Monday, Feb. 24 · GIRL SCOUTS OF THE USA We’re 2.5 million strong—more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator,

#mentoringmonday

@nashvillebiz

Monday, Feb. 24

8:30 am – NoonMusic City Center

GIRL SCOUTS OF THE USA

We’re 2.5 million strong—more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults who believe in the power of every

G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world.

Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy”

Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very fi rst Girl Scout troop, and every

year since, we’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confi dence, and character

who make the world a better place.

We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast

to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts o� ers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership,

adventure, and success.

A Word from our Sponsor

Sylvia Acevedo | CEO GIRLS SCOUTS OF THE USA

#mentoringmonday

@nashvillebiz

1 Missy Acosta | VP BRAND STRATEGY, DELTA DENTAL OF TENNESSEE

As Vice President of Brand Strategy, Missy oversees all external and internal

communications and ensures the company’s brand purpose is at the heart of

it all. Missy joined Delta Dental of Tennessee in 2006 as Director of Corporate

Communications and Public Relations and was promoted to Vice President of

Marketing in 2007. In 2015, Government Relations was added to her area of

responsibility. In 2016, Missy received the honor of Distinguished President by

Kiwanis International for her leadership of the Nashville Kiwanis Club, one of the

largest civic clubs in the country. She graduated magna cum laude from Xavier

University with a Bachelor of Arts double majoring in Mass Communications

and Public Relations, and received her MBA at Trevecca Nazarene University.

Missy is a Nashville native and very involved in the local community. She serves

on the NFIB Tennessee Leadership Council, President-elect for Big Brothers Big

Sisters Board of Directors, Vice Chair of Development for Cable Nashville Board

of Directors, and chair for Nashville Chamber of Commerce Business Conditions

Council. Missy also lends her talents to event committees for St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital and Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation.

2 Lori Adukeh | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 100 BLACK MEN OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Lori graduated from the University of

Arizona with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. She began

working for Allstate Insurance Co. soon after graduation and had a highly

successful thirty year career in sales leadership. While working in Chicago, she

earned her MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Lori and her family

relocated to Nashville and she accepted the position of Executive Director of

the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Inc. As an experienced change agent

and collaborator, Lori has a proven background in recruiting and developing

high performance teams to drive business results and organizational change.

Extensive background in program leadership, operations, recruiting and

deployment, talent development, customer experience, organizational design,

strategy, sales and marketing, communications and change management, non-

profi t organization leadership, fundraising, and special events.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

3 Marcie Allen | PRESIDENT, MAC PRESENTSAllen leverages her 25 years of music industry experience to negotiate high-

profi le partnerships between the world’s leading brands and artists. Allen has

brokered and executed multi-faceted programs on behalf of brands including:

Sony, Southwest Airlines, YouTube, Microsoft, Verizon, Citi, Samsung, Capital

One, Delta, Adidas, Hollister, AT&T and artists including Chance the Rapper,

Rolling Stones, Khalid, John Mayer, Lady Antebellum, Billy Joel, Kelsea Ballerini,

John Legend, Imagine Dragons, Travis Scott, and Keith Urban. She booked all of

the acts for the two day ATLive concerts at Mercedes-Benz Arena, benefi tting

the Johnnie Mac Soldier’s Fund. She has been nominated as a fi nalist for

Billboard’s “Concert Marketing and Promotion Award” 15 times and has won 8

times. Allen has been named to Billboard’s “Women in Music” list every year

since 2010. Allen was included in Billboard’s “Power 100” list in 2018, “Branding

Power Players” list in 2016- 2019, being named a “Master of Branding” in 2019.

She was selected to Billboard’s “Hip-Hop Power List” in 2017 and 2018, honored

on the publications “40 Under 40” list in 2013 and has also received Billboard’s

Humanitarian Award.” Variety has selected Allen to its 2015 and 2018 “Power

of Women: New York Impact List,” representing the most powerful women in

entertainment. Prior to starting MAC Presents, Allen owned and operated

Nashville/ Atlanta based MAD Booking & Events, which produced more than

100 music festivals across the country including On the Bricks in Atlanta. Allen

is currently an adjunct professor at NYU Steinhardt and Clive Davis Music

Institute of Recorded Music; sits on the board of directors for The Country Music

Association and serves on the advisory board for Berklee College of Music.

Marcie was a member of the 2016 Cannes Lions Entertainment Music jury and

served on the 2016 Clio Music jury, was honored at the 2019 Country Music Hall

of Fame’s Louise Scruggs Memorial, was named to Nashville Business Journal’s

“Women in Music City” list every year since 2014 and was recognized by

Nashville all-girls college preparatory school Harpeth Hall as their Distinguished

Alumna of 2017.

4 Jessica Averbuch | CEO, ZEITLIN SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

Jessica Averbuch began her real estate career in 2001. As CEO and Owner of

Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty, she is dedicated to using her knowledge

and experience to lead Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty. She is passionate

about selling real estate and serving as an advocate for her clients. She is

actively involved in agent hiring, education and mentorship. Jessica also leads

the Zeitlin Charitable Fund initiatives that raise money to benefi t numerous

local non-profi ts. She is involved in the community, including the following

organizations: Book’em, Nashville Downtown Rotary, Nashville Downtown

Partnership, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Williamson Inc, Jewish Federation

of Nashville and Renewal House. She is currently on the board of Gilda’s Club

of Middle Tennessee. She and her husband live in a historic neighborhood with

their children who attend University School of Nashville and Hume Fogg. In

her spare time, she enjoys reading, being outside on Nashville’s greenways and

participating in running races of all distances.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

5 Robyn Bass | PRESIDENT & CEO, MAPLE RIDGE EVENTSRobyn Bass is a long-standing and genuine leader in Nashville’s event and

hospitality industry. She’s worked in restaurant management, destination

management sales and operations as well as transportation logistics over the

past three decades, bringing a wide variety of experience to the organizations

she now runs. Robyn’s current work focuses on strategic planning and

organizational growth. Serving on multiple boards and a champion for

continuing education within her teams, Robyn is a leader, teaching others

coming up in the industry hard work and integrity win every time.

6 Julia Bonner | PRESIDENT, PIERCE PUBLIC RELATIONSJulia Bonner is the founder and president of Pierce Public Relations, a boutique

PR & marketing agency focused on raising the profi les of B-to-B businesses

in Nashville and beyond.She is a recipient of the Nashville Business Journal’s

40 Under 40 and Women of Infl uence Awards, the Nashville Area Chamber

of Commerce’s Nashville Emerging Leader Award and the Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation’s 30 Under 30 Award. She currently serves on the boards of the

Nashville Film Festival and Young Leaders Council. She holds a M.S. in Public

Relations & Corporate Communication from New York University and a B.S. in

Journalism from the University of Tennessee.

7 Kimble Bosworth | PRESIDENT & COO - ON TARGET, ON PROMOS, POWERED BY PROFORMA

Kimble is the President and COO of OnPromos – they stick a logo on anything

that’s not breathing and their CHUM, not SWAG philosophy makes marketing

rockstars out of the companies they work with. She was born and raised in

Houston, TX; has lived in Dallas, Waco, San Antonio, Venice Beach, Hong

Kong,Osaka, Kyoto, Singapore, London, Orlando, Columbus, Chicago, Rockville,

Bethesda. She seduces crowds with her unrehearsed and frequently unfi ltered

public speaking. She seduces crowds with my unrehearsed and frequently

unfi ltered public speaking. And occasionally, she survives airplane crash

landings.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

8 Lori Brewer | PARTNER, NELSON MULLINSLori Brewer practices in the area of technology transactions and her principal

practice includes the representation of clients ranging from technology startups

to Fortune 100 companies in connection with agreements related to cloud

computing, privacy and security, joint ventures, strategic alliances, licensing

arrangements, comprehensive outsourcing solutions, reseller agreements, and

other transactions involving the development, commercialization, and sale of

technology.

