On April 8, Carol Goss Daniels passed away at her home at age 59 after an eight-year battle with colon cancer.
Carol poured herself into building and nurturing the relationships in her life, beginning with her daughters, Megan and Samantha. And she was a champion for women and their success. She loved helping women succeed in any way she could.
Guy Huntingford, who recruited Carol into the media business in 2003, said it well, “She was a force of nature.”
In her varied career, Carol brought enthusiasm, energy, passion and leadership to each commitment she made. She was the Executive Director of the Tennessee Press Association and was the primary lobbyist on behalf of the 133 members in the organization. She was Executive Vice President of Tennessee Press Service, which represents the sales and marketing interests of Tennessee’s newspapers and their associated digital properties.
“When we hired Carol as the executive director of the Tennessee Press Service the organization was really struggling,” said Dave Gould, owner of Main Street Media of Tennessee and president of the Tennessee Press Service, “Carol quickly got things turned around, leading by example and building an outstanding team. Today, the association is on sound footing.
“Our industry has been going through such incredible change and Carol was always so positive, passionate, optimistic and encouraging.
“In addition to all the great work she did Carol was such a wonderful person. She was a kind soul who was so positive and always had an optimistic outlook. She was an inspiration to everyone who knew her as she battled cancer. No matter what Carol was going through or how bad she felt, she never complained and continued to forge ahead. She was loved by so many of our members and will be terribly missed.” Gould said.
“The TPA family is mourning the loss of a passionate champion of the First Amendment and a tireless advocate for association members who relied on her skill, high-energy and determination to advance our mission and values,” said Chris Vass, TPA president.
“She led the organization through challenging times and developed creative solutions to help members navigate the headwinds our industry has faced. She was simultaneously relentless and compassionate, always willing to listen.
“TPA has lost a faithful friend, a woman whose smile and laugh lightened and brightened many meetings,” she said. “When you knew Carol was involved, you knew to expect a first-class result.”
“For those of us who worked closely with her, we have lost a wonderful friend whose love for life, her family and her profession inspired us and will always.” Vass said.
“Carol fought with such grace and resilience,” said Megan Lane, who owns Lane Government Relations. “She was certainly a force. She was one of my first clients when I ventured out on my own, and she decided to take a leap of faith in hiring me. She always said it was because she wanted to invest in the next generation of women – a lesson I will pay forward because of her.”
Carol moved to Tennessee in 2007 from her native Canada and immersed herself in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. She brought her experience in marketing and new business organization to several non-profit organizations, including Belle Meade Plantation, Books from Birth of Middle Tennessee, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, the Nashville Rescue Mission, the Nashville Symphony, and Watkins College of Art, Design and Film. She chaired annual fundraising events and worked with staff to enhance marketing efforts and organization. Each event set fund raising records during her involvement, and she was recognized with the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Volunteer of the Year award in 2013. She served on the Nashville Symphony Orchestra board of trustees and on the board of directors of Project Cure. She was a board member of The Andrew Jackson Foundation board of trustees, which runs the Hermitage and its 1,100 acres.
“She was a courageous, determined, creative, and caring person,” said Howard Kittell, president and CEO of Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.” She lived in the land of possibility and worked to make the possibile a reality.”
After a stint as the marketing manager for Rogers AT&T Alberta, Carol began her career in the media industry at the Calgary Sun in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In 2003 she joined the Sun as Director of Digital Sales and Development; one of her first responsibilities was building The Sun’s website and digital presence. Supervising and training a sales staff, she led the paper into the digital age. In 2004, she added the title of Classified Advertising Manager, and led that team to record sales growth in each month of her two-year stint in that role.
She was recruited to Toronto, where she ran the English-language division of Canoe as Director of National Sales and Marketing. Canoe was the Canada-wide digital presence of Sun Media, a Montreal-based media company with digital, television and newspaper properties. She built the sales team, and established Jobboom, a national job recruiting and placement service as a top-tier destination and service for companies hiring in major Canadian markets.
In 2012, Daniels joined The Leaf-Chronicle, in Clarksville, as sales and marketing director; in 2015 she became general manager. She was involved in many Montgomery County organizations, including the Gateway Chamber Orchestra, Manna Café Ministries, and Customs House Museum. She served on the boards of directors of Gateway and Customs House, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the Montgomery County United Way, and she completed a two-year term as President of Leadership Clarksville in 2020.
She was a graduate of Leadership Clarksville and of Leadership Middle Tennessee.
Daniels graduated from The University of Calgary, with a degree in criminal justice, and worked for a Provincial youth home, helping young people deal with addiction and family problems. Later she received a degree in marketing from Mount Royal College.
She is survived by her daughters, Megan Danielle Duthie of Knoxville and her husband Tyler Koontz, and Samantha Mary Miravalle of Augusta, GA; by her husband of 15 years, Frank Daniels III of Clarksville; by her step-children, Kimberly Daniels Taws and husband John of Southern Pines, NC; Frank Daniels IV and wife Ellie of Southern Pines, NC; and Joseph Daniels of Nashville; by her mother, Christine Lund of Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada; her brother Chris Goss of Longview, Alberta, Canada; and her sister Connie Jones and her husband Brad of Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada; by four grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.
Services are pending and will be held at Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Funeral Home in Clarksville.
