Growth & Connection

Mr. Yassin Terou arrived in 2010 from Damascus, Syria, and by the time he became a US citizen a decade later in 2020, never had any intention of leaving Syria. His family was there. Work. Friends. But war forced him to leave it all behind. He relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, with a suitcase and a few hundred dollars. He spoke no English and knew no one in the United States.

Since then his kindness, enthusiasm, hard work, and generosity have earned him more awards and recognitions than most of us see in a lifetime.  In 2014, Yassin opened Yassin’s Falafel House in downtown Knoxville and dedicated the space to be welcoming to people of “all sizes, all colors, all ages, all sexes, all cultures, all religions, all types, all beliefs.”  He works tirelessly to help the Knoxville community, including many without permanent homes who suffer from hunger.  

In 2018, Yassin’s Falafel House was recognized by Reader’s Digest and ABC’s Good Morning America as the “Nicest Place in America.”  The same year his shop was also chosen as the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Best Middle Eastern Food, he opened a second shop, he received the 2018 Peace Award from Knoxville’s Rotary Club, and he was named the 2018 News Sentinel Person of the Year.  

Since then he has won the Pinnacle Award from the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, was named Knoxvillian of the Year in 2019, presided over the inauguration of Knoxville’s new mayor, and won more awards than there is room here to list.  He has also, though, through it all, maintained his generous spirit and tireless work ethic.  

He has fed children in need in Knoxville; fed hurricane victims with a pop-up kitchen in Nashville, and used his fame to help countless others in Knoxville and beyond. 

Dr. Natalie Rice, a native of Belarus, is a researcher at the CCI Research & Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research is focused on the use of digital and social media disinformation, propaganda, and other information warfare techniques used by state actors targeting the U.S. and foreign audiences.

Natalie earned both her Master’s Degree and Ph.D. from UT. She has been interviewed by local and national media outlets, including CNN and a nationally syndicated radio show Background Briefings with Ian Masters.

Her passion for educating the public and sharing her knowledge has been highlighted through a series of public speaking engagements, including the League of Women Voters, Knoxville Bar Association, Knoxville’s Executive Women’s Association, Rotary Club, and the Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.

For her efforts in sharing with the Knoxville community her knowledge of international affairs and issues related to modern-day disinformation and propaganda, she was selected as a finalist for the 2017 YWCA Tribute to Women award in the category “Arts and Education”.

Natalie lives in Knoxville with her husband Dean and two step-daughters. For several years, she and her husband Dean Rice have hosted Iftar Dinners at their home to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue in the Knoxville community.

Adrienne Webster is a Knoxville native who obtained her BA from the University of Tennessee in 2000. After working in the downtown business community for 5 years, she opened her firm, AOW Tax & Accounting in 2008. Although she has clients city-wide, her firm has focused on the greater downtown community.

Adrienne is an advocate for the small business community and believes that all businesses should be given the resources to thrive, regardless of their ability to pay. She offers free business consultations to anyone who contacts her. Since 2016, she has volunteered her expertise by speaking twice a year in the Co-Starters Program at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center. She has also been a part of numerous Expert Sessions at the Makers City Summit. Most recently, Adrienne was the lead accountant for the “What’s The CARES” webinar series that helped small businesses navigate the CARES Act and PPP Loans.

Adrienne has always been active in the Knoxville Community and currently serves as Board President of Knox Heritage, the Treasurer of the Downtown Knoxville Alliance, the Treasurer of the Historic Fort Sanders Neighborhood Association and the Fort Sanders Community Development Corporation and is the treasurer and founding member of BreastStrokes Knoxville.

DIRK R. SAMPSELLE, ESQ. Managing Attorney

Dirk is a California attorney and internationally recognized authority on B Corporations and impact investing.

As a Drafting Author of the Benefit Corporation legislative memorandum, he was instrumental in the development of the Benefit Corporation legal entity now passed in over 30 American jurisdictions. His thought leadership and impact investment endeavors have been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, and Emory Law Journal.

Mr. Sampselle has served as General Counsel to several leading impact enterprises, including

• • Everytable, a Los Angeles-based venture-funded growth company focused on making healthy food affordable for all; and
  • PAMCO, a Washington D.C.-based investment firm including an SEC-registered Investment Advisor, a FINRA-registered Broker-Dealer, clean technology venture capital funds, ERISA pension fund separate accounts, a financial advisory consulting firm, and a variety of subsidiary investment vehicles.

Dirk earned his BA from the University of Florida and earned his JD and MBA as a Dean’s Scholar at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, where he studied corporate governance under Myron Steele, the then-presiding Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.

Dirk is also a dedicated husband to his wife Heather and dog-dad to a golden retriever puppy. Dirk serves as a Board member of the Frederick Community Action Agency, which is a public-private partnership that provides food, shelter, medical care, housing, and other forms of assistance to families and individuals who are low-income or homeless.

PUBLICATIONS

July 2011 – present

Dirk has authored articles for publications including the peer-reviewed Emory Law Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and several professional trade publications.