela Anderson
After spending 27 years in Air Force life and being lucky enough to travel the world, Angela and her family decided to settle down in Gallatin in 2016. This transition was the first time Angela ever planted real roots for anywhere longer than 4 years so they had to pick a good place she says! The strong sense of community, along with the beautiful landscapes, amazing schools, and the small-town charm, were the main reasons they chose Gallatin.
She attended both Penn State University and the University of South Carolina where she studied Mass Communication. Angela completed two years of Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives Institute in 2020 and is currently working towards completing four years of the US Chamber Institute for Organizational Management where she will earn the designation of IOM.
Prior to joining the Chamber team, Angela launched her own business, Anderson Lane Photography, capturing special life moments for her clients.
With a background in photography and marketing, her role as the Chamber’s Member Experience Coordinator is to make sure we are getting your businesses news and events out into the community to reach as many people as possible. She’s also there to help you with the ins and outs of navigating your Chamber membership and benefits.
When Angela isn’t helping our members at the Chamber, she can be found cheering on Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles as well as spending time with her husband Gary while attempting to capture and photograph precious memories for their children Aiden, Brady, and Isabella and spending far too much money at Target (unless her husband is reading this; in that case, she just strolls around looking at things).
Debby Haddock
Sales Coordinator
Meet Debby Haddock
Debby Haddock has been with the Chamber since the summer of 2010. As Director of Sales her main responsibility is handling the advertising sales for the annual Chamber publication, as well as membership and sponsorship sales.
Although a native of the Pittsburgh, PA, area, Debby lived in New Orleans for over 35 years and considers herself a true Southerner at heart—after all, her mother was from Texas. Debby and her family moved to Gallatin from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She has been a Jazzercise Franchised Instructor since 1989 and owned two Jazzercise locations employing seven other instructors in the New Orleans area before moving here. She still teaches Jazzercise in Gallatin for a local Franchisee. Because of being a self-employed small business owner herself, Debby is able to understand the challenges many of our local business owners tackle to achieve success, especially advertising and marketing.
Debby and her family embraced Gallatin with a passion and feel very much at home here. The people, the beauty, and the lifestyle of Gallatin certainly made it easy to fall in love with Tennessee!
Debby’s husband, Doug, is retired from pharmaceutical sales, and is enjoying retirement with gusto! They have two grown sons. Alexander (and his wife Angie) live in the area with their son, Charlie, who was born in November 2018. Debby proudly added “Grandma” to her resume. Their younger son, Holden, lives in Denver, CO. She is very proud of the fact that both of her sons are Eagle Scouts.
Her hobbies include making pearl jewelry, traveling, and spending time with family—especially at our local restaurants.
Ashley Freeman
Program Coordinator
Meet Ashley Freeman
Ashley is a native Gallatin girl with a passion for people and community. She is a 2001 graduate of Gallatin High School and completed degrees in English and Teaching at Cumberland University, The University of Dayton, and Trevecca Nazarene University. Writing, editing, and workshop facilitation are just a few of the things you’ll catch Ashley doing when she’s not running programs for the chamber. She taught public school for 16 years, worked in recruiting and hiring in manufacturing, and has taught group fitness classes since 2017, all the while embedding herself further into Gallatin and chamber happenings. You’ll find Ashley leading many chamber programs such as Gallatin Young Professionals and Leadership Gallatin, and you’ll find her serving the community as a Prevention Coalition board member and advocate.
