Columbus is shooting for the stars. We are fortunate to have big thinkers and deep pockets to continue moving us up the ladder of prosperity. Everyone knows their names; they’re always in the headlines. But there are many more people working tirelessly behind the scenes to lay the groundwork for our future, and many of them have just barely started their careers.

Every year, Columbus and the Valley magazine partners with the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals to shine the spotlight on these spirited, impassioned and forward-thinking individuals. This year we meet a symphony director, a project manager, a preservationist, a leadership trainer and a CPA. Their career paths are varied, but their goals are in line: to make Columbus a better place for families to live, work and play.

Katharine Cannella, 33

Like many high school graduates, Kat Cannella wanted to wind up “anywhere but here” She saw herself traveling the world, maybe working in Europe as a liaison for a U.S. corporation. But that was before she “took a hard right” moved to Hawaii and got a new perspective on life.

“I had never had the opportunity to live on my own, to grow into my own skin as an individual, not in relation to a parent or teacher or spouse”

Now Kat has a firm handle on who she is … to the point that she now helps others discover themselves. As assistant director at CSU’s Leadership Institute at Columbus State University, she’s a certified practitioner of assessment tools that help clients improve communication, trust, rapport and teamwork in the workplace.

“I get to push people out of their comfort zones. I like to see that light go on in their eyes when they realize ‘oh this is why that person drives me up the wall! It’s not because they're crazy or because I'm crazy, we’re just different’”

An Emergenetics profile posted on Kat’s office door warns visitors what to expect. She describes herself as happy-go-lucky, always looking for the silver lining; a coworker calls her Sunshine and Rainbows. She’s the yin to Center Director Shana Young’s yang. “Shana’s the planner, the strategist, the mastermind. I’m the one who executes. I just want to get in front of people and talk”

This people-person lives by the Biblical adage “to whom much is given, much is expected” To that end, Kat is a tireless volunteer. As an alumna who still bleeds red and blue, she devotes a lot of time to campus organizations. She is past president of the CSU Alumni Association and faculty advisor for the Phi Mu Fraternity for Women. She also has served as vice president of Columbus Jaycees, a commissioner with Keep Columbus Beautiful and she’s the youngest member of the local Mensa chapter.

Her biggest commitment currently is as the chair of Young Professionals, an organization she’s been a part of since its founding in 2008. Kat says she first considered YP as a way to improve herself, but now she sees it as much more. “YP is an asset to the community. Its mission, as it was conceived by the Chamber and Aflac, was to engage and retain young talent. It’s my job as chairman to make sure we’re providing as many opportunities as possible for young people to fall in love with Columbus, to fall in love with the people and the places and the things there are to do here”

Spending three years in Hawaii allowed Kat to see Columbus in a new light. “The Columbus I moved home to was bigger and better than the one I couldn’t wait to get away from” she said. Today, she believes the local leadership is enlightened and committed to actively planning for the future. She’s optimistic about the growth she’s seeing both uptown and at CSU.

But Kat says she’s concerned about the stubborn mythical dividing line called Macon Road. “The citizens in our community that don’t come from a background of privilege have to work that much harder to build a life worth living. I don’t think we’re doing all that we could be doing or should be doing to make sure all our citizens are benefitting from the growth and the prosperity. We have to lift up the least among us to become the community we want to be”

With a baby on the way, Kat expects to have less time for volunteering. But her focus will always be on helping people be the best they can be, promoting equality and encouraging unity.

“Especially with the way things are in our country and in the world today” she said. “I really believe that if we all just loved each other a little more, learned some compassion, some empathy, things might be a little different. We’re all just people doing the best we can, and if we cut each other some slack and put ourselves in each other’s shoes for a little while, we might look at controversial things a little bit differently”

Raveeta Addison, 33

Not a day goes by that Raveeta Addison doesn’t think about her little brother. Christian was only 13 years old when an undiscovered heart ailment caused his death. He'd been a well-loved student-athlete at Arnold Magnet Academy, 12 years younger than Raveeta, but already 6-feet 2-inches tall. Christian and Raveeta’s mother had raised them well, and taught them to always help others. Since Christian’s death, Raveeta has done enough giving back for both of them.

