Elizabeth Anne Bowden has joined the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison, PLLC.

Bowden

She is an attorney in the Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy Service Group. Her practice focuses on commercial transactions, litigation, banking, and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights.

Bowden’s practice experience includes jury trials, bench trials, oral argument and motion practice spanning both criminal and civil matters in federal, bankruptcy and state courts.

Previously, Bowden was an attorney at a Knoxville law firm. She earned her J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Tibbs picked as Moody Nolan director

Brian Tibbs has been appointed director of Moody Nolan’s Nashville office.

Tibbs, a registered architect who joined the firm in 1997, most recently served as the Nashville office managing partner. He succeeds Bea Thompson, who is retiring after 24 years with the firm.

Tibbs has been instrumental in many of the city’s major architectural projects. He was the project manager for the Music City Center and has provided leadership for other notable projects such as the Hadley Park Community Center, the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, The Cal Turner Family Center at Meharry Medical College and Cravath Hall at Fisk University.

In addition to his responsibilities for the Nashville office, Tibbs was named to lead the firm’s New York City office when it opened in early 2017 to assist with the $1.5 billion expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. He also leads the Moody Nolan team on the Boston Omni Hotel project, a new convention center hotel expected to open in 2020.

Additionally, he serves on Nashville’s mayor-appointed Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Metropolitan Historical Commission, where his passion for architectural and historic preservation can be clearly seen.

Killer Nashville founder named to watch list

Two publishing industry executives with Nashville ties are among 50 North Americans being recognized by Publishers Weekly in its fifth annual PW Star Watch list for 2019.

Author/filmmaker Clay Stafford of Franklin, founder of the Killer Nashville writers conference, and JKS Communications president Marissa DeCuir were chosen by a jury composed of editors and managers from Publishers Weekly, Frankfurter Buchmesse, and the American Booksellers Association as “innovators and motivators within the publishing and bookselling communities,” according to Jim Milliot, editorial director of Publishers Weekly and PW Star Watch 2019 juror.

Stafford

The U.S. and Canadian list of honorees will be pared to a Top 5 who will be profiled in the Sept. 2 issue of PW, and a “superstar” will be named at a Sept. 18 event in New York, with the winner receiving a trip to the Oct. 16-20 Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.

DeCuir

“I was completely shocked, as a matter of fact,” says Stafford, who will host the 14th annual Killer Nashville conference on Aug. 22-25 at the Cool Springs Embassy Suites.

“Someone sent me an email and said ‘congratulations’ on it, and I sat there for a second going ‘I don’t know what they’re talking about.’ So I emailed her back and she said, ‘Oh, my gosh, I get to spill the beans.’ And so that’s how I found out about it, and it was a complete surprise to me. I was really thankful to all the judges and stuff who put me in the top 50 for North America.”

DeCuir is a former journalist who has edited and written for The Tennessean, USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. At JKS, primarily a literary publicity firm, she oversees all aspects of the firm’s cover-to-cover reputation for media and book tours, video development, social networking, and other promotional aspects.

Reliant Bank Gallatin welcomes Crowder

Rachel Crowder was recently named assistant vice president and branch manager of Reliant Bank’s Gallatin location on Nashville Pike.

In Crowder’s new role, she will focus on managing daily operations, portfolio growth and product sales.

Crowder has 13 years of banking experience, with an extensive focus in management and portfolio growth. Prior to joining Reliant, she served as In-Store Hub manager, In-Store lead manager and In-Store branch manager at U.S. Bank.

Crowder is a member of Leadership Goodlettsville and spends time working with the Nashville Food Bank and volunteering for events at inner city schools.

Kroger appoints Hostetler as Nashville president

Hostetler

Sonya Hostetler has been named president of the Kroger Company’s Nashville division.

She succeeds Zane Day, who previously announced his plans to retire from the company after nearly 45 years of service.

Hostetler spent the previous 30 years with Walmart Inc., where she began as an hourly associate and went on to hold key leadership positions in retail, asset protection, human resources and operations. Most recently, Hostetler served as vice president, regional general manager based in Dallas. In this role, Hostetler led 13 markets, 122 stores and 45,000 associates. She has also served as an influential leader during her tenured career in the positions of corporate vice president of asset protection and safety; vice president, regional general manager based in Bentonville, Arkansas; senior director, divisional loss prevention; senior people director, health and wellness human resources; and store manager.

