Past Board Members

Mrs. Tonya Lytle

Tonya Lytle is a Human Resources Consultant at BlueCross BlueShield where she enjoys working with over 6500 employees. She previously worked as a Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst at BCBST before becoming a Human Resources Consultant. Tonya has excelled in both professions for over 20 years. She is also a successful entrepreneur and committed community leader.

At Blue Cross, Tonya manages the retirement, benefit plans and “Employee Exit Interviews” to ensure all employees have a smooth transition plan. She currently serves as an administrator of the AIM Mentoring Program at Blue Cross, an ambassador of the Blue Cross Family Fund Employee Assistance Program, and a member of the Blue Cross Women’s Leadership Network Group.

Tonya is a well-respected entrepreneur. She’s the owner of a boutique bookkeeping business, which has contributed to the success of several small businesses. Tonya is committed to assisting small businesses with providing financial reports and identifying key areas for improvement. In addition to her bookkeeping business, Tonya is the co-owner of a real estate development and investment enterprise. She has been the owner of several businesses, such as The Mill – Event Hall, Chattanooga’s largest Event Hall with character, which was awarded “The Best of The Best” by Chattanooga Times Free Press for several years under her ownership. Tonya knows first-hand what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

Tonya is a true community leader and advocate for Chattanooga. She serves on several boards and works tirelessly on many committees of organizations within our community. She holds various leadership roles, such as Strategic Planning Chair of The Chattanooga Links, a Facilitator for the PEARLS Leadership Academy of Delta Sigma Theta, Co-Chair of Delta Academy 2.0, serving as a mentor to Orchard Knob Middle School young ladies, and currently serves as the Treasurer for Gamma Pi Boule Foundation.

Tonya holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University. She continues to advance her skills by being a member of Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), Bookkeeping Business Launch and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA).

Tonya is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and The Chattanooga Links, Inc. She’s married to Travis Lytle, Sr. and they are the proud parents of one son, Travis Lytle Jr.

James Nunally, Jr.,M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

Dr. James Nunally, Jr. is originally from Birmingham, Alabama, where he attended the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) . While at UAB, he majored in biology, minored in chemistry and was a recipient of the University Honors Scholarship.  Also, he served as one of the founding members of the UAB Ambassadors which continues to this day to be an elite group of student leaders.

Dr. Nunally went on to receive his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Alabama.  He completed his residency program in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Tennessee in Memphis.  In 1990, Dr. Nunally established his medical practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee and continues practicing to this day.  He has continually provided care to the indigent and underserved population as well as private patients through long-term community health center relationships and private office settings. At various points in time, he has been the OB/GYN Chief of Staff during his tenure with these centers.

At Erlanger Hospital, Dr. Nunally has served as the OB/GYN Chief of staff and as a member of the Medical Executive Committee.  Also, he has been a member of the University of Tennessee clinical faculty involved with resident training for over thirty years and has received a favorite teacher designation.

Previously, Dr. Nunally was an Executive Committee Board Member for the Physician Surgery Center of Chattanooga.  He presently serves on the Board of Habitat for Humanity, working on the Housing Selection Committee. He currently serves as president – elect for the Gamma PI Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and as a board member and website editor for the Gamma Pi Boulé Foundation Website.

He met his wife, Dr. Bess Ingram Nunally, at UAB. She is a graduate of Emory University School of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.  Following her graduation they have worked together as a medical team with provision of quality, compassionate medicine as their mission and passion. They have two sons, James III and Julian, and one granddaughter.

John Golden, M.D.

Dr. Golding is currently an Interventional Cardiologist with the Erlanger Heart and Lung Institution in Chattanooga. There he is the medical director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory and the director of interventional cardiology. He has been in this position form 2010 until present. Prior to this role he was with the Cardiovascular Care Center from 2006 to 2010 in Chattanooga. There he was working as an interventional cardiologist and was the director of nuclear cardiology. From 2004 to 2006, he was working as an interventional cardiologist with the Galen Medical Group in Chattanooga.  

Prior to moving to Chattanooga, Dr. Golding was living in Rhode Island. There he was completing his general cardiology and interventional cardiology training at Brown University from 2000-2004. Prior to living in Rhode Island, he was completing his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC from 1997-2000.  

Dr. Golding holds degrees in Medicine from Meharry Medical College, and Bachelor of Science from Howard University. He was born in Washington DC and raised in the Maryland DC area. He now calls Chattanooga Home.

Candy C. Johnson, M.P.A

Johnson’s professional experience includes more than a decade leading in nonprofit, government, education and civic roles. A native of Clarksville, Tennessee, Johnson was the youngest member ever elected to public office for the Clarksville City Council, at 25 years old. Before taking on the helm of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga as its first female President and CEO in January of 2021, she served as the senior advisor to Chattanooga Mayor Berke. As senior advisor, she acted as a member of the Mayor’s cabinet and headed up community-focused initiatives to create sustainable partnerships and garner external investments to advance economic, racial and social equity — ultimately to improve the quality of life for more residents. During her tenure with the city’s administration, she also led the COVID- 19 Economic Recovery Alliance, co-created the Styles L. Hutchins Black College Student Fellowship and provided oversight for several Chattanooga Dream Economic Mobility initiatives and other public engagement efforts.

Prior to joining the City of Chattanooga in 2019, Johnson worked as an independent consultant offering services to nonprofit organizations in strategic planning, diversity and inclusion, resource development and educational advocacy. She also served as the policy director for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce before relocating to Chattanooga in July 2017, along with her husband and two children. Before embarking on her career in policy, Johnson served as executive director of a nonprofit organization, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation for seven years, turning it into a thriving foundation achieving more than 200 percent revenue growth and expanded programs benefiting students and teachers.

Johnson holds a bachelors degree in public management from Austin Peay State University and a Master of Public Administration from Murray State University. She is also a graduate of Leadership Clarksville, Leadership Middle Tennessee, the Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute and a current participant in the Harvard Young American Leaders Program. She has served as an adjunct professor in the University of Tennessee System and currently serves on several local and state boards such as the Tennessee Aquarium, Southeast Tennessee Local Workforce Development Board, University of TN Chattanooga Chancellor’s Multicultural Advisory Board, YMCA Y-CAP Board, among many others.

Dalya Qualls White

Dalya Qualls White is senior vice president and chief communications officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee which has more than 6,500 employees and serves more than 3.4 million members. She leads an integrated communications team responsible for public affairs, employee communications, brand and market strategy, consumer experience, marketing communications and community relations.

She also serves as executive director of the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation, which gives more than $10 million annually to communities and programs throughout Tennessee.

Qualls White joined BlueCross as director of corporate communications in 2019, leading the team responsible for internal and external communication strategies that reflect the mission-driven culture of BlueCross and its commitment to the health of the customers and communities it serves.

Before joining BlueCross, she served as communications manager with HCA Healthcare, where she directed the company’s proactive media strategy and oversaw the team that developed content for digital platforms. She worked with more than 180 hospitals to identify storytelling opportunities for employees and external audiences, securing national media coverage for many of those stories.

Previously, Qualls White served as deputy communications director for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, where she held primary spokesperson duties and handled media strategy for related agencies. She previously served as public information officer for the department, supporting major initiatives for the state’s Highway Patrol, Drivers Services and Office of Homeland Security.

She earned a master’s degree in mass communications from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign