News + Events

Martha O’Bryan Center announces the addition of Jeff Darnell as Director for the Tennessee Alliance for Economic Mobility (TAEM), a public-private partnership it leads to help working Tennesseans move beyond “the benefits cliff,” widely recognized as one of the greatest barriers facing low-income families.

TAEM includes more than 30 community-based organizations, faith-based institutions, government agencies, and educational entities across 16 Middle Tennessee counties (Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dekalb, Dickson, Hickman, Houston, Humphries, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, and Wilson) working to transform Tennessee’s safety net and promote lasting solutions that support economic mobility.

TAEM’s Our Chance^TN pilot program, a groundbreaking initiative launched in 2022 through a Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiative grant, is currently testing the integration of an innovative “transitional benefit” with individual coaching, financial counseling, and other resources to help families pursuing self-sufficiency.

Currently, 1,121 caregivers have enrolled in the pilot, and it has provided 6,612 coaching conversations, 1,349 employment and education meetings, and 1,690 resource navigation sessions and follow-ups. In its first two years, the pilot has seen promising initial results, including:

• 64.4% of families demonstrating increases in family stability, and
• 38.4% of families demonstrating income growth, with an average increase of $20,495 annually

Before joining TAEM, Darnell worked in career development, helping hundreds of Nashvillians begin promising careers, as the program director at UpRise Nashville and the executive director at CareerConnect.

With decades of experience as a teacher, pastor, and coach, Darnell has a deep commitment to helping individuals and communities reach their full potential by building healthy relationships and wise collaboration.

“I believe results start with relationships, and I’ve seen first-hand how differing interests working together can improve systems and help individuals grow,” Darnell says. “I’m honored to work with this great team at the Martha O’Bryan Center and across the state on the important work of providing pathways to financial stability for Tennesseans.”

“Jeff is an experienced leader who has demonstrated compassion, enthusiasm, and commitment to the communities supported through TAEM,” says Marsha Edwards, President and CEO for MOBC. “In addition to testing solutions for the benefits cliff, the pilot demonstrates how diverse organizations across the state are strengthened through collaboration, and we’re excited to have his guidance as our work continues.”

What is “the benefits cliff”?

Imagine working hard at your job, earning a promotion or raise, and feeling like you’re making progress – only to find your family is suddenly worse off than before. That’s the reality for up to hundreds of thousands of working families in Tennessee facing the benefits cliff.

When a small increase in income triggers an abrupt loss of public benefits – Medicaid, childcare assistance, food support, or housing subsidies – a potential step forward becomes two big steps back, making it harder for a family to afford essentials or guard against emergencies and trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

Many families are aware of these benefits cliffs but do not know when one will occur. Too often, the cliffs discourage their pursuit of increased education and earnings and blocks their ability to achieve financial independence, career advancement, and economic security.

The benefits cliff is not an abstract policy issue—it’s a daily struggle. Focus groups conducted by the Martha O’Bryan Center of working families show how widespread this problem is with:

• 85% having experienced the benefits cliff
• 63% kept from working more hours
• 50% declining a higher-paying job
• 33% choosing not to pursue additional education
• 25% refusing a raise

Learn more about Our Chance^TN at ourchancetn.org.

Our Chance^TN is a part of a study funded by the Tennessee Department of Human Services which is being conducted to determine how these pilot programs help people improve their economic well-being. During the study, all new eligible applicants will be randomly selected into one of two/three groups that receive a different mix of program services.

 The Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiative (TOPI) is brought forth by the Tennessee Department of Human Services and TANF Opportunity Act. This initiative will help individuals, families, and the state of Tennessee by creating a new vision for the Tennessee social safety net and is dedicated to helping low-income families grow beyond their vulnerabilities. TOPI empowers all Tennesseans by partnering with local organizations to reach deep into their communities and work shoulder to shoulder with individuals and families, growing their capacity to take on life’s challenges and reduce their dependence on the social safety net.