IN THIS ISSUE · SPRING 2026 — Read the cover story
For Josh Stone, success has never been measured solely by professional accomplishments.
While many in Crossville know him as a CPA, business owner, and community leader, the work that matters most to him has always centered on helping children discover opportunities they might not otherwise have.
Throughout his career, Stone has remained focused on a simple belief: every child deserves a chance to succeed, regardless of the circumstances they were born into.
That belief has shaped his involvement with education, community service, and most notably, his long-standing leadership with Kids on the Rise, a Crossville nonprofit dedicated to mentoring and supporting young people facing opportunity gaps.
When Stone returned to Crossville from Chattanooga in 2008, he was introduced to an organization he had never heard of before.
That organization was Kids on the Rise.
What began as a volunteer role serving as treasurer quickly evolved into something much larger. Within a year, Stone became board president, a position he continues to hold today.
Over the years, Kids on the Rise has become one of the causes most closely associated with his name.
The organization’s mission is simple but powerful: provide mentoring, encouragement, and support for children who may need additional opportunities to reach their full potential.
Stone prefers the term “opportunity gaps” rather than the traditional label of “at-risk.”
For him, the distinction matters.
These are not children defined by limitations. They are young people who may simply need additional support, stability, and positive influences to help them thrive.
Stone’s commitment to helping children is rooted in personal experience.
While he speaks respectfully and gratefully about his family, he also understands firsthand what it means to face challenges during childhood.
He has spoken openly about growing up in poverty, losing his father to suicide at the age of fourteen, and witnessing the impact untreated mental illness can have on an entire family.
Those experiences taught him something important.
A child’s future can often be shaped by whether the right support arrives at the right time.
For Stone, education became one of those life-changing opportunities.
It also became the driving force behind much of his community involvement.
Long before many people expected someone his age to pursue public service, Stone ran for the local school board at just twenty-nine years old.
His motivation was straightforward.
The kids.
Not necessarily his own children, but the children who needed strong schools and greater opportunities to build successful futures.
“I just wanted to do it for the kids that needed the best school system possible to give them a chance to make it out of the cycle of poverty,” he says.
That same philosophy continues to guide his work today.
Under Stone’s leadership, alongside dedicated executive directors, volunteers, and board members, Kids on the Rise has expanded both its reach and its impact throughout Cumberland County.
One of the organization’s most meaningful initiatives is its scholarship program.
Created through the vision and generosity of community leaders including Gene Skipworth and the late Phil Magdich, the program helps graduating mentees continue their education after high school.
Students can pursue a variety of paths, including:
The goal is not to define success for students.
The goal is to help them pursue the future they choose.
Support often begins long before graduation.
Kids on the Rise also helps young people participate in sports, camps, cheerleading, extracurricular activities, and other opportunities that might otherwise be financially out of reach.
Those experiences help build confidence, relationships, and a sense of belonging.
At the heart of Kids on the Rise is mentoring.
For Stone, mentoring is never about simply fulfilling a volunteer requirement.
It is about building relationships that last.
He recalls one mentee who described her mentor as “the best friend I’ve ever had.” Another young woman received support from her mentor and the Kids on the Rise family through major milestones in her life, including her wedding day when a mentor traveled back from out of state to walk her down the aisle.
Those moments represent what the organization is truly about.
Connection.
Consistency.
Showing up.
When asked how long a mentoring commitment lasts, Stone jokes, “Till death do you part.”
Behind the humor lies a deeper truth.
The hope is that those relationships never truly end.
Kids on the Rise is only one chapter of Stone’s service to the Upper Cumberland community.
Over the years, he has also served on the Housing Authority board, the Chamber of Commerce board, the Industrial Development Board, and the Young Professionals Alliance.
Interestingly, his service on the Housing Authority board feels particularly meaningful.
As a child, his own family once relied on housing assistance.
That personal connection continues to shape how he approaches leadership and service.
He understands what it feels like to need support.
And he understands the difference that support can make.
When Stone talks about the future of Crossville, his optimism is evident.
He sees growth.
He sees momentum.
He sees a community filled with people who care deeply about making a difference.
He points to the contributions of retirees, new residents, nonprofits, educators, businesses, and local leaders who continue investing in the community’s future.
Most importantly, he sees possibility.
The possibility that every child can have access to opportunities.
The possibility that mentorship can change lives.
The possibility that communities grow stronger when people choose to invest in one another.
Beneath the board meetings, spreadsheets, and professional success is a man who has never forgotten what it feels like to need a chance.
That perspective continues to fuel his work today.
Through Kids on the Rise, educational leadership, and decades of community involvement, Josh Stone has dedicated himself to helping young people overcome obstacles and build brighter futures.
Because sometimes all it takes is one mentor.
One opportunity.
One person willing to believe in a child before they believe in themselves.
And for many young people in Crossville, Josh Stone has spent a lifetime helping provide exactly that.
Written by Melissa Ellis
Photography by Olivia Merritt
Add your business, share an event, or see what else is happening around town.