9 Judith Bright | CEO/DESIGNER, JUDITH BRIGHT JEWELRYJudith Bright was born in Washington, DC. She graduated from an all-girl high

school and attended Vanderbilt University Nursing School. After college, she

moved to Los Angeles and worked as a Registered Nurse, later transitioning to

a career in entertainment. She worked at Warner Bros. in television, Walt Disney

Studios in fi lm and ultimately ended up working in music becoming President

of Quincy Jones Music Publishing. In 2004 her family moved to Florence, Italy

for a gap year where Judith fulfi lled a life long dream of taking jewelry-making

classes. She moved back to Nashville in 2004 and spent a few years preparing

to open her own artisanal jewelry business. She launched her website in 2007,

opened her fi rst retail store in Nashville in 2010, and opened her Atlanta store in

2012. Judith Bright jewelry is handmade by a team of local artisans in her studios

in Berry Hill and Atlanta. The company has 20 full-time employees and 8 part-

time. The company is female-led and operated. Judith is the Community Chair

of the Entrepreneur’s Organization in Nashville as well as the programming chair

of the Nashville Chapter of NAWBO (National Organization of Women Business

Owners). She serves on the Advisory Board to the Dean of Vanderbilt Nursing

School. She is also an active member of 100 Women Who Care. She has 3 sons

and makes her home in Nashville, TN.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

10 April Britt | CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER, STUDIO BANK

April Britt is a Co-Founder for Studio Bank – Nashville’s fi rst start-up bank

in ten years. In this role, April is the chief executive for marketing and brand,

human resources and culture, and the retail banking division. Throughout the

start-up process and initial launch, her leadership has been integral in creating a

distinctive brand and developing an engaging employee experience. After just

nine months in business, Studio Bank was recognized as one of the Nashville

Business Journal’s ‘Best Place to Work’ companies. A proven leader, April

brings banking experience that spans more than two decades. She started

as a part-time teller with First Tennessee Bank in 1996 while pursuing her

Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance at the University of

Memphis. Since moving to Nashville in 2001, she has served in various lending,

training, and leadership roles with local and regional fi nancial institutions. In

2012, she was the sole recipient of Lipscomb University’s inaugural ‘Business

with a Purpose Scholarship’, a full tuition scholarship awarded by Lipscomb’s

College of Business and the university’s Dean Institute of Corporate Governance

and Integrity. This scholarship award was based on her leadership attributes,

commitment to the Nashville community and passion for developing others.

April graduated the following year with a Master’s in Business Administration

(MBA) and a concentration in leadership and was also recognized as one of the

Nashville Business Journal’s ‘Top 40 Under 40’. She has served as a volunteer

and board member for several non-profi t organizations throughout her career

including MBA Women International, Habitat for Humanity, American Society of

Training & Development, Nashville Cable, Young Leaders Council, and the March

of Dimes. Cable recognized her for community and professional leadership

through her nomination for the Nashville ATHENA Young Professionals in

2016 and awarding of Cable’s Rising Star Award in 2015. In October this year,

April was recognized as a 2019 Women in Music City honoree by the Nashville

Business Journal. She holds two senior-level human resources certifi cations

- Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certifi ed

Professional (SHRM-SCP).

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

11 Cheryl Carr | ASSOCIATE DEAN & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, BELMONT UNIVERSITY/CURB COLLEGE OF ENTERTAINMENT & MUSIC BUSINESSCheryl S. Carr, Associate Professor, Author, Attorney, and Vocalist, Associate

Dean of the Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business at Belmont

University where she supports the college’s mission through oversight of

strategic planning and operations. As an author and speaker, her areas of focus

include leadership, inspiration, career empowerment, law, and diversity in arts

and entertainment. She is author of Music Business Careers: Career Duality in

the Creative Industries, co-author of Music Copyright Law, contributing author

to ABA-BNA published book Trademark Infringement Remedies, as well as

other publications. In 2018 she received a grant to study women executives on

Music Row and in the Nashville music industry. In 2019 she was honored with the

Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Infl uence Award, and 2019 also received

the Nashville Business Journal’s Women in Music City Award. Carr earned her

Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, received a Master of

Public Administration from Clark-Atlanta University, and earned her Juris Doctor

degree from The University of Maryland School of Law. Prior to joining Belmont,

she worked as an intellectual property/entertainment law attorney. She has

been a performing artist for over 20 years, and released Invocation, an EP of

jazz-inspired recordings.

12 Lucy Carter | MEMBER AND HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY TEAM

LEADER, KRAFTCPAS PLLCLucy Carter is a member (owner) in KraftCPAS. As the practice leader of the

healthcare industry team, she is responsible for managing quality control and

administration for the fi rm’s healthcare practice. She is also responsible for

building and maintaining client relationships, overseeing and reviewing the work

of engagement teams, and presenting our work to clients’ management teams

and boards of directors. Lucy works across departments to provide the fi rm’s

healthcare clients with traditional accounting services, such as fi nancial audits/

reviews, employee benefi t plan audits, back-o� ce accounting and bookkeeping,

and tax research, planning, and compliance services. In addition, she provides

industry-specifi c services, including practice management consulting, physician

compensation studies, compliance, and reimbursement services to healthcare

clients. Her specialization also allows her to serve as an expert witness and

provide other forms of litigation support. Lucy has more than 35 years of

experience in public accounting. She previously worked for a large, regional fi rm

before co-founding/co-owning Carter Lankford CPAs (CLCPAs), which merged

with Kraft in 2015.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

13 LaTanya Channel | STATE DIRECTOR, US SMALL BUSINESS

ADMINISTRATIONLaTanya is a “Native Washingtonian” – she was born and raised in Washington,

DC. After graduating from Rutgers-Newark School of Law, LaTanya passed

both the Maryland and New Jersey bar exams and then began providing

legal representation and counsel to small business owners. Prior to joining

the Tennessee District O� ce of the US Small Business Administration (SBA),

LaTanya served as the Senior Advisor in SBA’s 8(a) Business Development O� ce

and also as the Chief of Certifi cation for the HUBZone and Small Disadvantage

Business (SDB) certifi cation programs for government contracting – all at SBA’s

Washington DC headquarters o� ce. Currently, since 2017, she is the State

Director for the US Small Business Administration (SBA) Tennessee O� ce,

with a sta� of nine covering the entire state providing capital, contracting, and

counseling to small business owners.

14 Alice Chapman | MANAGING PARTNER, MP&F STRATEGIC

COMMUNICATIONSAlice Chapman joined MP&F in 1995 as a sta� associate and became a partner in

2011. Along the way, she has worked for an array of clients at the local, regional

and national levels, leading award-winning campaigns and coordinating winning

strategies for several public a� airs initiatives. Her specialties include grassroots

campaigns, media relations and event planning. Alice is actively involved in the

Nashville community. She is past board president of Communities In Schools

of Tennessee, and serves on the Nashville Auditorium Commission. She is a

member of the Downtown Nashville Rotary Club, and the Public Relations

Society of America’s Counselors Academy. Her accolades include Cable’s

Civic Outreach Award (2006) and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s

Nashville Emerging Leaders Award for Public Relations, Advertising and

Marketing (2011). She is a graduate of the Young Leaders Council (Class 41)

and a former board member of Cable, the Women’s Political Collaborative of

Tennessee and the literacy nonprofi t Book’em. She also serves as a Reading is

Fundamental reading role model.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

15 Karen Clark | SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & PRIVATE BANKER, FIRSTBANKIn her role as Private Banker, Karen Clark focuses on the medical and

entertainment industries and other professional practices, as well as large- and

small-business owners and their companies. Karen is an accomplished banking

veteran, with 30-plus years in the fi nancial services industry. She began her

career in 1986 at Commercial National Bank in Shreveport, La., where she

worked until moving to Nashville, Tenn., in 1989. Prior to joining the FirstBank

team in 2016, Karen served as senior vice president and fi nancial advisor for

Pinnacle Financial Partners. She has also worked in a number of roles for Sovran

Bank/NationsBank and Third National Bank/SunTrust Bank. Karen, who received

her Bachelor of Science and MBA degrees in fi nance and accounting from

Louisiana Tech University, has been active in the Nashville community for many

years. She has served on the boards of directors for the W.O. Smith School

of Music, The T.J. Martell Foundation, Fifty Forward, Girl Scouts of Middle

Tennessee, and Leadership Music. She is currently serving as the Chair of the

board at The New Beginnings Center, Medical Group Management Association

board member and is a member of Gilda’s Club, CABLE, a professional women’s

leadership organization and SOURCE. She also serves as a Research Advocate

for the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Ambassador and Board member for

Susan G. Komen Central Tennessee and volunteers with Junior Achievement of

Middle Tennessee and Book’Em – Reading is Fundamental and recently was on

the Walk for Wishes committee for Make A Wish Middle Tennessee. Karen was

named a 2018 Woman of Infl uence by the Nashville Business Journal, In Charge

Healthcare 2019 for the Nashville Medical News, and a BizWomen Mentor 2019

for the Nashville Business Journal.

16 Ashlee Davis | VICE PRESIDENT, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION, ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN

Ashlee Davis is Vice President, Senior Diversity & Inclusion Manager at

AllianceBernstein. In this role she is responsible for expanding and leading AB’s

diversity and inclusion strategy in Nashville and San Antonio, assessment and

cultivation of key community partnerships, development program design and

delivery, and partnering with AB’s senior executives to implement e� ective

and measurable action plans. Most recently, she held the role of Global Lead

for External A� airs and Strategic Partnerships within the Global Inclusion &

Diversity team at Cargill, Inc. Prior to Cargill, Ms. Davis served for more than

6 years in the Obama Administration both within the White House and as a

Presidential Political Appointee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture where

her roles included White House Liaison and Senior Advisor to the Assistant

Secretary for Civil Rights. Ms. Davis’s civic engagement includes serving

as a board member of Nashville, Tennessee’s Community Oversight Board

and a board member of the University of Pittsburgh’s Alumni Association and

Colorado State University’s Corporate Diversity Advisory Council. Ms. Davis

holds a B.A. in Politics & Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh and

Juris Doctorate from the Howard University School of Law. She is a native of

Nashville, TN.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

17 Sherry Deutschmann | CEO, BRAINTRUSTSherry Deutschmann is a serial entrepreneur, author, speaker, and passionate

advocate for entrepreneurship. In 2019, Sherry founded BrainTrust, a company

dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs grow their businesses to $1Million

in annual revenue…and beyond. Prior to founding BrainTrust, Sherry was also

founder and CEO of LetterLogic, Inc., a company she grew to $40 Million and

sold in 2016. LetterLogic was named an INC 5000 company (fastest growing

privately held businesses in the US) for eleven consecutive years. Sherry

attributes the success of LetterLogic to its unique culture in which the needs of

the employees came before those of the customer or shareholder. That culture

led Sherry to be recognized by EY as one of their 2009 Entrepreneurial Winning

Women and LetterLogic was featured in the New York Times, Forbes Magazine,

Business Leaders, INC, and Fast Company. Sherry was honored by President

Barack Obama as a White House Champion of Change in 2016. Sherry’s book,

Lunch with Lucy – Maximize Profi ts by Investing in your People – will be released

on March 20, 2020.

18 Donna Drehmann | DIRECTOR OF SERVICE QUALITY AND

LEARNING, POSTMATESI am a Customer Experience leader across multiple industries including

Healthcare and Technology, with extensive experience in a startup environment.

I have over 15 years of leadership experience to include front line associates

up to fi rst time managers. I have completed several leadership programs to

include Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce Leadership Development

Program (2001) and Young Leaders Council (Class 44). I enjoy giving back

to the community and have served on several non-profi t boards to include

The Belcourt theatre (board chair), CABLE (vice chair of development),

LGBT Chamber of Commerce (Vice President) and National Association of

Women MBAs. I have lived in Nashville for over 20 years and enjoy having the

opportunity to see our great city grow & prosper!

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

19 Allison Duke | SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN, STRATEGY AND INNOVATION; PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF BUSINESSDr. Allison Burgess Duke is Senior Associate Dean for Strategy and Innovation

and Professor of Management at Lipscomb University’s College of Business.

Prior to joining Lipscomb, Allison was a Human Resources Manager at Aspect

Communications and Progeny Marketing Innovations. Allison earned a Ph.D.

in Management from The University of Mississippi, an MBA from Lipscomb

University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Education from Murray State

University. Her research interests include social infl uence processes, mentoring

relationships, and political skill. Her research has been published in Leadership

Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of

Leadership and Organizational Studies, Management Decision, Social Infl uence,

and Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Allison currently teaches MBA and

undergraduate courses in Talent Management and Organizational Behavior.

Allison has been recognized as a Nashville Business Journal Woman of Infl uence,

Nashville Emerging Leader, Outstanding Teacher at Lipscomb University, and

Best Paper author at the Academy of Management. She is also Past President

of the Youth Encouragement Services board, a non-profi t organization that

provides after-school services for inner-city children.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

20 Kimberly Estep | CHANCELLOR, WGU TENNESSEEDr. Kimberly K. Estep is the chancellor of WGU Tennessee, a state-endorsed

a� liate of national, nonprofi t, accredited Western Governors University. WGU

Tennessee launched in July 2013 with one goal: to expand working adults’

access to higher education throughout Tennessee. In her fi ve-year tenure at the

helm of the online university, which is part of former Governor Haslam’s Drive to

55 initiative, Dr. Estep has worked to grow WGU Tennessee’s enrollment to more

than 4,300 students, with over 3,000 alumni throughout the state. She led the

charge in securing articulation agreements between WGU Tennessee and all 13

community colleges in the state, as well as forming partnerships with many of

Tennessee’s largest and most recognizable organizations and companies. Dr.

Estep brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education to her role as

WGU Tennessee’s fi rst chancellor. Most recently, she served as vice president for

academic a� airs and student services at Nashville State Community College. Dr.

Estep has held leadership roles at other institutions including Tusculum College

in Greeneville, Tennessee, Thomas University in Thomasville, Georgia, and

Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Estep holds a doctorate and master’s

degree in history from Auburn University, a master’s degree in adult education

from the University of Georgia, and a B.A. from Judson College in Marion,

Alabama. She is based in WGU Tennessee’s main o� ce in Franklin and spends

her time traveling the state and working with higher education, community, and

business leaders to increase awareness of WGU Tennessee, boost recruitment,

and establish partnerships. She sits on the advisory board of the Virtual

Academy of Business and Marketing within Metro Nashville Public Schools,

is a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville, and volunteers regularly with

Tennessee Achieves and Nashville literacy nonprofi t Book’em. In 2016, Women

in Higher Education in Tennessee (WHET) recognized her as its Woman of

Achievement. In 2017-18, she was a fi nalist for the Nashville ATHENA Award. The

Nashville Business Journal selected her as a 2019 Women of Infl uence recipient.

An Ozark, Alabama, native, Dr. Estep lives in Franklin with her husband, Paul

Adams. They have three grown children and one granddaughter.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

21 Marjorie Feltus Hawkins | PRESIDENT, FH DESIGNMarjorie Feltus Hawkins, president of FH Design, an interior architectural

design fi rm, is a 100% SMWBE-certifi ed company that she formed in 1990.

She is an award-winning designer with more than 30 years of experience in

the hospitality industry with a focus on 4 and 5 star hotels, boutique hotels,

country clubs and luxury multi-family. Her portfolio is a study in the blending of

classic and modern elements to deliver interior spaces supporting each client’s

vision for their property. Originally from Natchez, Mississippi, Marjorie grew

up in an antebellum home named Linden, circa 1790, now operating as a Bed

& Breakfast and elegant Southern wedding venue. Marjorie leads a talented

team of designers with her husband, David Hawkins, a licensed architect and

MBA. Marjorie prides herself on creating unforgettable, brand-focused spaces,

and each project demonstrates her commitment to the business philosophy of

building customer relationships through communication, leadership, teamwork,

and trust. She and her team develop brand stories through design in a way that

improves Client’s bottom line and gets results. A frequent speaker at industry

events, she is also involved in various professional and community organizations

on a local and national level, including her current service as the past-Chair on

the board of the Nashville Wine Auction, which raises money to fi ght cancer and

a National Board Member for the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association.

22 Lisa Ferrelli | SVP - SENIOR RELATIONSHIP MANAGER, BANK OF AMERICALisa Ferrelli is a Senior Vice President with the Mid South Middle Market

Banking team at Bank of America. She is responsible for client relationships and

business development in the middle Tennessee area focused on private and

public companies with revenues of $50 million to $2 billion. Ferrelli has over 30

years of experience in the fi nancial services industry, including fi fteen years in

commercial real estate banking followed by various national sales performance

roles. Ferrelli earned a BBA in Management from the University of Mississippi

in 1983 and holds Series 7, 66 and 79 registrations. She currently serves on

the board for the YWCA and Nashville Rotary, Nashville Area Chamber of

Commerce International Advisory Board and several other advisory boards. In

2019 she was named one of the Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Infl uence

and Power Leaders in Finance. She is an alumni of Leadership Nashville. She

is an active supporter of Go Red for Women and Bank of America’s volunteer

network, including several Diversity & Inclusion networks. She is a native of

Nashville where she resides with her husband Kenny. They have two adult

children, Will and Carrie.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

23 Kerri Fox-Metoyer | CHIEF ENTERTAINMENT STRATEGIST, LAB NASHVILLEKerri Fox-Metoyer is an accomplished entertainment strategist. In 2018 Kerri

exited her role as Vice President, Music Strategy & Partnerships at talent agency

APA to open her own venture, LAB Nashville. The original vision for LAB (Life

And Business) was a speaking series focusing on the life aspects of the business

space. “As I began formulating my new business plan, I realized that LAB was

more meaningful than ever to me. Building a company that allowed for the

balance of life and business, building meaningful relationships that expanded

beyond the workplace and choosing who I wanted to spend the long work days

with became my company vision” said Fox-Metoyer. LAB Nashville’s business

structure is built on three pillars: Strategy, Partnerships and Management. Each

with their own roster of clients spanning music, fi lm, television and food. Fox-

Metoyer has spent her career in the entertainment and tech world with executive

roles at The Walt Disney Co, Sony Music, Sony Electronics & EMI Music. She

is a mentor/advisor for The Nashville Entrepreneur Center and sits on several

advisory boards. She also mentors at the Williamson Co. Entrepreneur &

Innovation Center working with high school age students. Fox-Metoyer

was named one of Billboard Magazine’s 2018 Top Branding Power Players &

recognized as one of Nashville Business Journal’s 2018 Women in Music City

award winners.

24 Leisa Gill | DIRECTOR OF CLIENT EXPERIENCE / CLIENT DEVELOPMENT, LBMCLeisa Gill is the Director of Client Experience at LBMC and leads LBMC’s

Privately Owned Companies segment. As the Director of Client Experience,

Leisa utilizes her communication skills and business expertise to develop,

analyze and align LBMC’s brand promise with the overall client experience.

She spent over 20 years helping build the brand and LBMC’s reputation – she

now takes that experience to her current role to build an even stronger client

experience that includes client satisfaction and delivering on the fi rm’s brand

promise to help clients be ‘better,’ whether that is in their business or with their

personal fi nancial needs. Leisa serves as a valuable resource for our teams as

well as for clients. She is also active in educating LBMC teams on improving

the client experience. A speaker locally, nationally, and internationally; she

is passionate about growing the fi rm’s Private Companies practice, which

includes strategy, development of the practice team, and overall performance.

Accomplishments include: published writer, named a Nashville Woman of

Infl uence, a Who’s Who of Women Executives, Award Winning Marketer,

Accounting Industry’s Marketer of the Year, member Association of Accounting

Marketing’s Hall of Fame, and more.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

25 Mila Grigg | CEO, MODA IMAGE AND BRAND CONSULTINGMila is the CEO of MODA Image and Brand Consulting. MODA was born out of

Mila’s passion to help others succeed by sharing what she has learned in the

world of business, brand, sales and marketing. She too often saw people and

organizations fail regardless of their potential because they were not focusing

on what matters most; Brand Drives Everything. MODA is the only company

in the United States that is able to integrate corporate brand, social media

strategy, personal brand, leadership, marketing consulting, sales, image, internal

and external communication, non-verbal communication, emotional intelligence,

brand storytelling, the ‘why’ exercises, professional etiquette, executive

presence and fashion into training seminars, 1:1 coaching and consulting

agreements that benefi t both the company and its employees. Mila has advised

professional fi rms, executive suites and even placed senior executives in their

corporate dream jobs. As a business owner and someone who has worked in

and up the leadership, image and brand business, Mila brings something of

added value to every client she has, sharing her strong faith, hard work ethic,

values, integrity, extensive relationships and business savvy with everyone she

serves.

26 Beth Hoeg | COO, TRINISYSI have over 25 years of experience leading technology and organizational

improvement initiatives. I joined Trinisys over 10 years ago overseeing all internal

operations and professional service engagements as the Chief Operating

O� cer. In 2010, I joined the board of Women in Technology of Tennessee

and served as President in 2015/16. I also serve on the NTC Board and the

TechBridge Leadership Board and am involved with HIMSS and PMI.

27 Mary Jo Innis | PRESIDENT, THE R.O.W. GROUPMary Jo Innis, President of The R.O.W. Group, has been a vital partner in the

fi rm for over ten years. The R.O.W. Group, has been an industry leader in the

Nashville community since 1986. By 39, she was chosen to be President of The

R.O.W. Group. At 40, she was the 14th female Principal at M Financial Group. In

2016 Mary Jo became one of 16 Certifi ed Plan Fiduciary Advisors in the state

of Tennessee, and one of four women to earn that title in the state. In 2017 she

was recognized as one of the executive Woman of Infl uence by the Nashville

Business Journal. Other professional accomplishments to add to Mary Jo’s list

are: One of only 18 members of the Nashville chapter of the Women Presidents’

Organization, which has 137 chapters and over 2,000 members worldwide of

accomplished, multi-million dollar level women entrepreneurs. Lastly, she is the

founding Chapter Chair of the Nashville chapter of Women In Pensions Network,

which represents over 1,700 members nationwide within all segments of the

retirement plan industry. Personally, Mary Jo mentors young women throughout

the Nashville community within the Business Journal’s National Mentor Monday

event every year and Vanderbilt Universities Women In Business Mentorship

Program. She is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church, supports Soles for

Souls, Graceworks, and Second Harvest Food Bank.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

28 Patricia Brown James | FOUNDER & CONSULTANT, PB&J CONSULTINGOver a three-decade career in key management and leadership roles in

three global corporations, Patricia James has developed and executed

successful strategies for sustainable change in human resources and shared

services. Recognized as an inspirational leader, coach, and mentor, James

has advised leaders at every level, from CEO to emerging leader. She has a

passion for mentoring, coaching, and lifelong learning. Patti’s career began

as an HR analyst at Shell Oil, followed by time with Schlumberger Limited,

before joining part of what is now Bridgestone Americas from 1992 to 2013.

Following retirement from Bridgestone Americas, James revitalized a regional

nonprofi t leadership program by applying business expertise and experience

to an organization focused on stronger leadership for organizations in

Middle Tennessee. Currently, James operates her own consulting fi rm, PB&J

Consulting. She provides career transition and executive coaching, competency-

based training program design and delivery, human resources turnkey projects,

and business development services to private and corporate clients. James also

serves as an Advisory Director for Stanton Chase, a global retained executive

search and consulting fi rm. She is active in the nonprofi t community, serving as

Vice Chair, Governance/HR for Rutherford Cable, Board Member for Goodwill

Industries of Middle Tennessee, and Steering Committee/Program Lead for

the Nashville chapter of the Private Directors Association. James mentors in

the Rutherford CABLE Protégé program, Middle Tennessee SHRM Student

Mentor Program, The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business Alumni

Mentor Program, and WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. In 2011, she was named a Women

of Infl uence by the Nashville Business Journal. In 2018, James was an Athena

Leadership Award nominee in Nashville.

29 Kristen Johns | PARTNER, WALLERKristen Johns is a Partner in Waller’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.

Kristen’s experience intersects privacy, security, technology and intellectual

property, and she leads the fi rm’s distributed ledger/blockchain practice. As

a registered patent attorney, Kristen helps clients protect and maximize their

intellectual property assets and advises clients on a broad range of issues,

including patent and trademark strategies, data privacy, security, and cloud-

related matters with a particular focus on emerging technologies.

30 Ginger Jones | FOUNDER & CEO, JONES THERAPY SERVICESGinger Geldreich Jones is the founder and CEO of Jones Therapy Services

which provides speech-language, physical, occupational, feeding, and behavior

therapy in 9 locations in Tennessee. Under Ginger’s leadership, Jones Therapy

Services has ranked on the Inc 5000 list for the last 4 years in a row. Ginger was

a recipient of 2013 40 Under 40 by the Nashville Business Journal, recognized

as a favorite Speech Language Pathologist in Nashville Parent Magazine, and

received the Songs for Sound Success Award in 2014 and in 2018 was Named an

Enterprising Women Champion by Enterprising Women Magazine. Most recently

she was named A Woman of Infl uence and Most Admired CEO by the Nashville

Business Journal.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

31 Nancy Leach | CEO, FACILITY PLANNERS INC.Facility Planners Inc. (FPI) was founded in 1995, with the intention of integrating

the processes for selecting furniture, fi xtures and equipment within a single

project, rather than letting those choices become an afterthought when designing

and space-planning work environments. Evolving technology is increasingly

integrated into our working and living environments and we must be able to create

spaces that support and meet the challenges those rapid changes in technology

pose. FPI coordinates new technology, infrastructure and space planning with the

needs of our business objectives as they occur. Facility Planners utilizes industry

leading software solutions [Revit, CET, Great Plains Dynamics, Virtual Reality] in

the design, specifi cation, order entry, accounting and archiving of all client facility

project data. Our technological systems allow us to track projects accurately from

start to fi nish, eliminating any potential for errors and expediting the delivery and

installation of our clients’ orders.

32 Kelly Magill | OWNER, KGV STUDIOSAs a serial entrepreneur, I have been launching businesses since 1996; a bookstore,

a magazine and a video production company. I’m probably more comfortable

in the start up phase of a business than any other phase. Only one of my three

businesses had an investor - the other two were bootstrapped. Building a stable

company that is known for quality is more important that building a large company

for me. Creating a culture where every member wants to be at work, and clients

look forward to working with us is also an important goal of mine. I also have a 29

year old son and I was a single mom so I had to fi nd a way to balance work and my

family life with him - no easy task. When I’m not working to grow KGV Studios, I

have a documentary that I am personally developing, I travel, read and golf.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

33 Amanda Mathis | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS INC.Amanda Mathis Chief Financial O� cer, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. Amanda Mathis

was named Chief Financial O� cer (CFO) of Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM)

in May 2017. In this role, Mathis is responsible for overseeing all strategic aspects

of fi nance, accounting, procurement and fi nancial shared services for BSAM’s

international operations, including management of the 900 teammates within

these departments. Additionally, she is responsible for BSAM’s mergers and

acquisitions, fi nancial reporting, cash fl ow and debt management. Amanda joined

BSAM as Controller for the Consumer Tire Division in 2012. She was later promoted

to Vice President, Finance for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO)

North America and concurrently named Acting CFO in September 2016. Prior to

joining BATO, Mathis spent nine years at Yum! Brands, Inc., the world’s largest

system restaurant company. In her last role at Yum!, Mathis served as CFO of Long

John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants. Prior to that, Mathis held fi nance positions of

increasing responsibility at Yum!, having started her career in investment banking

at the Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets and Morgan Keegan. Mathis received

the 2018 CFO of the Year award as well as the 2016 Women of Infl uence Award

from the Nashville Business Journal and serves on the board of directors for the

Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition. She graduated from Emory University with a

BBA, double majoring in Business and Economics, with concentrations in Finance

and Marketing.

34 Emerald Mitchell | FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MOVES AND GROOVES INC.Dr. Emerald Mitchell is a nonprofi t, leader who founded Moves & Grooves Inc

at the age of 18, based on a transformational experience she had as a child. Dr.

Mitchell believes that youth can achieve anything that they can dream. Since

moving to Nashville in 2000, she has worked diligently to mitigate the “exposure

gap” and ensure that underserved youth are exposed to experiences that will

help them realize their aspirations. Dr. Mitchell received her Bachelor’s degree

in Business Management from Fisk University, M.B.A. from the University of

Phoenix campus, Master’s in Education from Tennessee State University and

received her Doctorate in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca

Nazarene University. As the Executive Director of Moves & Grooves, a nonprofi t

arts organization which serves over 1600 youth from Middle Tennessee each

year in afterschool and enrichment programming, Dr. Mitchell has consistently

integrated innovative strategies to ensure students are surrounded by caring

educators, engaged in programming that teaches them skills which support

success in school and life—such as dance, communication, collaboration,

problem solving, critical thinking, and discipline—and supported in cultivating a

strong sense of confi dence. Dr. Mitchell is always seeking to raise the bar when it

comes to o� ering students high-quality learning experiences.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

35 Rita P. Mitchell | PRESIDENT & CEO, RITA P. MITCHELL, LLCRita P. Mitchell is an overcomer. In a career spanning four decades, she has

navigated countless roadblocks and conquered numerous obstacles to

accomplish her personal and professional goals in the very competitive fi nancial

services industry. Rita became president of her own insurance and securities

brokerage fi rm, Mitchell Financial, Inc., spoke on the TEDx stage, has been a

frequent contributor to Black Enterprise magazine, and became the fi rst-ever

recipient of First Horizon’s 2018 Inclusion & Diversity Leader’s Award. Before

retiring in early 2018, Rita served as Executive Vice President and Manager

of Private Client Services for Middle Tennessee, First Tennessee Bank. Most

recently, she has written Own Your Phenomenal Self, a guide to empowering

young career women to achieve their desired success and an Amazon bestseller.

In addition, Rita is a certifi ed John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, and Speaker.

Currently, she serves on the boards of the YWCA USA, Cheekwood, Leadership

Nashville Alumni Association, the Founders’ Advisory Board of Studio Bank, and

is also Chair of the Board of the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee.

36 Charlane Oliver | CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE EQUITY ALLIANCEHailed as a “Now Generation Activist” by The Tennessean and a 2019 Woman of

Infl uence by the Nashville Business Journal, Charlane Oliver is an award-winning

community advocate, respected movement builder, public relations strategist

and rising star among Music City’s political scene. She is the co-founder and

executive director of The Equity Alliance, a nonprofi t that empowers, equips

and mobilizes black voters to be engaged in the civic process in a state with

one of the lowest voter participation rates in the nation. As a trusted voice on

voting rights issues, her work has been featured in The New York Times, The

Washington Post and throughout Tennessee. She has graced the coveted stage

at the inaugural TEDxNashvilleWomen and has been a featured guest on various

local television broadcasts and national podcasts. Her organization led a

statewide coalition that registered 91,000 Black and brown Tennesseans to vote

for the 2018 midterms, increased Black voter turnout by 413 percent, and was

responsible for endorsing and electing the most diverse and progressive Metro

Council in the city’s history. Previously, Charlane served as the community

liaison and on the communications team for U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper,

where she led one of the most successful voter registration initiatives in

Congress called Project Register. With over 13 years of professional experience

in nonprofi t management, civil service and communications, Charlane has

garnered numerous accolades and awards. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas,

Charlane has a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and holds a Master

of Public Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

37 Dee Patel | MANAGING DIRECTOR, THE HERMITAGE HOTELDee Patel is the Managing Director of The Hermitage Hotel, recognized as

Tennessee’s most luxurious hotel, which includes Capitol Grille, Oak Bar,

Rachel’s Boutique, and Garden at Glen Leven as well as various real estate

properties in the downtown corridor. The Hermitage Hotel, through its

award-winning hospitality enterprise, is committed to historic preservation,

sustainability, and Nashville’s heritage. The hotel has garnered numerous awards

such as the 2018 Conde Nast Traveler Magazine Reader’s Choice Award for

the Top Hotel in Nashville, “Top 500 Hotels in the World” by Travel + Leisure,

and most recently, Historic Hotels of America recognized The Hermitage Hotel

as the Best City Center Historic Hotel in America. A graduate of Johnson and

Wales University, Patel joined The Hermitage Hotel in 2003 and served as rooms

executive for nearly eight years. In 2012, she was promoted to Assistant General

Manager, where her role began to shift in focus on how the hotel could continue

its legacy and preserve local community and culture. Patel was named General

Manager in 2014 and then Managing Director in 2019, for which she is the fi rst

female to serve in both of these leadership roles in the hotel’s 109-year history.

Patel was also named a Woman of Infl uence by the Nashville Business Journal in

2019.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

38 Rosemary Plorin | PRESIDENT & CEO, LOVELL COMMUNICATIONSWith 25 years’ experience in all aspects of marketing, communications and

public relations, Rosemary Plorin became president of Lovell Communications

in 2014 and chief executive o� cer in 2015. She’s now leading Lovell

through aggressive growth while keeping the company fi rmly committed

to delivering exceptional strategy and client service. Plorin has vast issues

and crisis experience in both the private and public sectors having worked

in the communications aspects of numerous mergers and acquisitions, labor

negotiations, civil and criminal matters, and regulatory issues for companies

large and small across a wide variety of industries. Specializing in health care

crisis management, Plorin has worked with dozens of hospitals, health systems,

nursing homes, post-acute and long-term care facilities on projects such as

negative DOH surveys, CMS terminations and Joint Commission denials; hospital

sales, acquisitions and bankruptcies; drug diversions and DEA investigations;

medical sta� credentialing issues; inappropriate patient health information

disclosures; DOJ and OIG reimbursement fraud investigations; euthanasia

allegations; major medical malpractice cases; clinical trial complications and

patient abuse allegations. She has worked with virtually all major news outlets

including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Reuters,

Bloomberg, Newsweek, CNN, 60 Minutes, 20/20 and local news outlets across

the country and internationally. Plorin has served as faculty or guest presenter

in webinars and conferences presented by numerous organizations including the

American Health Lawyers Association, American Bar Association, Federation

of American Hospitals, Federation of American Regulatory Boards, the National

Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the Federation of State Medical Boards,

Modern Healthcare magazine, the Public Relations Society of America and

the International Association of Business Communicators. She has presented

to graduate communications and business management classes at Belmont

University and the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management.

A native Nashvillian, Plorin is a graduate of Denison University in Granville,

Ohio, and an active member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and

the Nashville Health Care Council. She serves on the board of trust for St. Paul

Christian Academy, the Advancement Committee of Franklin Road Academy,

the Selection Committee of the Nashville Health Care Council Fellows Program,

and on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Vanderbilt University School of

Nursing. Plorin’s fi rm has been recognized by the Nashville Business Journal as a

Best Place to Work and a Small Business of the Year fi nalist, and Plorin has been

honored as a Most Admired CEO, a Woman of Infl uence and a Healthcare Hero.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

39 Julia Polk | CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, DECODE HEALTHJulia Polk is the Chief Strategy O� cer for Decode Health, a company building AI

to recognize chronic disease risk early. Decode’s platform identifi es undetected,

misdiagnosed and uncontrolled chronic disease risk in patient populations.

Raising equity capital, establishing revenue and business models, cultivating

strategic partnerships and establishing long term relationships to support

the growth of the business are the primary areas of her focus. Julia’s career

in fi nance spans over 25 years of building companies and mentoring early

stage entrepreneurs. Julia has been a Wall Street investment banker, Venture

Capitalist and Angel Investor. She has served as CFO for two early stage

companies that were pioneering new industries: CorporateFamily Solutions

(Bright Horizons) and Change Healthcare Corporation each of which ultimately

delivered substantial shareholder value. Julia has served in a variety of senior

strategic fi nance and interim management roles, and she’s coordinated the

raising of over $40MM in capital. Since June 2012, she has mentored over

100 startup companies in healthcare services, life sciences and technology,

consumer fi nance, consumer products, hardware/software technology and

education technology. Julia serves on several corporate and advisory boards,

including IQuity Labs, Newsbreak Networks, LaunchTN (Executive Committee),

and Givful.

40 Nekasha Pratt | DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, TN DEPARTMENT OF TOURIST DEVELOPMENTNekasha (pronounced “Ne-kee-sha”) Pratt is an award-winning marketer with

over 15 years of experience. Campaigns she’s helped manage have won national

Webby, Clio, E� e and Addy creative awards and 3 international Cannes Lions

awards. Nekasha is currently Director of Marketing for Tennessee Tourism,

where she assists in overseeing marketing campaigns that promote state-

wide tourism – an industry that generated $1.8 billion in state tax revenue in

2018. She focuses primarily on domestic and international digital and social

media marketing, branding as well as email and creative services. Nekasha is

a nationally recognized speaker, having presented for organizations such as

the International Black Film Festival, Government Social Media Conference,

Willis Group, US Travel, 36|86 Conference and Together Digital. She has been

interviewed about her role in the 2018 launch of the US Civil Rights Trail and

featured in content by Crains, xoNecole, CrowdRi� and the Lipstick Economy

podcast. Nekasha was recently named a national BizWomen Economic

Development Headliner, a 2019 Nashville Women of Infl uence Award recipient

and in 2018 received both a Nashville Emerging Leader Award (NELA) and

NBJ’s 40 under 40 Award. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and is a

globally certifi ed Project Management Professional.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

41 Kelly Rich | COUNTRY LEAD, AMAZON MUSICBio: Rich joined Amazon Music in February 2017, ensuring Nashville’s priority

releases have a direct advocate, are properly set up within the Amazon eco-

system and that Amazon’s global reach is leveraged on all of their properties for

Nashville’s multiple genres. Honored as a Billboard Women in Music (2010-2013),

Music Row Rising Women on the Row (2014), NBJ Women in Music (2014-2015

and 2017-2019), Billboard Country Power Player (2017-2019) and named one of

Variety’s Women Who Power Country Music (2018), Leadership Music Class of

2020, ACM Board of Directors 2017-2019. Her more than 30 years of experience

includes time at Big Machine Label Group, UMG Nashville, DreamWorks, Arista

Nashville, BMG and Western Merchandisers.

42 Jill Robinson | DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS, JACK C. MASSEY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, BELMONT UNIVERSITYIn 1995, Jill’s career started in Nashville with various nonprofi ts in marketing,

outreach, and programs including Tennessee 200, the non-profi t managing

Tennessee’s 200th birthday, TACA, an organization supporting statewide artists,

and LifeWay, the national Baptist organization. Concurrently, she joined Charter

Resource, a change management and CEO coaching consulting fi rm. In 1999,

she managed TPAC’s fi rst volunteer department, eventually moving to Director

of Development supporting fundraising and event goals for their education

programs. Finding a passion for organizational development, she obtained

an M.A. in Organizational Management in 2002, and completed her M.B.A. in

2004. February 2005, she joined Belmont University’s O� ce of the President

focusing on presidential initiatives, donor relations, and cross-functional team

management. Summer 2007, she moved to the Center for Executive Education

as the Director of Executive Learning and Marketing combining her love for

learning and marketing. Jill’s current role as Director of External Relations of the

Jack C. Massey College of Business started in January 2014 moved her to the

Dean’s O� ce and expands her role to include strategic initiatives, community

outreach, and leadership development, working with the Massey School’s 5

Centers of Learning, marketing, and community and business alliances. In

2009, she received the inaugural NBJ 40 Under 40 award, in 2010 the Nashville

Chamber NEL Education award, in 2016 the NBJ Women of Infl uence non-

profi t award, and in 2017 received her International Coaching Certifi cation. Jill

launched her side business in coaching in 2017 focusing on job transition, career

visioning, and execution, and in 2018 launched a small jewelry design business.

Through her role at Belmont and her coaching company, she serves those that

she connects with and enjoys encouraging them to be their best selves. In her

spare time, you can often fi nd Jill spoiling her nieces, painting, at yoga class,

or hiking in Percy. The novice foodie can be found eating out with friends in

Nashville at the latest restaurant opening, or in class learning about vino!

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

43 Heather Rohan | DIVISION PRESIDENT, HCAHeather J. Rohan, FACHE, has over 30 years of extensive healthcare experience,

serving in a variety of leadership roles in both administration and patient care

within HCA Healthcare. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Ms. Rohan has served as

President of HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Division, since 2016, where she oversees

a network of 19 hospitals and multiple access points including free standing

ERs, oncology centers, behavioral health centers, physician practices, urgent

care centers, imaging centers and telemedicine across Tennessee, Southern

Kentucky, and Northwest Georgia. As a nurse, Ms. Rohan is passionate about

the opportunity to make a di� erence in the lives of patients and caregivers.

She is committed to a patient’s-fi rst culture, where every patient receives

quality, compassionate care. Ms. Rohan believes that people are the key to

any organization’s success. Each day, Ms. Rohan and her management team

work alongside facility leaders to provide superior patient-centered care.

Ms. Rohan began her career within HCA Healthcare as an associate nursing

administrator. Inspired to lead, she went on to assume roles of increasing and

diverse responsibility, such as chief nursing o� cer, chief operating o� cer

and CEO. Prior to becoming Division President, Rohan served as President

and Chief Executive O� cer of TriStar Centennial Medical Center, a 657-bed

comprehensive healthcare facility in Nashville. Under her leadership from

2012-2016, the hospital received numerous recognitions for superior patient

care while simultaneously experiencing unprecedented growth in care delivery

and expanding pediatric, cardiovascular and orthopedic services. Previously,

Ms. Rohan served as CEO and COO of Aventura Hospital and Medical Center

in Aventura, Florida; as CEO of Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, Florida;

as CEO of Pompano Beach Medical Center and CNO of Cedars Medical Center

in Miami. Ms. Rohan earned a Bachelor’s in Nursing degree and Master’s in

Business Administration degree from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.

She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, served as

the ACHE regent for Florida-Eastern region and has served on the Board of

Governors since 2015. She currently serves as Chairman-Elect and will be

installed as Chairman in March 2019. Active in the community, Ms. Rohan serves

as a board member for United Way of Middle Tennessee, Governor’s Foundation

for Health and Wellness, Tennessee Hospital Association and the HCA

Foundation. She also serves on the board of Barry University, her alma mater.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

44 Mary Roskilly | PARTNER & PRINCIPAL, TUCK-HINTON ARCHITECTURE & DESIGNMary Roskilly is a Principal and Partner at Tuck-Hinton Architecture & Design, a Small

and Women Owned business located in Nashville that is known for creating many of

the region’s most iconic buildings. She joined the fi rm in 1994 after graduating from

the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Architecture. She has been involved in

the design of several prestigious projects that have impacted Nashville - Music City

Center, Country Music Hall of Fame, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and Tennessee

Bicentennial Capitol Mall. She is currently working on Heaven’s Door Distillery which

will be located in the old church building previously occupied by the fi rm before

their recent move to the Wedgewood Houston neighborhood. Mary is a graduate

of Leadership Middle Tennessee, where she served as the 2017 Class President, and

now serves on its Board of Directors. She is also an active member of the Middle

Tennessee Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the AEC

Power Women Executive Committee. Roskilly frequently gives lectures and tours of

the fi rm’s notable projects to community and professional groups. Recently she was

named to the 2019 Nashville Business Journal Women of Infl uence list, as well as the

2018 Nashville Business Journal Most Admired CEO list. She and her husband Chuck

Miller hold majority ownership at the fi rm, and along with their partner Josh Hughes,

provide creative oversight and leadership for the fi rm. Her daughter Rory is in the

5th grade at JT Moore Middle School.

45 Nancy Schultz | VICE PRESIDENT, NORTH HIGHLAND CONSULTINGNancy Schultz has over 30 years of experience in the consulting industry and

specializes in Project Management, Program Management, Packaged Systems

Design and Implementation, and Process Reengineering, including Healthcare,

Manufacturing, Distribution, and Financials. Since joining North Highland

in 1999, Nancy has played an instrumental role in the growth of a company,

specifi cally in healthcare.

46 Becky Sharpe | CEO, ISTS, INCBecky Sharpe is the President and CEO of International Scholarship and Tuition

Services, Inc. (ISTS) where her passion is to help people grow. After joining ISTS

in 2002 as President and purchasing the company in 2008, Becky has led ISTS

to be named one of Nashville’s Top Workplaces by the Tennessean two years in

a row (2017 and 2018) and has made Inc. magazine’s list of the 5000 fastest-

growing private companies in America three years running (2015-17). Along

with her role at ISTS, Becky is also CEO and Co-owner of Collegiate Sports Data

(CSD) - a company specializing in athletic data collection and distribution - and

Partner in WatchGameFilm - a game fi lm management platform - both of which

strive to help athletes continue their education by facilitating recruitment to

top colleges and universities. Becky is a board member of Vistage International,

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle TN, Girls Scouts of Middle TN and Walk Bike

Nashville. In her spare time, she enjoys competing in triathlons, running and

martial arts, gardening and international travel. She is also currently pursuing

her private helicopter pilot’s license.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

47 Patricia Shea | PRESIDENT & CEO, GIVFULPatricia Glaser Shea is a widely recognized leader in corporate, non-profi t, and

women’s advocacy circles. As President/CEO of Givful, Shea is launching a

technology start-up that raises money and engages volunteers for nonprofi t

organizations. Givful’s platform provides employers and their associates with

the ability to create and support a culture of giving and drive community impact

through the use of technology. Before launching Givful, Pat worked for eleven

years as CEO for the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. Under her guidance,

the 100+-year-old organization was stabilized as Shea grew net assets to $10M

and increased the number of people served. Shea changed the conversation

around domestic violence and founded MEND, an initiative that recognizes the

responsibility of men in reducing gender violence. She worked with legislators

to strengthen domestic violence laws in Tennessee. She launched Girls Inc.

and re-opened Dress for Success - Nashville. In 2010, Shea founded the

Nashville Chapter of Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), an international

organization of women business owners. Before becoming a non-profi t leader,

Shea was a successful private sector leader creating and leading consulting

organizations within HCA/Quorum and co-founding Echelon Health. Shea holds

a business degree from the University of Dayton and is a graduate of Leadership

Nashville and Leadership Tennessee. She is a founding director of Studio Bank

and BrainTrust; and a member of the International Women’s Forum – Tennessee

Chapter. Shea has been named one of the Most Admired CEOs by the Nashville

Business Journal and was recognized in 2017 as a Women of Infl uence/

Trailblazer. She has twice been named a fi nalist for Tennessean of the Year.

Her awards include the 2017 Human Relations Award and the 2017 ATHENA

Leadership Award.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

48 Dimeta Smith Knight | PRESIDENT & CEO, DIMETA SMITH, CPA, LLCDimeta has over 20 years of fi nancial accounting, auditing, tax preparation and

consulting experience. Previous roles include Internal Auditor, Financial Sys-

tems Implementation Consultant and Chief Financial O� cer. She has consulted

with small to large size corporations, sole proprietorships and partnerships from

various industries within for profi t and nonprofi t sectors. Because of her exten-

sive knowledge of small business operations and fi nancial performance she has

become a great resource for the Nashville business community. She has facilitated

seminars and workshops for various organizations including the Small Business

Administration, Pathway Women’s Business Center and the National Association

of Women Business Owners. Dimeta is currently the Chief Executive O� cer and

President of Dimeta Smith, CPA, LLC, an accounting and consulting fi rm located in

Nashville, TN. She previously served as an Adjunct Accounting Professor, lecturing

on all disciplines of Accounting. Dimeta received her Bachelor of Business Ad-

ministration Degree with a major in Accounting from Tennessee State University

and Master of Accountancy Degree from Belmont University. She is a Tennessee

licensed life, health & accident insurance producer and QuickBooks ProAdvisor®.

Her current civic involvement includes serving on the Board of Directors for the

Tennessee Respite Coalition, West End Homes Foundation and New Leaders

Council. She frequently shares her passion for fi nancial literacy and economic

development with the community. Her recent conferences include Girls To The

Moon and National Association of Women MBAs’ Annual Thrive Conference. She is

also a frequent guest on Common Cents: The Money Show on WFSK 88.1 FM radio.

She was selected a 2018 Woman of Infl uence by the Nashville Business Journal.

She received the Rising Star Award presented by the Nashville Black Chamber

of Commerce and the Power Moves Award in Finance presented by PK Williams

Enterprises. Additional Honors and Activities • Woman of Infl uence Judge, 2019 •

TSU National Alumni Association • Belmont Convocation Speaker Previous boards

include • Disability Law and Advocacy Center of TN • Minerva Foundation, Inc. •

Nashville Opportunities Industrialization Center, (OIC), Inc. • National Association

of Black Accountants, Inc., Chair Membership Services, Student Member Services

A native of Nashville, Dimeta enjoys volunteering in the community; mentoring

young people; and spending time with her family. OFFICE: 615-953-1167

WWW.DimetaSmithCPA.com

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

49 Maggie Spalding | MEMBER & VICE PRESIDENT, LOCKTONI am a Member with Lockton Companies, where I helped launch our Nashville

o� ce 5 years ago, focusing on assisting clients with their risk management,

brokerage and human capital needs, especially taking a holistic Total Rewards

and Cost of Risk approach. I have been a helping clients drive strategies

for over 25 and have several leadership roles in Lockton, including the TN

management team, D&I Steering Committee, D&I Corporate Committee, as

well as involvement in Lockton’s female partner recruiting e� orts. I am also

the founder of Women NOW (Networking Over Wine), an amazing group of

senior executives that that meet monthly. We have grown to 150+ invitees, with

about 30+ attending each month to share ideas, get advice, and connect with

incredible women. Originally a California native, I have lived in Franklin for 24

years, met and married my husband of 20 years and am a proud mom of three

teenagers. I am on the Executive Advisory Board of Best Buddies TN, as well as

members in Nashville Healthcare Council and ACG.

50 Joycelyn Stevenson | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TENNESSEE BAR ASSOCIATIONJoycelyn currently serves as the Executive Director of the Tennessee Bar

Association (“TBA”), where she manages operations, supports the board of

directors as well as the Association’s 13,000 members across the state. She

is a new member of the board of the National Association of Bar Executives,

serving a three-year term. Prior to joining the TBA, Joycelyn worked for 16 years

in private practice as a litigation and employment attorney in two Nashville

law fi rms. She previously served as president and as a board member of the

Nashville Bar Association, the Lawyers’ Association for Women-Marion Gri� n

Chapter and the Council on Aging of Middle Tennessee. She was selected

by NashvilleBusiness.Net as one of the “Most Leading African Americans in

Nashville.” She is the 2017 recipient of the Napier Looby Bar Association’s J.C.

Napier Trailblazer Award. She was also selected by her peers for inclusion in

The Best Lawyers in America© 2016, 2017 in the fi eld of Litigation – Labor

and Employment. Joycelyn is also a past recipient of the Nashville Chamber’s

Emerging Leader Award in the legal services category and the Nashville Athena

Young Professionals Award.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

51 Laquita Stribling | SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, RANDSTADLaquita Stribling is senior vice president at Randstad USA. Laquita is

responsible for nine o� ces and approximately 1,300 employees. Additionally,

Laquita served as the District Governor for Rotary International District 6760

(July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019). The district is comprised of 62 Rotary Clubs

and 3,500 Rotarians across Middle and West Tennessee. She became the fi rst

African-American to hold this position. Laquita currently serves on the boards

of director for Cable (2018 Power of Inclusion Chair and current Chair-Elect),

The Nashville Sports Council, Middle Tennessee Boy Scouts of America, Second

Harvest Food Bank, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and Nashville State Community

College Foundation. In addition, Laquita volunteers for the Nashville Area

Chamber of Commerce on the Education Report Card Committee. In 2017,

Laquita was inducted into the YWCA’s Academy for Women of Achievement

and was awarded Mt. Zion’s Bridge Builder Award and CABLE’s Civic Outreach

Award. In 2018, Laquita was recognized as a Woman of Infl uence by the

Nashville Business Journal and Power Moves Awards winner by PK Williams

Enterprises. Laquita earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University

of Arkansas at Pine Blu� and a Master of Public Administration degree from

the University of Memphis. She is currently enrolled at Trevecca Nazarene

University, where she expects to earn her doctorate in Leadership and

Professional Practices in 2020.

52 Flynn Tracy | COMMUNITY LEADER, GILDA’S CLUB MIDDLE TENNESSEEFlynn Tracy joined Asurion in February 2015, after relocating from NYC to

Nashville. Flynn fi rst led B2B2C marketing strategy and execution for Asurion’s

standardized extended warranty product, followed by a director of Product

Marketing role for Asurion’s tech help o� ering. In her most recent position, as

Client Marketing director, she managed protection plan marketing for retailers

such as The Home Depot, Luxottica, and Tractor Supply, as well as Samsung

and US Cellular. Flynn served on the core committee for the Asurion Women’s

Initiative Network (WIN). Prior to her time with Asurion, Flynn lived in

NYC and worked in brand management for Unilever for 7 years (2008-2015),

following her 2-year MBA program at NYU Stern. During her time at Unilever,

Flynn managed 5 food brands, including Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Lipton

tea. In these roles, she had P&L responsibility and oversaw brand strategy

and operations, ranging from R&D and packaging, to forecasting, in-store

activations, and advertising campaigns. Flynn earned her BA from Vanderbilt

University (2003) and also worked as a business reporter for a daily newspaper

in metro Atlanta (2003-2006). She serves as board member and marketing

committee chair for Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee and is a 2019 “40 Under 40”

recipient.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

53 Deborah Varallo | PRESIDENT, VARALLO PUBLIC RELATIONSDeborah Varallo founded Varallo Public Relations, a full-service marketing,

social media, public relations, and crisis management fi rm in 1991. VPR provides

support to professional fi rms such as architects, engineers, contractors, and the

legal, fi nancial and healthcare industries. She has been featured in local, regional

and national publications, such as Fortune, Entrepreneurial and Bloomberg

magazines. Deborah has been on Nashville Post’s InCharge list since it was

established and named to their All-Star Board. She is a Society of Fellows for

TEDxNashville, and recognized by the YWCA of Middle Tennessee as Woman

of Achievement and the Nashville Business Journal as Women of Infl uence. She

is president-elect of the International Women’s Forum – Tennessee Chapter.

She serves on the Nashville State Community College Foundation and Catholic

Business League boards. She is a past board chair for Leadership Middle

Tennessee, Leadership Nashville and is a graduate of Leadership Music. She

chaired the Leadership Nashville Alumni Association. the Leadership Middle

Tennessee Alumni Board; and was president of LMT’s 2004 class. Additional

boards included: Rotary Club of Nashville, The Women’s Fund, Catholic Charities

of TN, YWCA of Middle Tennessee, Center for Nonprofi t Management, and Girl

Scouts of Middle Tennessee. She served as Community Chair for the Legal Aid

Society of Middle Tennessee, co-chaired the Celebration of Mission to Service

fundraiser for Catholic Charities of Tennessee; co-chaired the Girl Scouts major

fundraiser and is active at St. Stephen Catholic Community. She was honored by

the Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee for her community service and

received CABLE’s Networking Award.

