The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville proudly announces the selection of 14 business professionals for the fall cohort of Arts Board Matching. This is the second of two cohorts in 2021 — ABC added a Spring cohort for the first time earlier this year — making 2021 the most prolific of the program’s 10-year history.
“We are excited to work with this group of talented professionals who are eager to develop their leadership skills through board service in the arts,” said Executive Director Jill McMillan Palm. “We’re also appreciative of the leadership from the companies they represent for supporting them in this journey and for recognizing that a thriving creative sector benefits us all.”
The Fall 2021 cohort of Arts Board Matching is…
Lindsey Beetem
Belmont University
Lindsey Beetem is a fundraising professional who recently joined Belmont University’s Development and Alumni Relations team supporting the Jack C. Massey College of Business and Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. Prior to moving to Nashville, Lindsey spent over seven years on the development team at the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where she managed their individual giving program, created donor engagement events, and supervised the center’s volunteer donor council. Lindsey received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Visual Culture and the French Language from Denison University in Granville, Ohio. A lifelong arts advocate, she enjoys visiting galleries and museums, supporting local artists, and attending live performances.
Chase Breland
Sarah Cannon
Chase Breland is a Project Manager II for Sarah Cannon, who executes oncology programs within 4 markets in Texas. With more than 17 years of project management, finance, operations and client-facing experience, he has been working in healthcare since 2009.
He earned his Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from Middle Tennessee State University and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from Belmont University. He additionally has earned his Green Belt in Process Improvement.
He has a “servant heart” and spends his free time volunteering for various community organizations. He actively serves as a board member of Best Buddies TN and previously served on the Friends of the 2nd Harvest Food Bank Committee, PENCIL Foundation, Economics Club of Nashville and Nashville Junior Chamber of Commerce. Residing in Franklin, Chase and his wife, Kathleen have a 1 year old daughter..
Justine Chen
Vanderbilt University
Justine Chen was born and raised in Orange County, California, and earned a BA in Political Science from UCLA and an MSPH in International Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She lived abroad working in international relations before moving to Washington D.C. to work in public health for the FDA, US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of State, and USAID. Justine is now a Communications Strategist for Vanderbilt University, and brings with her a background in classical piano and flute, and has performed in the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Justine is a news junkie that loves enjoying the arts, rooting for her UCLA Bruins, exploring the world’s beaches and museums, traveling to new places, learning about different cultures, and discussing controversial social and political issues.
CJ Holiday
Gypsy’s Graveyard
CJ Holiday is a visual designer, marketing expert, and Nashville native with the speciality of mental health care. They are CEO of Gypsy’s Graveyard, a novel retail concept for sharing empathy.
Holiday holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management (Global Management in China) from Lipscomb University and a BS in Horticulture/Floral Management (double majoring in Marketing/Business Administration) from Mississippi State University.
Since 2013, Holiday’s role in Nashville’s arts & business lies at the intersection of grief, accessible design, and STEAM education. They champion neurodiversity, suicide prevention (AFSP), sobriety, disability rights, and building healthy spaces for Gender, Sexuality, and Relationship Minorities. Their passion is ending relational abuse (including in healthcare) and making data more accessible.
Previous design credits include: People Magazine, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Cheekwood’s Swan Ball, CMA Awards, Tournament of Roses Parade, Eve of Janus Ball, Nashville Design Week, and the Nashville Lawn & Garden Show. Affiliations include the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) and the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS).
They love glitter and rainbows, the color black, their cat Gracie, being VIP at concerts, traveling internationally, performing angsty songs and slam poetry, and aerial/Irish dance as a disabled/chronically ill artist.
Samantha Lacey
Ankura
Samantha Lacey was born and raised in Chicago, IL. She graduated from Vanderbilt University, and after moving back home to Chicago and later to Boston, she decided to return to Nashville for work. Today, Samantha works as a Senior Associate in Strategy & Performance at Ankura, ensuring her clients’ success through program management. When she is not working, she enjoys giving back to others, shopping, traveling, laughing, the arts, and spending time with people over a meal. She credits her faith in God, life’s obstacles, and support system for her success today. Her primary objective in life is to utilize all of her God-given talents to empower and educate.
Toya Malbrough
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Toya earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Pan African Studies from the University of Louisville. After graduating she worked in the nonprofit sector for seven years. Toya shifted gears in 2004 finding herself entering corporate America during which time she earned her MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2007. She remained in the public sector for another six years before deciding that her real passion was serving the community. In 2010, Toya enrolled into a Counseling Psychology graduate program at Trevecca Nazarene University graduating in 2013. Since then, she has continued to serve her community as a helping professional.
Toya is currently employed with Metro Nashville Public Schools as a District Restorative Practices Specialist. In this role, she oversees Tier I of the district’s multi-tiered system of behavioral support.
Toya is also a community activist. She was recognized as one of the most influential women in Sumner County by the Tennessean this year. This honor came by way of the work she does under Black Suburban Moms of Sumner County (BSMSC), a nonprofit organization she founded in 2016. Toya is the wife of John and the mother of Juliana and Sparky Blue (their one-year-old goldendoodle).