At her workplace, Raveeta is known as the Crazy Pop-Top Lady or the Girl Who Volunteers. It’s an identity she’s proud of. “A lot of my volunteering, a lot of the reason I do so much, is in memory of Christian, and also because you have this life to live, you ought to live it to its fullest. Like Gandhi said, ‘Lose yourself in the service to others’ I live by that”

Because of her love for helping people, Raveeta got a degree in sociology. She started her career as a case manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters, where she came to understand the gaps between needs and resources.

After discovering an interest in the analytical end of management, she left the non-profit world for TSYS, a global payment services company. The learning curve was steep, and she found volunteering to be a stress reliever.

With her heart still at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Raveeta serves on the board of the Family Center. She’s been a Big Sister to the same Little for eight years. “I didn’t want to do just a one-year commitment. I wanted to be someone’s Big Sister forever. I got Breonna at 9, and she’ll be 17 this year. She watches every single thing I do, which makes me aware that I have to set the best example for her”

Another passion is the Ronald McDonald House, which provided her a worry-free place to stay when her brother was hospitalized. That’s why she now collects aluminum can tabs from everyone she sees. “Did you know the tabs contain more aluminum than the can itself? It helps pay the electric bill at the Ronald McDonald House, a place that never turns the lights off”

Raveeta also helps out at the Columbus Dream Center, providing low-income families with groceries, a meal and a chance to shop for clothes each month. “That is one of the most humbling experiences I can think of. People are so grateful to find out that someone cares enough about them to go the extra mile. And it makes me appreciative of all the things I have”

She’s also involved with Young Professionals, Toastmasters, United Way and the Urban League Young Professionals. She coordinated TSYS’ Stuff the Bus campaign and collected 1,171 book bags of supplies—more than twice the goal.

And these are just a few of her activities. How does she do it? “There’s 24 hours in a day, and I try to use them all. I have time because I make time to do the things that are important to me”

And for these things, Raveeta has been richly recognized. She was the first recipient of the Phil Tomlinson Heart of TSYS Award, presented for her giving spirit. She also was named to the President’s Circle at TSYS, and, along with her Little Sister, won Match of the Year for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Raveeta is proud to call Columbus home but shed like to see the city get more credit. “If Columbus is the second largest city in Georgia, that should not be a well-kept secret. People need to know all Columbus has to offer. When I was in high school I would never come downtown, but now I’m downtown centric. There are just so many different things to do”

Raveeta may not have stayed on the path she started on, but she says “taking the leap” has expanded her world.

“I might have been a teacher or a social worker, trying to save all the children. I might have taken the advocate role in the non-profit sector. And there’s nothing to say I might not come full circle. But I felt like I needed to develop additional skills and to grow a little more. And then when I do come back, I’ll have a full arsenal to pull from”

Justin Krieg, 34

Columbus has Justin

Krieg’s mother-in-law to thank for bringing him here.

Sallie Martin heard about a job opening at Historic

Columbus and thought it might be a good step for

Justin’s burgeoning career as a city planner. “Although I’m pretty sure her real motive was to get her daughter back in town” he joked.

Turns out, it was a good fit. Justin loves his job, where no two days are ever the same. “On some days I’m meeting with CEOs of Columbus’ biggest businesses, and some days I’m arranging flowers for a party of 400. When you work in a non-profit, that clause at the end of every job description — ‘and other duties as assigned’ — becomes 90 percent of what you actually do!”

Justin’s job has put him at the forefront of some of the city’s biggest and most significant preservation projects, including returning the Chattahoochee River to its natural state, rescuing the old City Mills building from ruin and redeveloping the former Eagle and Phenix Mills into one of the city’s most sought-after residential addresses.

“I love seeing these old buildings come back to life” Justin said. “It’s not only important for remembering our past, it’s also being a good steward of resources”

Justin has a unique perspective on historic preservation. He notes that most of Columbus’ old buildings are in a 4- to 5-mile radius around the city’s center. When they were built in the late 19th century, the community was more diverse, in terms of both people and purpose. “You have a little bit of everything there. You have the commercial district downtown, you have the historically African-American community in the Liberty District, and then you move out into what used to be the suburbs, Waverly Terrace and Lakebottom. The great thing about preservation is that you get to see an entire cross section of our community in that one small little area.

“Saving old buildings tells the story of our past, but it also connects us together as people” he said.

