ETEC - Katatra Vasquez, President and Cultural Resources Specialist, Atomic Hope Heritage Preservation and Tourism Company
ETEC - Katatra Vasquez, President and Cultural Resources Specialist, Atomic Hope Heritage Preservation and Tourism Company
Friday, June 20, 2025 (7:30 AM - 8:30 AM) (EDT)
Description
Join us at ETEC in-person or virtually on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 7:30am to hear from Katatra Vasquez, the President and Cultural Resources Specialist of Atomic Hope Heritage Preservation and Tourism Company.
The title of her presentation is "Atomic Hope: How History, Place, and Purpose Can Power the Future of Oak Ridge."
Presentation Description- Katatra Vasquez, President of Atomic Hope Heritage Preservation & Tourism Company, shares a forward-thinking approach that explores how the often-overlooked stories of Oak Ridge’s past offer lessons that may guide its future. In this engaging talk, she introduces the ATOM Framework (All Together One Mission), a place-based approach to leadership and innovation that invites business leaders, educators, and community partners to rethink how history can shape identity, strengthen community, and foster stronger partnerships.
Her bio is below.
No registration is necessary for in-person attendance.
Click here to register for the VIRTUAL meeting: (note, NEW Meeting Link through June 27, 2025:
https://tennessee.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrd-CgrDMiHNTsDsHqH0FyubCh2ys57LzH)
For more information about ETEC’s weekly meetings, click here.
Visit the Find Us page for the meeting location, address, and map.
This month's ETEC Friday Morning Meeting Series are sponsored by BWXT - BWX Technologies, Inc.
Katatra Vasquez
President and Cultural Resources Specialist
Atomic Hope Heritage Preservation and Tourism Company
Katatra Vasquez is an award-winning author, environmental scientist, and heritage preservationist passionate about revealing the contributions of the historically unknown or overshadowed in our shared American history to connect and inspire.
A Dayton, Ohio, native and proud Tuskegee University graduate, Katatra now lives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where she spent over 20 years safeguarding America's historic spaces. Her work has earned multiple honors, including recognition from the Tennessee Historical Commission and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Katatra is the founder of Atomic Hope, a heritage education and experiential tourism company rooted in the belief that history isn’t just about the past. It is powered by possibility. Through preservation consulting, immersive storytelling, and signature educational experiences, Atomic Hope helps schools, organizations, families, and corporate teams experience history up close and connect with stories that spark curiosity, build connection, and inspire meaningful change.
She is also the author of beloved children’s books, including Atomic Hope: Our Words and Our Spaces, Josie’s Hope: A Secret City Revealed, and Making A Little Red Wagon. These titles blend history, STEM, and storytelling to spark curiosity and imagination in young readers. Her books are used in schools, libraries, and educational programs to illuminate the depth and breadth of our shared history.
Above all, Katatra is on a mission to build a bridge between history and hope. What began as a mother’s effort to help her children see themselves in local American history has developed into a dynamic heritage education and tourism business. Through children’s books, interactive tours, and immersive storytelling, she inspires communities, empowers learners, and preserves the untold stories that shaped our nation. She aims to cultivate connections and invites all to acknowledge what is possible when we unite around our shared human quest for meaning, belonging, and hope, knowing that it is through that connection that this country’s greatest accomplishments have been shaped.
Images
1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike
Oak Ridge, TN 37830 United States
Click here to register for the VIRTUAL version of the meeting
Hailey Lewis
Complimentary coffee, bagels, muffins and pastries served.
The Outreach Center is located on the back corner of the building on the Applebee’s side. The entrance faces the Quality Inn and Applebee's.
Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center.
The main entrance of the ETEC Office will be locked.
-If you are coming from Knoxville via S. Illinois Ave (TN-62W); take a right onto S. Rutgers Ave, and continue until you come to the intersection of Rice Rd and Rider Rd, across from ORNL Corporate Headquarters; after the Quality Inn, take a left onto Rider Rd and you will arrive at your destination on the right. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center.
-Alternatively, if you are coming from Knoxville via S. Illinois Ave (TN-62W); you can take a sharp right and merge onto Lafayette Dr; turn left onto W. Gettysburg Ave; turn right onto Manhattan Ave; then at the intersection of Manhattan Ave and S. Rutgers Ave, continue straight across onto Rice Rd until you come to the intersection of Rice Rd and Rider Rd; take a right onto Rider Rd and you will arrive at your destination on the right. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center.
-If you are coming from Oak Ridge via the Turnpike, you will find us between the intersection of S. Rutgers Ave and Wallace Rd, between the Applebee's and Dairy Queen, across the street from St. Mary's School. The Outreach Center is located on the back corner of the building on the Applebee’s side. The entrance faces the Quality Inn and Applebee's. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center. The main entrance of the ETEC Office will be locked.
-If you are coming from Oak Ridge via Illinois Ave; turn onto S. Rutgers Ave, and continue until you come to the intersection of Rice Rd and Rider Rd, across from ORNL Corporate Headquarters; after the Quality Inn, turn onto Rider Rd and you will arrive at your destination on the right. The Outreach Center is located on the back corner of the building on the Applebee’s side. The entrance faces the Quality Inn and Applebee's. Look for an awning and sign that says University of Tennessee Outreach Center. The main entrance of the ETEC Office will be locked.
* Weather Policy * |
ETEC prioritizes the safety of our meeting attendees during weather conditions. If inclement weather is expected on a Friday morning, and we decide to move to an ALL-VIRTUAL Zoom format, we will notify members by 5:00 p.m. the evening before. Newsletter subscribers will receive an email, and notices will be posted on the ETEC homepage and the calendar event page. We encourage all attendees to check for updates and use the Zoom registration link to join virtually if necessary. If you do not receive an email and there are no notices on the website, we will proceed with the in-person (hybrid) meeting as planned, but we advise everyone to use their own judgment based on road conditions in their areas. |