We’re proud to announce the selection of 22 business professionals for Arts Board Matching 2020! Participants in the program gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective, engaged board members and are matched with local nonprofit arts organizations for potential board service.
Arts Board Matching training includes an overview of the arts and culture sector in Nashville as well as insights into board governance, fiduciary and financial responsibilities, fundraising, strategic planning, and arts advocacy. After completing the four monthly sessions, participants. The program culminates with a speed-dating-style matching event where participants meet with a variety of arts organizations to find their match.
By serving on a nonprofit board of directors, professionals learn to lead and influence people, take risks, resolve conflicts, and practice creative decision-making. They gain extensive exposure to the arts industry, opportunities to network with other professionals across industries, and work in a visible role building a thriving, sustainable, and more equitable creative community.
The Arts Board Matching Class of 2020 includes:
Brooke Baird, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Brooke Baird is a commercial real estate and banking attorney at Bradley, where she provides counsel in real estate finance, acquisitions and dispositions, real estate development, and healthcare lending. Brooke is a native of Middle Tennessee, having grown up in the small town of Chapel Hill, Tennessee. Brooke received her bachelor’s degree in Law, Justice, and Society with emphasis in Conflict Management from Lipscomb University and her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law where she was the Managing Editor of the Tennessee Law Review. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, trying new restaurants, cooking, traveling, and reading.
Dawn Cornelius, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Dawn Cornelius is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Dawn sits at the helm shaping the Chamber’s branding initiatives, public relations and integrated marketing. Over the last 20 years, Dawn has worked across many industries with small to mid-sized and large cap businesses primarily in senior leadership roles or as a consultant leading business strategy, marketing, branding, social enterprise strategy, product development, nonprofit management and operations in addition to founding and scaling several companies.
Dawn is also in the early stage development of a venture which will change the future of how people find and develop human relationships for romance, work and roommates. At the center of this new venture is an AI-enabled technology using predictive analytics and machine learning. Dawn serves on the advisory board for a start-up, B-corp marketing agency based in Cape Town, South Africa, Mighty Ally, which arms underserved changemakers with strategy and marketing reinforcements.
Dawn recently completed an Executive MBA at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University where she focused her studies on global technology, mergers and acquisitions, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Peggy Dold, IBERIABANK
Senior Vice President and Director of Music & Entertainment for IBERIABANK’s Sports & Entertainment division, Dold is respected as a 20+ year music executive who has worked in both the Anglo and Hispanic music markets and has been based in NY, Miami, LA & Nashville.
Prior to joining IBERIABANK, Ms. Dold owned her own companies Navigation Partners Media PBC and Navigation Partners LLC, and held positions as Vice President, International for the Univision Music Group; Talent and Artist Relations Consultant for MTV Networks Latin America; Head of Artist Relations for Crescent Moon Records (a joint venture between Emilio Estefan and Sony Music International); and Vice President of Marketing , Island Independent Label Group where she oversaw U.S. domestic marketing for the Mango, 4th & B’way, Island Red Label, Gee Street Independent, Great Jones, and Smash label imprints.
Dold is a proud member of the CMA (Country Music Association), the Music Business Association, NARAS (the Grammy organization), LARAS (the Latin Grammy organization), AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists), META (Media, Entertainment and Technology Alliance), NATD (Nashville Association of Talent Directors), TONS (The Other Nashville Society), A2iM (The American Association of Independent Music), AIMP (Association of Independent Music Publishers) and the Florida Banking Association.
Jeff Fincher, Lipscomb University
Jeff Fincher is a native Nashvillian having graduated with a business degree from Lipscomb University in 1997, a MA in 2000, and a MDIV in 2005. President Steve Flatt appointed Jeff the first Director of Student Missions at Lipscomb in 2002 where he grew the program from 12 annual mission trips to 48. He was accepted into the Doctorate of Missiology program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA in 2006. In 2008, Jeff moved to Ensenada, Mexico serving as President and CEO at the City of Children. He returned to Lipscomb University in 2010 as the Development Director for the College of Arts and Sciences while creating and launching both the J.S. Ward Society and the Presidential Ambassador Council through the President’s office. Jeff currently serves as the Assistant Dean of the College of Entertainment and the Arts. Jeff and Natasha have three children, ages 8, 6 and 3.
Megan Fletcher, CM Group, Inc.
Megan Fletcher is a communications professional with experience in non-profits, education, healthcare, and technology. She is currently the Global Director of Internal Communications at CM Group, the parent company for Emma, an email marketing solution. In this role, she is responsible for building comprehensive communications strategy, aligning internal messaging across multiple leaders and products, and generating data-informed content for numerous mediums of communication. Before joining the team at CM Group, Megan worked at Sarah Cannon, HCA, and The Posse Foundation. Originally from the Midwest, Megan moved for graduate school and now calls Nashville home. She has a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University in Leadership and Organizational Performance, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Ohio).
Todd Hartley, Bridgestone Americas, Inc.
Todd Hartley is Senior Counsel for Marketing, Advertising, and Communication at Bridgestone Americas Inc. He supports all marketing communication, product marketing, digital marketing, corporate communication, lifestyle marketing, sports marketing, social media and related teams at Bridgestone. Todd leads a team responsible for clearing all marketing and advertising concepts and creative assets for Bridgestone across North America. Todd defends advertising, marketing, and related consumer protection actions brought by the Federal Trade Commission, National Advertising Division, Ad Standards Canada, state attorney generals, competitors, and consumer class actions. Todd also negotiates Bridgestone’s agreements with advertising agencies, influencers, sports and entertainment properties, and other related transactions. Prior to joining Bridgestone, Todd held similar inside counsel roles at Nissan North America, Inc. and Infiniti Motor Corp. and worked as outside counsel for Toyota, Nissan, Bridgestone, Kia, Hyundai, Kenworth, Paccar, and others in the automotive industry. He frequently speaks on marketing, advertising, and communication law related topics.
Carla Hawkins, Ingram Industries
Carla Hawkins has worked for Ingram Industries since 2014. Previously providing support to the Internal Audit group, Carla transitioned into the Risk Management group as a Claims Coordinator Assistant. Her responsibilities include coordinating and supporting initiatives relative to the evaluation, processing, and handling of insurance claims. She has been instrumental in maintaining successful relationships with providers. Carla is also on the Moves and Grooves board since 2017. Her role on the board is being a member of the Moves and Grooves Nominations committee. This is a vital part in the ever-evolving organization that is providing positive changes in the Nashville area. Carla is also passionate about family. As a mother of four (two girls and two boys) and a wife, Carla enjoys playing the piano, listening to music, traveling and family time.
Patrick Huston, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
Patrick Huston developed an appreciation for the arts early on during high school, taking as many classes in Art History and Humanities as the curriculum would allow, where he began to admire the creativity of artists such as Caleb Bingham, Caspar David Friedrich and Monet. A Pensacola, Florida, native, Patrick moved to Music City in 2019 after completing his legal studies at the University of Mississippi and Georgetown University. Patrick is currently a second-year associate at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC here in Nashville, where he counsels a wide range of clients in the areas of corporate and partnership tax law. During his free time, Patrick enjoys being outdoors as much as possible, playing golf and fishing, and now, spending time with the newest addition to his family, an Old English Sheepdog named Ellie.
Evan Kramer, Boston Consulting Group
Evan Kramer is a strategy consultant with 10 yrs experience in business and an artistic background that includes an undergraduate degree in music business from The Berklee College of Music. In his current role as a Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group, he has led consulting teams supporting Fortune 500 companies in topic areas ranging from long-term strategy development, cost optimization, organizational transformation, labor management, operational excellence, product pricing, asset management, and organization design. Prior to earning his MBA from the McCombs School of Business – University of Texas at Austin, Evan was an analyst at Accenture focused on change management for large IT transformations and prior to that, an Executive Committee Member for a $50m franchised entrepreneurship development company.
Vincent Lillegard, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
Vincent Lillegard is an attorney in the Commercial Group at the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims. He represents public and private companies, private equity sponsors, banks and other lenders in a variety of lending transactions, including credit facilities and high-yield debt offerings. His responsibilities include drafting and negotiating loan documents, drafting company disclosures, and managing diligence teams.
Vincent grew up in Murfreesboro and attended Middle Tennessee State University for undergrad. He was an AmeriCorps VISTA for a year in Mount Shasta, California, where he worked for a community resource center. Prior to working at Bass, Berry & Sims, he attended law school at New York University School of Law and worked at the New York City office of Kaye Scholer LLP (now known as Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP).
Krystelle Lorraine, General Motors
Krystelle Lorraine offers a unique perspective to brand marketing & consumer-interfacing sales; she has tremendous experience spanning diverse art forms: music, performance art, acting, makeup artistry, & dance. Krystelle has been working as an in-field marketer for over a decade & currently serves as a spokesperson & live presenter at auto shows for General Motors. Additionally, Krystelle acts as an American Sign Language (ASL) representative, ensuring GM’s presence at auto shows provide language accessibility for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing.
After earning an undergraduate degree in Acting, Krystelle was as a professional actress & member of Actors Equity Association. Years later, Krystelle also worked as a professional makeup artist in Los Angeles. Since arriving in “Music City”, Krystelle has been investing energy in an initiative to make music accessible for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. By incorporating ASL into her singing performances, Krystelle makes her music truly accessible to all. Whether producing fully-accessible music events, collaborating with professional ASL performance interpreters, or traveling to conventions around the country to present a sung-&-signed performance of the National Anthem, Krystelle is finding new ways to elevate music accessibility in Nashville (& beyond).
Erik Lund, Hastings Architecture
Erik Lund has been an architect with Hastings Architecture since 2002. He managed Hastings’ role in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and was also an early leader in Sustainable Design in Nashville. He has previously served on the boards of both the Middle TN and Northeast Ohio US Green Building Chapters. In Architecture, he specializes in cultural arts projects and has completed multiple museums and theater projects in Nashville and around the country. During a return to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio from 2008-2018, Erik led a Cultural Arts Studio and led project teams for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, and the Pittsburgh Playhouse. He also served on the Cleveland Heights Architectural Review Board. Since returning to Nashville and Hastings Architecture in 2018, Erik has been Project Leader for Hastings’ new Wellness Center at Montgomery Bell Academy, set to open later this year.
When he’s not at work, Erik and his wife can be found at TPAC, out enjoying the Art Crawl of Nashville’s Downtown galleries, and hiking the Warner Parks with their two dogs.
Leigh Malone, CM Group, Inc.
Leigh Malone, a Nashville native, leads the Global Corporate Sales Team at CM Group, a family of email marketing brands. Prior to joining CM Group in November, she lived in San Francisco working in several sales and sales management roles for Box, a leading cloud content and file-sharing provider. Leigh began her career in Technology Sales at Dell in Nashville, and later joined Nashville-based healthcare company, Qualifacts, as an Account Executive. Leigh graduated from the University of Alabama in 2009.
When she’s not working, you can find her enjoying Percy Warner park alongside her husband, Evan, and their sweet golden retriever, Dallin, or spending time with family and close friends. Leigh is thrilled to be a part of the ABM program this year and looks forward to the opportunity to be more involved in the community!
Erin Malone-Smolla, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Erin Malone-Smolla was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia. For college, Erin attended Duke University where she majored in Political Science and minored in both Art History and English. After college, Erin was a corps member for Teach for America where she taught Kindergarten through 4th grade Special Education in Nashville, Tennessee. After teaching for two years, Erin returned to Duke to attend law school. Following law school, Erin clerked for the Honorable Sherry R. Fallon in the United States District Court, District of Delaware. After her clerkship was over, Erin joined the Bankruptcy and Litigation Practice Groups at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Nashville. When not practicing law, Erin spends most of her free time watching and reading about recent independent film releases with her husband. If not watching a movie, Erin is most likely creating an itinerary for her next trip abroad.
Chase Manning, Dowdle Construction Group
Chase Manning is a Partner at Dowdle Construction Group where he brings a decades worth of construction experience to the company. Chase specializes in commercial construction projects of various types including: restaurants, retail, industrial, government, and park/recreational projects. He attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Construction Management with Sumna Cum Laude honors. A strong believer in helping others succeed has driven Chase to become a leader that is not afraid to assist the Project Managers with the company whenever help is needed. He brings this same drive to Moves and Grooves where he is helping to grow the organization to achieve new heights. Chase enjoys going to wineries, skiing, boating, and of course a good Netflix binge.
Janus Pan, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Janus Pan is an associate at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Janus’s legal practice focuses on assisting hospitals and other healthcare providers in transactional and regulatory matters. Janus is a member of the American Health Law Association and the Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care initiative. Janus graduated from UCLA School of Law and Northwestern University. Janus was born in Taiwan, but grew up in Texas and now resides in Nashville.
