The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville (ABC) proudly announces the selection of 16 business professionals for the fall cohort of Arts Board Matching. This is the second of two cohorts in 2022, continuing ABC’s efforts to expand the reach of this instrumental program that prepares business professionals for nonprofit board service and matches them with Nashville-based arts organizations.
“As our city grows, it is increasingly essential that arts organizations build strong infrastructure and broad networks for long term success and sustainability,” said Jill McMillan Palm, Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council. “We’re delighted that the business community so deeply supports this program, and individuals seek to lend their expertise and resources as future nonprofit board members to champion the vital work of these arts organizations.”
The Fall 2022 cohort of Arts Board Matching is…
Kelly Aratoon
The Falling Agency
Kelly Aratoon is the founder of the Falling Agency, a boutique consultancy that helps large size entrepreneurs scale their businesses with digital marketing. Kelly leads with compassion and spends her free time in community involvement. She graduated from the Young Leaders Council and recently completed her tenure on the Nashville Public Library Foundation board. She is an avid consumer of tea and volunteers with the World Tea Foundation to further the mission of tea education in the states. Originally from Washington DC, today you’ll see her in Franklin walking her Goldendoodle, Fall, with a mug of English breakfast in hand or cheering on her Georgia Bulldogs Saturdays this fall.
Tatum Cornelius
Rain
Whether through the for-profit or non-profit lens, Tatum Cornelius has sought to work at and alongside institutions that are purposeful about bettering the world around them. She is currently the Revenue Operations Manager at Rain Technologies. As such she daily works with various departments to keep all revenue-generating work aligned with current targets to ensure we are all working to empower employees across the world with access to their earned wages in order to keep them out of the pockets of predatory institutions. Before that, she held roles at start-ups and nonprofits that worked directly with leaders to understand their visions and enable day-to-day execution of the steps needed to get there. Outside of work, Tatum is very involved in the local community as the VP of Development on the board of the Nashville Junior Chamber of Commerce. She also enjoys local art classes, trying the latest restaurants in town, and traveling with her husband and dog every chance they get.
Jess Dancer
Centric Architecture
A native Midwesterner, Jess Dancer is a recent transplant to the Nashville area. An internship in college introduced her to the city, where she fell in love with the culture and people. After earning her bachelor’s degree at the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s in Architecture at Clemson University, she spent a few years working in Baltimore, primarily focusing on K-12 education, before moving back to Nashville.
Since relocating, Jess works as an architect at Centric Architecture, designing projects that range between education, multifamily, and mixed-use developments. She also serves as a co-chair on the Informal Learning Subcommittee of the American Institute of Architect’s Committee on Architecture for Education.
When she’s not busy designing buildings, she enjoys hiking and traveling and has a bucket list to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks.
Hannah Dewing
G7 Entertainment Marketing
Hannah Dewing finds joy in fostering community through shared experiences and is passionate about people and their stories. She currently works at G7 Entertainment Marketing as a Digital Specialist to help clients implement fresh and compelling digital strategy to connect with their audiences.
A 2019 graduate of Washington and Lee University, Hannah earned a Bachelor of Arts in both Strategic Communication and Theatre in addition to a minor in Film and Visual Culture. Hannah is a proud member of the Nashville Junior Chamber, where she currently serves on the board as Member Engagement Chair. She resides in Sylvan Heights with her Australian Shepherd Ham Biscuit and considers herself an avid arts patron and staunch Waffle House enthusiast.
Jessica Driver
Ingram Content Group
Jessica Driver is a native of Nashville, TN, with over twelve years of experience in the music industry and six years in the book publishing industry with extensive expertise in project management, content creation, and relationship-building. She takes great pride in her work and seeks to uplift others through leadership and mentorship. She earned an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and enjoys giving back to her community through service projects. She currently works in the book publishing industry at Ingram Content Group, where her passion for marketing and working with creatives continues to thrive while helping content reach its destination.
Stephanie Eatherly
SE Design Corp / Nashville Industry Fund
Stephanie Eatherly is the Founder of the Nashville Industry Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering first-time homebuyers employed in the Nashville service, creative, and music industries. She serves on the Board as well as the Marketing and Education committees.