Kroger’s Nashville division includes 91 stores across Middle and East Tennessee, North Alabama and Southern Kentucky.

Brunett joins Wilson Bank & Trust

Dane Brunett has joined Wilson Bank & Trust as manager of the West End office

Brunett has worked in the financial services industry for the past five years, most recently as a vice president at First South Financial Credit Union.

He attended Brentwood High School, and earned a degree in finance from the University of Tennessee. In the community, Brunett serves as a board member at PENCIL Emerging Leaders and as an intern with Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center Ambassadors.

Downey

Prior to Brunett’s hiring, vice president and previous office manager Doug Gold moved into a new role to focus full time on lending and business development in the Davidson market.

Southern Land promotes Downey to SVP

Southern Land Company has named Dustin Downey as senior vice president, residential development.

South Land is a national real estate developer of mixed-use developments and master planned communities.

Downey’s role has been expanded to lead site acquisitions and new project launches to drive the company’s exceptional construction and development capabilities. The role is integral to strategic plans to enter new markets and continue successful growth across the United States. It is highly beneficial to leverage Downey’s strong construction management and development experience with the real estate acquisitions process to streamline the selection, planning and purchasing cycle. He will maintain responsibility for managing the company’s northeast office.

Downey has been with Southern Land Company for 14 years, where he has served in the construction division. He has worked with the single-family residential development at the company’s award-winning Westhaven and Tucker Hills communities in Franklin and McKinney, Texas.

Later, he moved into commercial construction and development, serving in management roles on pivotal projects, including the award-winning Elliston Place mixed-use development in Nashville.

He helped deliver the retail, apartment and commercial office phases of the record-setting McEwen project in Franklin, and in 2013 Downey opened the New York City Office as senior vice president, multifamily development, focusing on expansion into the Northeast.

Downey graduated from Vanderbilt University with degrees in civil engineering and economics.

Ashe joins TN STEM Innovation Network

Becky Ashe has been named manager of professional learning for the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network.

Ashe

The new position was created to expand STEM learning opportunities for Tennessee educators.

Previously, Ashe was founding principal of nationally ranked L&N STEM Academy in Knoxville. She will manage the Network’s Professional Learning Series in which she will facilitate professional development sessions for Tennessee schools and districts around key STEM topics. Ashe will also lead the Network’s Innovative Leaders Institute, a year-long cohort of school-level leaders focused on infusing STEM leadership strategies, and she will provide technical support and expertise for other Network programming.

Ashe began her career in education as a biology and chemistry teacher at West High School in Knoxville, where she spent time as a teacher researcher in Haleakala National Park on Maui, Hawaii, doing avian mark and recapture studies and aboard a NOAA research vessel in Prince William Sound.

Wanting to create the same immersive experiences for other learners, she left the classroom to serve as the system Science Supervisor and Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Knox County Schools. In 2011, Ashe founded L&N STEM Academy, the first school focused on STEM disciplines in Knox County.

Averitt honors Nashville-area associate Krome

Averitt Express recently celebrated associate Richard Krome of Murfreesboro for 20 years of service.

Krome is a driver for Averitt’s Mercedes account and is now among the more than 1,100 active Averitt associates who are members of the company’s “Over 20 Team,” an exclusive group of associates who have served 20 or more years with Averitt.

FBMM announces 4 senior promotions

FBMM, a business and financial management firm, has promoted Nicole Bean, Alicia Erickson, Marcella Migneco and Adriana Navarrete to senior account assistants.

Bean joined FBMM in 2017. Prior to joining FBMM, she worked as an operations manager at Children’s Clinic East, and a house supervisor at Village Behavioral Health. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from King University in 2016.

Erickson became part of the FBMM team in 2017. Previously, she worked as a marketing intern for Word Entertainment and as an events intern for Bach Weekend, where she helped organize events for over 100 people visiting Nashville.

She graduated from Belmont University in 2017 with a degree in entrepreneurship and music business.

Migneco began working at FBMM in 2017. Before joining FBMM, she interned for Project Daybreak Artist Management, where she learned all aspects of a boutique artist management company. She graduated from Belmont University in 2016 with a degree in music business.

Navarrete joined FBMM in 2017. Previously, she worked as an accountant at Chrysafi & Associates Accounting & Tax Preparation.