Chauncey O'Dell

President of the Board

Chauncey is a grateful daughter of Appalachia, born and raised in East Tennessee. She joined SOCM because of its powerful legacy in local community work and the way its members care about the dignity and lived experiences of each other. She believes the humor, poignancy, and faithful intentions of SOCM’s members are a true treasure, and she has felt the building of genuine support, trust, and collective respect in SOCM’s efforts to gather fellow humans in community against the forces of extraction and oppression, however they may exist. She currently works as a therapist, specializing in grief support, and loves music, dancing, and creating art with loved ones. She lives in the mountains of Greene County with her beloved dog companion.

April Jarocki

Vice President

April is a single mother of 5 and has 3 grandchildren. She was born and raised in Southwest Ohio but moved to East Tennessee over 15 years ago. April is the director of Southern Connected Community Project and works on economic diversification initiatives with the TN Appalachian Community Economics Coalition. She enjoys outdoor activities, crocheting and woodworking, and spending time with her family and friends. She became a member of SOCM through her mother, Vickie Terry 9 years ago.

Linda Brookhart

Treasurer

Linda has spent almost 34 years working on legislative issues in Illinois for two 501(c)(4) organizations. During her transition to Tennessee she became quite involved in defeating the formation of a stone quarry in Grundy County. Her introduction to SOCM enticed her to become even more active. Her focus tends towards environmental issues that are destroying the South Cumberland Plateau. She was born in Indiana as well as her two adult children. As a Hoosier, she was raised to love basketball and the Indy 500. She also enjoys plants, flowers, crafting, and being outdoors. Currently she has two young bunnies as pets.

Allie Cohn

Secretary

Allie grew up in Atlanta, GA and lived in eight states before relocating to Knoxville, TN seven years ago. She has three children, a dog, and a cat. Allie is a social worker serving 16 counties in East TN to create and develop safe, affordable, quality, permanent housing options for persons diagnosed with a mental illness or co-occurring disorder. Allie is focused on supporting the work currently being done by SOCM in East TN related to accessing a right to counsel for people facing eviction.