As the project administrator for the City Village Revitalization project, Justin is excited to see what could soon unfold in the corridor between Bibb City and the TSYS campus downtown. “That area has been long forgotten and off the beaten path. There’s no reason to go there. But there’s some unbelievable fabric in that neighborhood. You’ve got far-reaching views of the river, great proximity to the hospitals and to uptown and all its amenities” The master plan for that area is about to be rolled out.

Justin exercises his passions in various organizations. His professional expertise benefits the board of the Georgia Trust of Historical Preservation and the Muscogee County Land Bank. His interest in history benefits Historic Westville. And his hunger to help those less fortunate drives his dedication to NeighborWorks, which provides affordable housing, and MercyMed, a non-profit medical clinic that serves anyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Justin likes the direction Columbus is heading in, particularly downtown. He credits a core of passionate people for helping provide new economic opportunities and activities that can bridge the city’s income gaps.

But he warns that more work needs to be done to attract and retain a talented workforce. “We’re seeing some outmigration. We need to find ways to attract people from Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, some of these towns where kids are graduating from college and looking for a city to relocate to. Columbus isn’t on their list yet”

With a limited number of big corporations and high paying jobs to lure them here, Justin says it’s incumbent on the city to determine what makes it unique and to promote it. He says the development of Whitewater is a step in the right direction. But he cautions against “going on cruise control” after finishing big projects like Whitewater or the expansion of CSU downtown. “The fact of the matter is, it never ends. You always have to keep pushing”

Although Justin is not a Columbus native, it’s clear he has planted deep roots here. He wants to watch the city’s progress, predicting twice as much growth in the next eight years as he’s seen in the last eight. “It’s just going to get that much better” he says.

Plus, he knows if he were ever to consider leaving, “My mother-in-law would likely put up a gate on the interstate”

Erica Chesnutt, 35

Erica Chestnutt grew up poor, although she didn’t know it at the time. She also had no way of knowing that her upbringing would propel her into a life of service and that shed one day own a piece of a very successful business.

But Erica is now practicing everything her devoted mother taught her. “My mom worked a lot. That’s where I got my work ethic from” she said. “She worked as much overtime as she could get because she did not want my brother and me to feel like we were from the other side”

Despite the struggle to make ends meet, Erica’s mother helped her children follow their dreams. “Besides putting food on the table and making sure bills were paid, she fundraised so I could be on the cheerleading team. I was a competitive twirler and she always made sure I got to practice. Even if she had to go back to work late at night, she made sure I was where I needed to be. I don’t know how she did it”

That kind of dedication is what drives Erica today. In addition to a career as a certified public accountant, she and her husband are raising four children, the eldest just 6. She wants to give them the same opportunities her mother gave her, and exposes them to lots of different activities. The Chestnutts have logged a lot of miles taking kids to dance, gymnastics, recitals, drama camp, soccer, t-ball, swimming and cheerleading. This fall, husband and dad Joshua is coaching t-ball and Erica is the team mom.

“I don’t think we’re ever at home” Erica said. “The minute we get home, we’re off doing something else”

And yet, Erica’s calendar has room for volunteering at a dozen or more different organizations. One of her favorites is Junior League, where she can socialize with other volunteer-loving women. She especially enjoyed redecorating the pediatric oncology waiting room at Midtown Medical Center. “Having children, and the fact that my mom had just died of cancer, and that it was a way to give back to the hospital where my husband works, it all just fit. That project was just so fulfilling”

She also found fulfillment working at the Girls, Inc. clothing fair, knowing first-hand what it means to a young girl to be proud of how she’s dressed for school.

Date nights for Erica and Joshua are different than most couple’s. Instead of dinner and a movie, they volunteer together, like in the Junior League Follies or Dancing with the Stars for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Add to the list CSO’s Toast of the Town, House of Heroes, Easter Seals and United Way. She is past president of the Columbus Chapter of the Georgia Society of CPAs and is on the board of Young Professionals.