Born and raised in Nashville, TN, she received her BA in Organizational Communication with a focus on non-profits from Middle Tennessee State University and MA in International Studies with a focus on global health, food, and housing security from the University of San Francisco. A former musician and creative by trade, she currently holds a real estate license with EXIT Realty Experts and owns SE Design + Studio, a thriving interior and graphic design agency.
After entering the field of real estate in 2017, she began to observe the plight of friends, clients, and those in the entertainment and service industries. Many of them were first-time home buyers attempting to compete with the ever-growing housing demand in Nashville. She and her fellow colleagues came up with a plan: to help fund those who make Nashville, Nashville to purchase their first homes. The organization offers educational courses and financial assistance to achieve realized goals.
Nathan Grant
Barksdale Investment Management
Nathan Grant is a Senior Portfolio Manager at Barksdale Investment Management. He currently manages fixed income portfolios for a wide range of institutions, including corporations, non-profits, pension plans and insurance companies and has over 25 years of buy-side experience.
Originally from the Chicago area, Nathan attended Cornell University and has lived in New York, London and New Orleans before moving to Nashville in 2021. Nathan is currently a board member at LayeRhythm Productions, Inc, and is a past President of the Board of the CFA Society of Louisiana and the New Orleans Film Society.
Lara Hughes
Nolin Consulting
Raised in a military family, Lara Hughes spent her childhood in Germany and developed an early passion for the arts. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emerson College, then worked for over a decade as a professional actor in New York and Los Angeles performing in off-Broadway and regional theater, films, and television. During this time, she also honed behind-the-scenes business skills in the roles of co-producer and literary development associate. As an advocate of nonprofits and their crucial contributions, she worked with the Screen Actors Guild Foundation to foster a joy of literacy in elementary schools and pediatric units, and as a member of Network 20/20, an organization promoting transnational diplomacy.
After moving to Nashville for further education, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in fiction and a Master of Liberal Arts & Sciences from Vanderbilt University where she also served as undergraduate instructor in creative writing, film festival adjudicator, and Nonfiction Editor for the Nashville Review. Lara leverages her multifaceted skills as a creative consultant where she currently works with clients in the museum field. She is eager to learn how to serve as an impactful board member within Nashville’s thriving arts community.
Laura Rabell
Rabell Creative
Laura is an experienced digital marketing consultant at Rabell Creative, a singer/songwriter, and a breast cancer survivor.
Since earning her Google Partner certification in 2014, she has specialized in designing WordPress websites and helping nonprofits amplify their mission and do more good with the Google Ad Grant. As an industry leader, Laura has been invited to speak at conferences such as WordCamp Boston and WordCamp Raleigh on topics related to running a successful web design agency.
Staying active in the community, Laura was one of the American Cancer Society’s official Faces of Hope for the 2020 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Nashville. She was also recognized by the Invest In Others Charitable Foundation for her tenure co-chairing the MS Society’s Great Gatsby Gala and invited to ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange.
After growing up in Pensacola, FL, graduating from the University of West Florida with a degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities, and working in Charlotte, NC, for more than ten years, she now resides in Nashville and nurtures a lifelong love of music by writing songs, singing and playing the guitar in her spare time.
Steven Rhodes
Affinity Partners
Steven Rhodes is an entrepreneur and investor focused on healthcare and technology. He previously founded Fertility Alliance, a supply chain optimization network focused on reducing the cost of IVF drugs. He currently invests, operates, and advises companies at Affinity Partners. Steven attended the University of Alabama where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Steven grew up in Northport, Alabama and has lived in Nashville with his wife, Caroline, since 2010. He enjoys spending time with family, cooking, traveling, and playing golf.
Stephanie Richardson
Nashville African American Wind Symphony
Stephanie Richardson is a U.S. Air Force veteran with ten years of experience in the Federal service field of airfield operations and government contracting. Stephanie earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee State University in 2009 and then received a Master of Business Administration from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2020.
Mrs. Richardson has a vested interest in music. The 11-year clarinet player volunteers as Director of Communications for the Nashville African American Wind Symphony and served as a communications consultant for Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands. She has also provided sponsorships to high school students to attend the Aristocrat of Bands Edward L. Graves Summer Band Camp.
Her leadership style focuses on long-range, strategic communication plans, media literacy, digital literacy, and solutions to team communication failures. Currently, she is Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing at Meharry Medical College and a member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, Public Relations Society of America Nashville, and Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority.