Chelsea Rucker, Tennessee Correct Connect
Chelsea Rucker is the founder of the non-profit Tennessee Correct Connect, which provides education and vital resources to single mothers, as well as a member of Google’s Datacenter Infrastructure Operations Team. As someone who previously experienced homelessness, she is proud to have nearly tripled her earning potential by completing the Google IT Support Professional certificate in 2019. As the founder of Tennessee Correct Connect, she’s successfully raised more than $45,000 in the last 60 days to support their non-profit mission and assisted 16 entrepreneurs in applying for and receiving more than $65,000 in funding since June 2020. Along with these accomplishments, she’s returned to partner with Grow with Google and Coursera to provide 5000 students with FREE access to Google Professional Certificate through the rest of 2020. In addition, her organization had provided laptops and learning support to 100 Metro Nashville Public School families transitioning into the remote learning environment. She is also the founder of CorrectConnect LLC which provides alternate career paths to the transportation industry.
Caroline Shirley, CM Group, Inc.
Caroline Shirley moved to Nashville four years ago from living in Sydney, Australia and is excited to be a part of Nashville’s creative community! She is a musician and has extensive experience in creative production and creative team management. She has also held many leadership positions in professional and volunteer capacities and is excited to use her skills to serve our creative community. Attending live shows was a common pastime pre-quarantine, as well as attending art exhibits, new restaurants, and local events. Caroline also loves baking, playing tennis, traveling, and eating snow cones in the summer!
Marci Solomon, Toyota Material Handling Midsouth
Marci Solomon is thrilled to join the Arts & Business Council’s Arts Board Matching Program. Marci was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama and graduated from Auburn University in 2012 with a degree in Public Relations. After moving to Nashville in 2013, she has worked in a variety of roles in higher education, manufacturing sales and is currently an Industrial Solutions Consultant for Toyota Material Handling. Marci is also an active member of the Junior League of Nashville and serves as a troop leader for the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee.
John Thalheimer, True Star Leadership
John Thalheimer is the Executive Director of True Star Leadership, whose focus is to assist organizations train and develop their managers into future leaders. His core belief is that every organization, every employee deserves excellent leadership. He has spoken around the country on leadership topics such as coaching employees, change management, emotional intelligence, and the best human resources practices for organizations.
Before his twenty fives years in senior management positions within the corporate world, John’s first passion was theater, where he worked as a stage manager, set and lighting designer, and production manager. John has a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, a bachelor’s degree in Communication, and is certified in change management, executive coaching, and social and emotional intelligence. He is currently writing a book titled The Manager’s Field Guide.
Farrah Usmani, Loeb & Loeb LLP
Farrah Usmani is an entertainment attorney whose practice focuses on business and intellectual property matters in the music industry. She is an expert in structuring and negotiating recording and publishing deals, as well as agreements for every facet of live music production. She also manages international trademark portfolios and advises her clients on licensing matters and infringement claims.
In 2020, Farrah was selected for Best Lawyers ‘Ones To Watch’ in Entertainment Law, and for Music Row Magazine’s “Next Big Thing” honors, which identifies industry leaders who “are on a trajectory of excellence to successfully lead the Nashville music industry into the future.”
Farrah graduated with a degree in public relations and media from the University of Texas. She attended the University of Houston Law Center, where she was an articles editor for the Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law and competed on the moot court team.
Anna Yoder, Hastings Architecture
Having grown up in Knoxville, TN, Anna is happy to be back working in her home state and looking forward to furthering her connection with Nashville’s arts. As an architectural and urban designer at Hastings, Anna uses integrative systems thinking to work toward elegant, holistic solutions to complex problems. Her diverse experience at Hastings includes commercial, residential, academic, and community projects. Anna’s skills are most utilized, however, on complex interdisciplinary projects, including Asurion’s new headquarters and the rezoning and master planning of River North Nashville.
Anna graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied Architecture, History, and Urban Design as a Danforth Scholar. Throughout her career, Anna has practiced at a variety of scales, including designing custom furniture pieces in California, boutique residences in New York City, and large scale master plans throughout the US. No matter the project on which she is working, Anna seeks to create designs that enhance and enrich lives and communities.