Erica’s dedication to work, family and community was rewarded with an offer by Dougherty McKinnon & Luby to become a partner. Her first child was just starting school, and she worried about sacrificing family time. But, like her mother, she considered the long-term benefit. “Hopefully, one day my children may want to take over for me. You never know. But that’s kind of what you hope for when you build a business”

Erica, who lives and works in north Columbus, is one of the city’s biggest cheerleaders, but she’s concerned about some gaps in attention. “I feel like there’s a lot of emphasis on development downtown and midtown, and other parts of Columbus are kind of being forgotten. From Bradley Park north, no one is talking about these areas. Maybe because they think we’re going to thrive on our own? If you don’t pay attention to all areas, those areas could crumble, too”

Still, Erica is excited to be raising her children here. “When I was in high school it was like ‘How fast can I get out’? There was nothing to do. But I don’t think my kids are going to feel that way.

“I love that they’ve built parks and playgrounds and splash pads to take my family to. And then I can clean them up and take them to get something to eat and go to CSU to watch a play. I can’t stand to hear people say there’s nothing to do in Columbus. There is something to do all the time”

Cameron Bean, 31

It took Cameron Bean 5,000 miles and some hard-earned lessons to find the job he didn’t know he was looking for.

With a degree in theater management from Columbus State University—the only school in Georgia, by the way, to offer such a degree —Cameron landed on a stage he knew well, the Springer Opera House, as an actor, a teacher and eventually the director of development. But the siren call of a theater company in San Jose, California, proved irresistible.

Unfortunately, the adventure turned sour just a few months later when financial woes forced the little theater company to shut its doors for good, and Cameron headed back east. He wound up in Atlanta, as managing director for the Horizon Theatre Company in Little Five Points. He loved it there, but took it to heart when one of the directors told him he was destined for bigger things.

“Her words to me were something like ‘You’re not a #2, you’re a #1, and you need to be running something’ It was the same phrasing (Springer Artistic Director) Paul Pierce used years before”

So, Cam accepted an offer to become the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s executive director. In two years, he’s grown comfortable in a role typically held by much more seasoned professionals, but he resists feeling ‘settled’ “I don’t know if I ever want to feel totally settled” he said. “I want to stay hungry”

Perhaps Cam’s greatest appetite is for growing a stronger cultural arts economy in Columbus. He points to a study that found the arts and culture industry is the eighth largest employer in Columbus, responsible for more than 1,700 jobs, with a total economic impact of $76 million.

As chair of the Cultural Arts Alliance, Cameron works to tell that story. “Arts advocacy has to happen at every level. We have to figure out a way to give every child access to arts and culture. It makes them better thinkers, exercises the right side of the brain, teaches them to care about other people, teaches them sensitivity, humanity, confidence, discipline, teamwork. It instills in them a sense of community”

Cam’s other interests are as diverse as the roles he’s had. He has played competitive table tennis and he now grows prizewinning camellias. He even bought a house in Midtown instead of a condo uptown so he'd always have a big yard to work in.

“It’s relaxing, and it’s a beautiful bloom. During camellia season when everything else is cold and out of season, it’s a lot of fun to cut a bloom and deliver it to someone. It lifts their spirits, makes their day”

Cam demonstrates his commitment to the community in many ways. Besides the Cultural Arts Alliance and the Chattahoochee Valley Camellia Society, he’s on the boards of the Rotary Club of Columbus, Midtown, Inc., the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Columbus Ballet.

He is impressed with strides being made in Columbus, particularly in uptown and midtown, crediting the work of “very big thinkers who also know how to execute their ideas and realize their vision”

What still needs attention, he says, is the public school system. He thinks better funding formulas, increased parental involvement and stronger support for superintendent David Lewis would make a big difference.

“Our future workforce, our future audiences, our future neighbors are in the school system now. We need to make their lives as enriched as we can, starting now, and make sure they have the greatest opportunities available to them”

Cam remains grateful for all the opportunities others have provided for him. His list of mentors includes Sam and Dusty Wellborn, Paul Pierce, Adam Archer, Michael Stiggers, Jack and JoRhee Pezold, Frank and Meg Schley, Margot Schley, Tom and Lucille Flournoy, Ron and Debbie Anderson and Randy and Theresa Robertson.

“All of them have taken an interest in my life, telling me the positives and negatives, celebrating the successes and coaching me through the challenges. They expect me to work hard, they expect me to be a good, decent man, and they expect me to help others around me—to pay it forward”

Cam adds one more name to the credits. “God has really blessed me with a good spirit, a good family, a family of friends, meaningful work and good health. That’s probably enough, right? I’m grateful to God for those blessings. You can’t leave the one who gave you everything out of the interview”