Meet the Finalists: Community Champion

Get to know our amazing individuals and organizations as we get ready to celebrate them at our 2025 Latino Leadership Awards on September 19th!

Throughout the next couple of weeks, we'll be sharing some info on the folks and agencies our city nominated to be recognized for their contributions and positive impact, promoting Latino progress across sectors in the Scenic City!

Community Champion: 2025 Nominees

Baker Donelson

For 130 years, Baker Donelson has built a reputation for achieving results for our clients, both nationally and internationally, on a wide range of legal matters. While providing legal services is our focus, it is how we deliver them that sets us apart. Our goal is to provide clients with more than what they have come to expect from a

law firm.

Our unique approach to providing legal and policy services is enabled by our extensive support structure. As the 79th largest law firm in the U.S., Baker Donelson gives clients access to a team of more than 700 attorneys and public policy advisors representing more than 30 practice areas, all seamlessly connected across 26 offices to serve virtually any legal and policy need. We provide to our clients a global network of local counsel and other professionals, and have helped our clients take advantage of global opportunities in more than 90 countries spanning six continents. Clients receive informed guidance from experienced, multi-disciplined industry and client service teams.

The experience, integrity and commitment we bring to our clients have earned Baker Donelson numerous distinctions, including:

• 90 attorneys recognized by Chambers USA as leaders in their field (2024);

• 47 practice areas also recognized by Chambers USA as leading practices in individual states (2024);

• 280 attorneys in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025; and

• 93 attorneys recognized as Super Lawyers.

The Pop-Up Project

The Pop-Up Project (TPUP) is proud to continue serving the Chattanooga community by providing accessible, high-quality dance education for both children and adults. Through our outreach programs, we bring weekly dance classes to over 600 children and more than 200 adults, creating opportunities for movement, creativity, and connection across all ages. Our mission is to build a vibrant, diverse, and sustainable performing arts economy—one that reflects the authenticity of our city and is deeply rooted in community engagement.

In 2024, we launched Exprésate!, TPUP’s Spanish immersion dance program. Exprésate! invites young dancers of all backgrounds to explore language and culture through movement, offering a joyful and inclusive space where they can express themselves, connect with peers, and share their unique stories. This free program reflects our commitment to accessibility, creativity, and belonging—ensuring every child has a place in Chattanooga’s artistic future.

Chattanooga Area Food Bank

The Chattanooga Area Food Bank leads a network of over 200 hunger-relief partners across 20 counties in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia with one mission: to eliminate hunger by feeding, nourishing, and empowering those we serve, including the 1 in 5 Hispanic individuals in our region affected by food insecurity. We provide more than just food to our partners; we help build their capacity so they can in turn better serve their communities through training, pass-through grant funding, and technical support.

Last year, alongside our partner network, we distributed enough food to provide nearly 17.7 million meals for our neighbors, including 5.7 million pounds of fresh produce and 6.3 million pounds rescued from grocery store partners. Through our client-choice pantry, the Foxwood Food Center, we serve 3,000–4,000 households each month in a grocery-store-style environment, which promotes dignity and allows guests to choose what works best for their families, including dietary needs and cultural preferences. Our mobile pantries bring food directly into communities where access is limited, including schools, senior centers, and neighborhoods in food deserts. In the past year, our bilingual public benefits team helped to submit more than 1,500 SNAP applications.

We are proud to work alongside our hunger-relief partners like La Paz! Together, we are building pathways to a healthier, hunger-free future.