Alyssa Miller
Nestlé Purina PetCare
Alyssa is celebrating 10 years with Nestle Purina Petcare Company, specializing in Sales & Market Development; she has dedicated her time and expertise to the Consumer-Packaged Goods Industry and is excited to now bring her business acumen to the nonprofit sector. The consistent theme across her career has been to purposefully challenge herself through new responsibilities and experiences. This pursuit continues to broaden & enrich her network, explore her innate curiosity and cultivate her desire to have a meaningful impact. Her personal mantra is to always bring an authentic passion to everything she does. She has an acute interest in the culinary arts, so much so, she will receive her Culinary de Cuisine degree in September 2021 after studying and apprenticing, part-time, under top chefs in Nashville. She enthusiastically welcomes the opportunity to join the Arts Matching Program, learn how to be a meaningful board member & truly bring value to the Nashville Arts community.
Jennifer Purdom
Asurion
Dr. Jennifer Purdom serves in the Leadership Development space at Asurion, a tech company headquartered in Nashville and one of the area’s largest employers. She has master’s in IO Psychology, a doctorate in Leadership & Professional Practice, and nearly 15 years of experience in Leadership Development and Learning & Development. She takes full advantage of the many offerings in the arts community in Nashville and is honored to serve and give back as part of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville.
Andrew Reid
LBMC Investment Advisor
Originally from Baltimore, MD, Andrew Reid attended university at Sewanee: The University of the South and majored in American Studies. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Andrew spent half a year at Lincoln College at Oxford University (UK) studying the development of Western art across Europe, which laid the foundation for his continued interest in the arts. After graduating in 2012, Andrew moved to Nashville and launched a career in finance at LBMC Investment Advisors, where he began as an investment analyst. Through years of hard work, he eventually became an investment advisor and portfolio manager and then was made partner in 2019.
As a highly creative individual working in a not-so-creative industry, the arts have always provided Andrew with a doorway into a world beyond numbers. Along with his longtime passion for the arts, it is Andrew’s hope that he can use his industry expertise to deliver value to an organization in need and ultimately to the community it serves.
Crystal Roberts
Elliott Davis
Crystal is a senior associate at Elliott Davis and provides IT audit services to customers in a variety of industries, including financial institutions and manufacturing and distribution entities. She performs audits of Information Technology General Controls (ITGCs) and business processes in support of financial statement audits, IT internal audit support for SOX compliance, Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) engagements, HIPAA Risk Assessments, and fieldwork supporting procedures of cybersecurity engagements, including vulnerability scans and social engineering testing. Crystal is an active member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Patricia Hart Society, and the Tennessee Achieves mentoring program.
Sandy Rochelle
Freelance Photojournalist
Raised in a military family, Sandy Rochelle lived around the world which influenced her to become a Photojournalist. She fell in love with documenting life. After graduating with a degree in Photojournalism, Sandy worked at several newspapers in NC and taught photojournalism/photography to inner-city youth and in private schools. In 2007, she moved to Nashville where she switched careers after being a wedding photographer. For the next ten years, she was a luxury hotel manager. COVID-19 pushed her to go back to her roots and freelance full time. She loves the desert, her poodle Cornell, Benh, her husband, and h3er daughter who lives in Los Angeles. Living in Okinawa for five years made the most impact on her life. Currently, she is working on a photo project called, “Two Hours,” documenting life in one place for two hours.
Kayla Rodd
Paradym Studio
With a background in interior design and a passion for the arts, Kayla has built her career on reimagining the client experience through the built environment. She has cultivated relationships across major markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Miami and Toronto. In the past 15 years, Kayla has emerged as a leader among her peers. Her strength in business development and client relations has generated business for Fortune 100 companies and created long-lasting ties across North America. She is always up for an adventure and enjoys spending time with her family and new puppy, Ralphie Pickles.
Shane Stevens
Nashville Soccer Club
Shane Martinez Stevens, Manager of Corporate Partnerships with Nashville Soccer Club, is honored to participate in the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville Matching Program. Professionally and personally, all things related to “the Arts” resonate with Shane, a former dancer, choreographer, theater lover, pageant queen, and professional cheerleader. A former Lipscomb University attendant with 16 years of professional sports experience, Shane believes unleashing creativity and supporting others is what has sparked continued success in the sports industry, one certainly not for the timid! Married to Joe and mother to two artists, Sierra and Brady, Shane enjoys reveling in the works they produce and is eager to similarly lift others so they can “let their light shine”! And all this in the city she loves!
Courtney Stone
Waller
Courtney Stone is an attorney at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP, where she is a member of the firm’s Finance and Restructuring Group. Courtney’s practice focuses on assisting debtors, lenders, and other parties in interest in complex chapter 11 bankruptcies, distressed asset sales, and out-of-court workouts. Courtney is a graduate of the University of Chicago, where she obtained a B.A. in Art History with an emphasis in criticism and critical theory, and Harvard Law School, where she earned her J.D. in 2014. Prior to entering the practice of law, Courtney held various positions in the art world including roles in contemporary art galleries in Chicago and New York City and a fellowship at the Art Institute of Chicago. In her free time, Courtney enjoys riding her motorcycle, oil painting, and tending to her growing dahlia collection.