Be Aware Blount started as one of a number of “Action Teams” that came out of an initiative through the Blount Memorial Hospital Foundation, and were originally called, “Substance Abuse Prevention Action Team (SAPAT).” As restructuring happened at the Foundation, they released a few of the Action Teams to their autonomy. We were one of those teams and rebranded to become Be Aware Blount: Prevention & Wellness Coalition.
Our Team
Amanda Small, CPS I – Executive Director
Amanda has always called Blount County home. She currently lives in Maryville with her husband and two children. After spending years as an elementary school teacher, she has now been the Executive Director of Be Aware Blount since 2022. Her favorite hobbies include reading, baking, and spending time in the mountains with her family.
Chris Lee, CPS I – Prevention Coordinator
Chris grew up in Sevierville, TN. He spent much of his adult life as a musician before beginning his work in recovery. After recognizing that a better community approach to prevention might equal less people in need of recovery, he joined the BAB staff in December 2022, to focus on primary prevention efforts. Chris lives with his wife and two children in Knoxville. He loves traveling, sports, game nights with the family, fantasy and sci-fi novels, and coffee.
Bridget Nagdeman – Communications Specialist
Being an East TN native, Bridget is proud to call this beautiful place her home. When she’s not working socials for BAB, she works full-time as a producer for Big Slate Media, a video production company in Knoxville. She lives in Knoxville with her cute calico cat, Cassie, and loves comedy improv, TV shows, cooking, and hanging with friends & family!