Tristen Seagondollar
Patients Rights Action Fund
Tristen Seagondollar studied Art History at Arizona State University and Nonprofit Leadership at Notre Dame. After graduating she spent time as a missionary in Haiti where she was humbled by the hard work and passion of the people despite their many challenges. She was inspired to continue a career in nonprofit work and she has done so for 15 years.
Tristen is a fundraising professional having worked for a number of causes including Habitat For Humanity, Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, and a home for homeless pregnant women in Southern California. She brings her passion and heart for human dignity to the mission of the Patients Rights Action Fund, a nonprofit working nationally to protect the rights of patients, as their Director of Development. Tristen and her bulldog, Bosco, are Nashville residents and regulars at their local park.
Blair Simpson
EXIT Realty Experts / Nashville Industry Fund
Blair Simpson is a Board member of the Nashville Industry Fund, a nonprofit that assists Nashville creatives in purchasing their first home through down-payment assistance and education.
She is a licensed Realtor & member of EMTAR and holds a bachelor’s degree in Middle School Education and a master’s in Reading Education from Thomas University. Blair is originally from Thomasville, Georgia where she and her husband raised their daughter and two sons. She and her husband owned a martial arts school and several restaurants including Church’s Chicken and International House of Pancakes. Prior to owning her own businesses, Blair worked with a well-established land development company that managed rentals and developed both residential subdivisions and commercial properties. This experience planted a seed that has grown into a deep-seated desire to help others find their dream home through the real estate business.
Over the years she has been an active volunteer with multiple organizations including the American Red Cross, CASA, Habitat for Humanity, her church and the Patriot Guard and has assisted in many fundraisers for local organizations.
Darby Turman
Elliott Davis
Darby Turman is a Certified Public Accountant in Tennessee and an Audit Senior at Elliott Davis, a full service accounting firm based in the southeast. Darby holds a bachelor’s and master’s of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi. Originally from Memphis, Darby moved to Nashville in 2018 to start his career at Elliott Davis. He provides accounting and assurance services across an assortment of industries.
He focuses his services in the manufacturing and distribution, private equity, and employee benefit plan sectors. His experience includes external audits, reviews, assisting with mergers and acquisitions, and financial statement preparation. In his free time, Darby enjoys traveling, concerts, and driving cars.
Shamille Wharton
PARKS Broadwest
Shamille Wharton is a Nashville native with deeply rooted ties to the community at large. Her professional resume encompasses diverse interests and passion projects. Her work began in the nonprofit sector where she served as the youngest appointed Regional Program Director for the National Conference for Community & Justice. She has since served as a private chef, food blogger, musician’s advocate, and marketing expert. Today, Shamille continues serving the community through her work as a real estate broker and interior designer – turning houses into homes at every pass.
Shamille’s commitment to giving back has been a constant throughout her career. She has served on boards for both Nashville CARES and Women Rock for the Cure. She has consistently supported a host of area nonprofits focused on fashion, food, art, housing, health and entrepreneurship. A few favorites over the years being Thistle Farms, Habitat for Humanity, the Frist Foundation, and the Nashville Blanket Project. She currently resides in Sylvan Park with her two pups.
Elizabeth Wolfe
NASBA
Elizabeth Wolfe, Esq. is counsel of regulatory affairs at NASBA. Her practice areas focus on regulatory law and legislative policy as it pertains to the accounting profession. In addition to her regulatory law practice, Ms. Wolfe oversees the efforts of the ADA Team as it pertains to Testing Accommodations for the CPA Exam. Prior to joining NASBA, Ms. Wolfe was assistant general counsel at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance in the Regulatory Boards Division. There, she provided legal advice regarding state licensure, Federal Antitrust law, the Tennessee Open Records Act, and the Tennessee Open Meetings Act.
Ms. Wolfe graduated cum laude from the University of Tennessee where she double majored in art history and political science. She attended law school at Belmont University College of Law where she served as vice president of the Student Bar Association. She is an active member of the Nashville Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Division, and the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Division. Ms. Wolfe volunteers her time with the Belmont Law Inn of Court where she mentors first year law students and with the Nashville chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Ms. Wolfe was named one of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2018 for her professional achievements and community involvement.