KIMBERLY WIGGINS

Women Of Clarksville Feature Kimberly Wiggins

Montgomery County Trustee Kimberly Wiggins, originally from Brownsville, Tennessee says, “Life is good in Clarksville-Montgomery County.” She is proud to live and serve in this community and quickly admits that she could not do what she does without the love and support of her husband, O’Neal Wiggins.

She says her goal each day is to serve this community dutifully and earnestly, finding some time to laugh a little, but always taking care of business first. “It’s about helping young professionals figure out their way. I had a lot of great mentors, which is something that, if they’re open to it, can fare them well. I still have a lot of mentors who help me in different phases of my life. I’m passionate about young people finding their place in the workforce. Even now, I have friends pour into me. Until recently, I had never run for office. And now we own a business, which is a new adventure. Thankfully, there are people along the way who will guide you if you listen.

Although she feels the best is still yet to come, Kimberly states her biggest accomplishment is “Winning office in a town where I wasn’t well-known, and being accepted at face value. It’s easy to get hired

by a couple of people, but to be hired by a community to do such an important job, was very gratifying. To be able to serve this community is a great accomplishment.”

“As far as personal accomplishment, I would say becoming President of Clarksville Rotary Club is something I’m very proud of. I was the first black woman to achieve that position in the 104 year history of that great organization.”

Kimberly is the first African-American Trustee in the state of Tennessee. When asked what has been her biggest challenge in the industry thus far she says “One of the biggest challenges I face is that I’m usually the only person in the room who looks like me. Getting past the awkwardness that you feel in that situation, and then being able to create caring, loving relationships has been very rewarding. This trustee family, even before I was elected, invited me into their offices to see how things work. I had been in banking where every bank is different. Conversely, there are lots of similarities from office to office among Trustees. The rules are the same. Trustee office veterans have helped me with policy writing and all the important aspects of this job and in turn I’ve shared best practices from the banking industry. There are ninety-five Trustees across the state and I’ve found them to be a caring group of peers and mentors. I could call any one of them right now and they would gladly share with me anything that I might need.”