Five Added as LIS Continues to Expand

Five new staff members have been added to the L.I. Smith & Associates (LIS) team as the company continues to expand. Each of the new team members adds a unique knowledge and skill set that will undoubtedly benefit LIS and our increasingly diverse workforce.  

“Growing a company requires expanding the infrastructure, reinforcing working processes and initiating new processes,” said LIS President Patrick Smith. “This is not possible without a talented, educated, and engaged workforce. It is a testament to the current staff that we were blessed to attract these awesome hires!” 

We are excited to introduce Amanda Perry, Carolyn Dotson, Chris Mills, Angela Dortch, and Madison Bickerstaff. Each new hire joined LIS over the past few months and is located at our headquarters in Paris, Tenn. Perry and Dotson filled vacant positions, while Mills, Dortch, and Bickerstaff were hired for the new positions of Project Administrator and Communications Specialist.  

Amanda Perry, Billing Specialist 

Billing Specialist, Perry is an Atoka, Tenn. native and a two-time University of Tennessee at Martin alum. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration. While in college, she was also the treasurer for Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. With this education, Perry plans to earn her certified managerial accountant certification in the future. 

Her professional background includes extensive experience in accounting, bookkeeping, and tax preparation. Having enjoyed math from a very young age, she thrives in the accounting realm where she is able to work with numbers every day. Additionally, she likes the accounting field because each day is different. From looking at financial reports to keeping up with daily transactions, she enjoys it all. 

As the billing specialist, Perry looks forward to learning the civil engineering and land surveying industry’s financial aspects, creating relationships with clients, and growing with the company. 

Carolyn Dotson, Human Resources Officer 

Dotson has joined the LIS team as the new Human Resources Officer. Along with having more than 15 years of human resource experience, she also holds two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a marketing concentration from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Master of Business Administration from Bethel University. Dotson also holds certifications in Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) and Society for Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). 

Human resources (HR) deal with areas that impact employee’s daily life at work and at home. Dotson enjoys finding strategies that provide a positive impact on the entire company and the workforce. Working with a diverse group of people and resolving an array of issues has taught her to consider various perspectives and find resolutions that are equitable and beneficial to employees as well as the company. Prior to joining the LIS team, Dotson worked with HR at Bethel University for 16 years. Throughout the years, Dotson has worked with benefits and compensation, talent management, training and development, areas of compliance for human resources, and safety. She has also facilitated classes for human resources, management, and marketing.

Chris Mills, Project Administrator- Engineering 

Mills is taking on the new position of Project Administrator for the civil engineering department. In this role, Mills will be a liaison between the civil engineering team and clients in order to remove some of the client-related responsibilities from the engineers, allowing our technical professionals to dedicate more time to their projects. 

Mills holds extensive experience logistics and project management. When Mills worked in the medical device field, he had the opportunity to familiarize himself with customer-based service by working directly with medical sales representatives to fulfill inventory needs. Before arriving at LIS, he was the general point of contact for over 25 VA-contracted ramp installers. These experiences will allow him to comfortably work in-house with our engineers and their client base simultaneously, while also supporting our vision for the company and community. 

Additionally, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin.  

Angela Dortch, Project Administrator- Survey 

For the Survey department, Dortch will be taking on the role of Project Administrator. Dortch will handle similar tasks as Mills, including keeping in contact between the client and the surveying team, assisting in keeping projects on track and within allotted budgets, and collecting client information to prepare proposals and contracts. 

Over the past 30 years, Dortch has worked with the public in a medical capacity or as a customer service representative. In both areas, it was important to collect patient and customer information on the front end to better serve the customer. Her pasts experience will help with ensuring that demographic information is received to communicate effectively with the customer and collect payment for services rendered in a timely manner. 

She holds two degrees from Murray State University, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in human development and leadership.  

 Madison Bickerstaff, Communications Specialist  

For the new position of Communications Specialist, Bickerstaff joined our team in early August. Bickerstaff has a Bachelor of Arts in English for Corporate Communications and a Professional Writing Certificate from Christian Brothers University, as well as a Master of Science in Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Student Affairs from the University of Memphis.  

Bickerstaff has experience in higher education, which will allow her to understand the importance of education, both in the staff relations aspect and our community outreach efforts. She will also be able to leverage her background in student affairs to help with upcoming interactions at local career fairs and within our internship program. Bickerstaff will also be able to utilize her experience with corporate communications and professional writing in her new position by ensuring essential information is shared with others through various forms of communication. She will play a key role in planning and executing staff relations events at LIS.