Dori Thornton Waller

Dori Thornton Waller

A Chattanooga native, Dori Thornton Waller is the founder of The Social Office, one of the premier luxury event planning companies in the country. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she began her career at a fundraising and event planning firm before joining the White House as Deputy Social Secretary. At the time, she was one of the youngest in recent history to serve in that role, helping to execute some of the most meticulous and high-profile events in the world.

In 2009, Dori returned to Tennessee to launch The Social Office. Based in Nashville, her firm plans high-end events for social clients, corporations, and celebrities across the Southeast — from intimate family celebrations to country music award shows. In 2012, she married fellow Chattanoogan Blake Waller. They live in Chattanooga with their two daughters, Madolyn and Annie Blake.

Dori became involved with Voices for a Safer Tennessee soon after its founding and now serves as Board Chair. The Covenant School tragedy compelled her to act, as it did for so many parents across Tennessee. She joined Safer TN out of a simple but profound desire: to kiss her children goodbye in the morning and know they will come home safely at the end of the school day.