September 17, 2026

IN PERSON | Brentwood

A confidential gathering for Tennessee ESOP CEOs/Presidents to connect with peers and discuss the practical realitities of leading in ESOPs. 

These convenings are a CEO-to-CEO space, organized and hosted by TNCEO.  To join the next Roundtable, contact TNCEO Executive Director Rachel Merfalen

August 24, 2025

ONLINE EVENT

Employee Ownership is increasingly understood to be a powerful strategy for helping lower-income Americans build wealth while also helping companies succeed and create good jobs. Join Tom Strong of Shift Work Forward and Rachel Merfalen of the Tennessee Center for Employee Ownership as they examine a broad-based approach to expanding ownership and wealth, and the skills that workers-as-owners develop that are shaping the future of the workplace. They will be joined also by Paul Boney, an Account Manager at Inline Electric Supply, who will share his experience of becoming an employee-owner and how it changed his experience at work.

May 19, 2026

IN PERSON | Brentwood

Convened leaders at employee-owned companies to discuss opportunities to grow employee ownership in Tennessee. Leaders had time to connect with other business owners who chose Employee Ownership as their exit strategy, and ideate on how to create more community amongst employee owned companies in Tennessee.

May 15, 2026

ONLINE EVENT

Join the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) and TNCEO to learn about employee ownership, why it works, who it works for, and how the Tennessee Center for Employee Ownership works with economic development organizations, chambers, and other partners to help business owners understand their options.

February 19, 2026

ONLINE EVENT

Hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program as part of its Job Quality in Practice Series. Speakers include TNCEO's Executive Director, Rachel Merfalen, and three other Job Quality Fellows who examine narrative challenges around work and opportunity, highlight strategies for change, and explore how to amplify approaches rooted in worker dignity, quality jobs, and community wealth-building.

November 21, 2025

IN-PERSON | Nashville

Hosted by TNCEO and The Ownership Project at the Harvard Business School's Institute for Business in Global Society. This breakfast brought together leaders from across Tennessee for a conversation on qwnership and the role of the firm in building a more equitable society.

October 20, 2025

IN-PERSON | Nashville

Join the Tennessee Center for Employee Ownership (TNCEO)'s first annual EO Celebration! Craft cocktails, heavy apps, and lots of good company. Thank you to BDO Capital for sponsoring the incredible venue overlooking downtown Nashville at sunset!

October 16, 2025

IN-PERSON | Kingsport

Hosted by TNCEO, Invest Appalachia, and the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, join regional leaders in Eastern Tennessee for over breakfast to learn about employee ownership as a strategy for economic and community investment.

August 24, 2025

ONLINE EVENT

Hosted by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions (now, Shift Work Forward), In this episode of State of Our Workforce, we talk with Rachel Merfalen, Interim ED at TNCEO, Krisi Schell, Executive VP of Human Resources at SRC Holdings, and Tom Strong, Director of Employer Activation at the National Fund to explore how employee ownership is becoming a practical strategy for improving workplaces and how workforce development practitioners can support it