54 Erica Vick | PARTNER & CHAIR OF THE BBS GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY GROUP, BASS, BERRY & SIMSErica Vick is practice leader of Bass, Berry & Sim’s Government Advocacy &

Public Policy Practice Group. She has worked on multiple landmark public

policy initiatives, including enactment of the Civil Justice Act of 2011, the

Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act of 2017, the repeal of Tennessee’s gift

and inheritance taxes, and passage of a constitutional amendment resolution

regarding judicial selection. Erica is legislative counsel to a number of

businesses and trade associations and is a registered lobbyist with extensive

experience representing the interests of fi nancial institutions, healthcare

providers, utilities, satellite television, nuclear industry services, higher

education, agricultural services, and distilled spirits before the Tennessee

General Assembly and Executive Branch.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

55 Sherrie Whatton | PRESIDENT & CEO, LBMC STAFFING SOLUTIONSSherrie Whatton is the President/CEO and Strategic Partner-in-Charge of LBMC

Sta� ng Solutions, LLC, a Tennessee sta� ng fi rm that takes a strategic approach

to recruiting – working closely with both candidates and employers to fi nd the

best fi t for both parties involved in the hiring process. She has over 25 years

of extensive experience in recruiting and the management of the sales and

recruitment placement process of accounting/fi nancial/IT and HR professionals

in both direct hire and project-based positions. Sherrie started her career in

auditing with Arthur Andersen, LLP before transitioning into fi nancial recruiting.

She was named national “Rookie of the Year” in her fi rst year recruiting for the

fi rm. After launching her career in fi nancial sta� ng, Sherrie was recruited to

open the fi rst Southeast o� ce for a growing national recruiting fi rm and after

two years became the second largest branch in the nation, only behind the

founding o� ce location. In 1998 Sherrie joined LBMC to launch and lead LBMC

Sta� ng Solutions, LLC, now an award-winning recruiting fi rm solving client

problems in the fi elds of accounting, fi nance, HR, IT and key manufacturing

management sta� ng. Sherrie oversees a team of professionals in three

Tennessee markets with a very diversifi ed client base.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

56 Christie Wilson | CEO, THE WILSON GROUP REAL ESTATE SERVICESChristie Wilson is the Owner and CEO of The Wilson Group Real Estate

Services in Nashville, a full service real estate fi rm specializing in listing and

sales of homes, condos, land and investment property with 50+ agents and

a full service property management division. Past president of The Greater

Nashville Association of Realtors and the recipient of the Greater Nashville

Assn of Realtors “Realtor of the Year”, and the Tennessee “Realtor of the Year”.

Recipient of the President’s Award from the TAR. Life Member of the Awards

of Excellence for GNAR. Currently serves on the following boards: Nashville

Area Habitat for Humanity Board, Leadership Nashville Alumni Board, Nashville

Wine Auction Board. She is a Charter Member YWCA’s Fulcrum Society and

is a founding member of the Nashville Chapter of The Women’s President’s

Organization. Former Boards on which she has served: The YWCA, Sports

Authority of the Metro Government and Davidson County , The New Beginnings

Center; Tennessee Housing and Development Agency Realtor Advisory Board;

The Housing Fund of Nashville; Greater Nashville Assn of Realtors, TN Assoc of

Realtors; The National Assn of Realtors, Chairman of the Board of Equalization

of Metro/Davidson County (Tax Appeals Board); Tennessee Association of

Realtors; The National Association of Realtors; Realtracs; Past RPAC Trustee

for the Tennessee Association of Realtors. Most recently co- chaired the 2018

Wine Women and Shoes fundraising event for the YWCA, and co-chaired the

2018 Champagne and Chardonnay Event benefi tting the Nashville Wine Auction.

Chaired Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity’s Women’s Build and Couture

Construction for 2016. Her fi rm is the presenting sponsor for The Richland Creek

Run since its inception 13 years ago, benefi tting Greenways of Nashville. Has

hosted several real estate radio shows and most recently hosted her own real

estate TV talk show on Channel 5+: Real Estate Real Talk., Nashville’s only live

real estate call in TV show. Recent Professional Awards: 2018 Real Producers

Award in Middle TN; Women of Infl uence 2015 for Mentorship; 2015 Women

of Power Honoree for Nashville Post; 2015 Spring Revue Honoree for the

Nashville Women’s Political Collaborative; 2015 Athena Nominee for CABLE;

Most Admired CEO 2014 from the Nashville Business Journal; Best in Business

2013 from the Nashville Business Journal; 40 Under 40 in 2006, Woman of the

Year for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society 2005. She is a graduate of Father

Ryan High School and The University of Tennessee In her spare time, she enjoys

traveling, mentoring young men and women, ballroom dancing, entertaining

with friends and collecting fi ne people into her friend collection, as some people

collect fi ne art.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

57 Tameka Winston | ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITYDr. Tameka Winston is an Associate Vice President of Research and Institutional

Advancement, Department Chair and an award-winning Professor in the

Department of Communications at Tennessee State University. She is also a

national radio show host on Sirius XM and an accomplished author. Winston has

been working at the collegiate level for 17 years in various roles. Dr. Winston

was recently awarded the “2018 Leading Young Alumni Award” from her

alma mater (Alcorn State University). She was also awarded the prestigious

2017 Athena Young Professional Leadership Award. Winston received the

Nashville Business Journal’s “2017 Woman of Infl uence Award”. She received

the 2015 Woman of Achievement Award at the 35th Annual Women in Higher

Education in Tennessee conference. Because of her accomplishments in the

fi eld of Education, TSU President Glenda Glover awarded Dr. Winston with the

2018 Woman of Legend and Merit Award. Winston was awarded the 2015-2016

Professor of Year Award by the College of Liberal Arts. She was also awarded

the 2012-2013 Professor of the Year Award. She is the only professor in the

College of Liberal Arts to receive this award twice. Not only was she chosen

as one of the Nashville Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 but she was also

selected as one of the Network Journal’s 2015 “40 Under Forty” Dynamic

Achievers in the United States.

58 Carol Yochem | PRESIDENT, FIRST HORIZONCarol Yochem is President of First Horizon Bank in Middle Tennessee and

oversees a combined portfolio of loans and deposits of over $9.0 billion

and 600 employees. Carol serves as chairman of the board of the Nashville

Downtown Partnership, Vice- Regent of the Andrew Jackson Foundation,

serves on the boards of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the

YMCA of Middle Tennessee. She is a member of Nashville’s Agenda Steering

Committee, Partnership 2020, Leadership Nashville Alumni Association, and

Nashville Downtown Rotary. Carol is a 1929 Club member and past Board Trustee

of Cheekwood Estate and Gardens. Carol has been recognized as a Nashville

Business Journal Power Leader in Finance, Most Admired CEO, and Woman of

Infl uence. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she met her husband

Darryl. They have two adult children.

MentorsBIOGRAPHIES

59 Nancy Youssef | PRESIDENT & FOUNDER, CURVES WITH PURPOSEMs. Nancy Youssef currently serves as Chief Corporate Development O� cer for

Soles 4 Souls, a non-profi t social enterprise based in Nashville, TN. Ms. Youssef

is also founder and President of award winning Curves with Purpose, a women’s

e-commerce marketplace celebrating shape diversity, serving sizes up to 5X,

curating global brands, utilizing fi t tech and helping disrupt the cycle of poverty

through charitable partnerships. Youssef is an adjunct professor of Retail

Management at Belmont University. Ms. Youssef served as senior vice president,

international business development for Canton, MA-based Destination XL group,

the largest omni-channel specialty retailer of big and tall men’s apparel. Prior

to joining Destination XL, Youssef was vice president, international business

development for NYSE-listed Genesco, Inc. where she pioneered the Fortune 1000

footwear and apparel retailer’s portfolio of brands outside the U.S. In this role she

successfully directed the entry of the Fortune 1000 company into more than two

dozen countries around the world and was pivotal in acquisitions, partnerships

and licensing relationships. Prior to that, she served as senior brand manager for

interactive multichannel retailer HSN, Inc. and has led business development for

fashion apparel and accessories importer and distributor SAS-Egypt. Ms. Youssef

earned her B.S. in Marketing from The Pennsylvania State University with focuses

in Accounting and French & International Studies. Ms. Youssef has also completed

International Fashion Design studies at the Instituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy.

Which gave her an opportunity to become fl uent in her fi fth language, adding

Italian to Arabic, English, French and Spanish. Ms. Youssef serves as a director

for the Nashville Chamber of Commerce International Business Council, Siloam

Healthcare, Belmont University College of International Business, Nashville Mayor’s

Advisory Council for Minority and Women Owned Businesses and Nashville

Mayor’s Advisory Council for New Americans.

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