Murfreesboro, TN – Leadership Middle Tennessee (LMT) has selected 37 leaders from the region’s community, nonprofit, academic and business sectors to participate in the 2016 Class of Leadership Middle Tennessee.
Class members were selected from 10 counties: Cheatham County, Davidson County, Dickson County, Maury County, Montgomery County, Robertson County, Rutherford County, Sumner County, Williamson County and Wilson County.
These class members, and their respective counties, are:
Cheatham County
Stacy Pennington, community outreach director, AARP; Dr. Tara Watson, chief academic officer, Cheatham County School District.
Davidson County
Fabian Bedne, Metro Council member, Metropolitan Government of Nashville; Dr. Katherine Y. Brown, president/CEO, Roberta Baines Wheeler Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Group; Mark Cleveland, owner/CEO, Hobby Express; Maura Cunningham, founder/executive director, Rock the Street, Wall Street; Laura Moore, vice president of policy, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce; Keith Simmons, vice chair, Cumberland Region Tomorrow; Doug Small, owner/CEO, Blue Dog Merch; Patricia M. Smith, director of public affairs, Tennessee Housing Development Agency; Blaine Strock, executive vice president/Middle Tennessee Market president, Bank of Tennessee; Donna Yurdin, president, Credo Management Consulting.
Dickson County
Heath Larkin, financial advisor, Ameriprise Financial Services Inc.; Dr. Arrita Summers, director, Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Dickson.
Maury County
Doug Burgess, director of power operations, Columbia Power and Water Systems; Wil Evans, president, Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance; Chaz Molder, attorney, Mounger & Molder PLLC.
Montgomery County
Kay Drew, head of school, Clarksville Academy; Keith Lampkin, director of the Office of Housing & Community Development, City of Clarksville; Jeff Truitt, chief of staff, Montgomery County Government; Joel Wallace, partner, Cunningham, Mitchell & Rocconi.
Robertson County
Scott Giles, owner/principal broker, RE/MAX 1st Choice; Kathy Raglin, executive director, YMCA of Middle Tennessee.
Rutherford County
Anne Davis, director, Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation; Veronica Terrell, senior management of engagements, Deloitte; Carolyn Tumbleson, director of development, Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University.
Sumner County
Kee Bryant-McCormick, attorney, Bone, McAllester, Norton; Leisa Byars, owner, The Goddard School; Daisy Casey, president, Sumner County banking division of First Tennessee Bank; Dewayne Scott, president/CEO, SRS Inc.
Williamson County
Matthew Bourlakas, president/CEO, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee; Galen Hull, consultant, Hull International; Justin Lowe, principal/owner, Centric Architecture Inc.; Tara Myers, senior design manager/risk manager, Earl Swensson Associates Inc.; Michael Williams, senior vice president/relationship manager, Renasant Bank.
Wilson County
Paine Bone, owner, Wilson County Hyundai; John Lancaster, president/CEO, First Freedom Bank.
Leadership Middle Tennessee is a regional leadership institute that takes citizen leaders through a 10-month curriculum to study Middle Tennessee’s various issues, including those of economics, society, culture, education and lifestyle. The monthly day-and-a-half sessions are designed to give participants a greater understanding of the critical issues and key players throughout the region, motivating them to use their skills to become more regionally engaged.
“The application and selection process for these 37 class slots is highly competitive,” commented Deborah Varallo, chair of the LMT board of directors and president of Varallo Public Relations. “These classmates will be exposed to unique experiences and networking opportunities that will sharpen their leadership skills in all facets of their professional and civic lives. Also, many of the friendships that will be made in the coming months by these Class of 2016 participants will last a lifetime!”
Leadership Middle Tennessee operates through the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University. Patti James is the executive director. Visit www.leadmt.org for more information.
