Quincy Byrdsong, a veteran health care and higher education leader, has been appointed vice provost for health affairs at Lipscomb University.

For more than 25 years, Byrdsong has served in various leadership roles at health systems and medical schools and universities across the country. In his new role at Lipscomb, Byrdsong will oversee the university’s health science programs, provide vision for the institution’s growth in these areas and engage more collaboratively with other health care entities in the community, Bledsoe said. He begins his post Oct. 1.

A Nashville native, Byrdsong is associate vice president for research and administration at the WellStar Research Institute and WellStar Health System in Atlanta. He also has served as vice president for academic planning and strategic initiatives at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia; vice president for clinical research administration and compliance and director of clinical trials at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System; associate vice president for health sciences, strategic initiatives and engagement and associate vice president for health sciences, academic and research affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University; chief of staff and vice president for academic administration at Morehouse School of Medicine; administrative program director for clinical and translational research - School of Medicine and administrative director of the RCMI Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative at Meharry Medical College, and research services consultant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Byrdsong began his career as a biology and chemistry teacher at Page High School in Franklin. He is a graduate of Nashville’s Hume Fogg High School and holds an Ed.D. from Tennessee State University, a master’s degree in teaching from Middle Tennessee State University and a bachelor’ degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

Hands On Nashville names Strobel Award recipients

Middle Tennesseans are being honored for their volunteerism with Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards, presented annually for 34 years.

The annual event recognizes volunteers for their outstanding contributions to the community, and celebrates the life of Mary Catherine Strobel, a Nashvillian who had an outstanding dedication to service.

Community members submitted 165 nominations for the 2020 Strobel Volunteer Awards.

Award recipients are:

• Sherri Mitchell-Snider – Capacity-building Volunteer Award

• Chicktime – Civic Volunteer Group Award

• Creative Artists Agency Nashville – Corporate Volunteerism Award

• Emily Phan – Direct Service Volunteer Award (Ages 5 to 20)

• Adam Crookston – Direct Service Volunteer Award (Ages 21 to 49)

• Claudia Prange – Direct Service Volunteer Award (Ages 50-plus)

OneOncology appoints senior executives

OneOncology, the national partnership of independent oncology practices, has added two new senior health care executives to its leadership team with the appointment of Janice Baker as chief human resources officer and Jon Billington as chief financial officer.

Baker, chief human resources officer, directs OneOncology’s human resources strategy in support of the company’s business goals. Baker was the senior vice president of human resources at Envision Healthcare since 2019 and served in human resources roles at Envision since 2011.

Previously, she was the human resources director for Accuray, a radiation surgery medical device company.

Billington oversees all aspects of OneOncology’s finance department. Most recently, he was the CFO for US Acute Care Solutions, a physician-owned provider of integrated acute care services. Previously, he served as senior vice president-Americas CFO and global chief accounting officer for a large technology solutions provider to the wireless industry. He also served many years as a partner at two accounting firms, Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen.

TMA promotes 3 on legislative team

The Tennessee Medical Association has promoted three members of its team tasked with advocating for physicians and patients in the state.

Julie Griffin, now vice president of government affairs, is the first female vice president for the organization. During her 16-year tenure, Griffin has spearheaded the most important legislative battles on behalf of Tennessee physicians. Her groundwork and strategy were instrumental in passage of the “Tennessee Civil Justice Act of 2011,” also known as medical malpractice tort reform, which capped non-economic damages in medical malpractice claims.

Griffin also manages the political action committee known, IMPACT. She previously worked for the late U.S. Congressman Jimmy Quillen and for Governor Don Sundquist.

Ben Simpson is now director of government affairs and assistant general counsel. Simpson led TMA’s efforts to address the opioid epidemic without tying physicians’ hands when properly prescribing treatment for patients. Simpson also spearheads TMA’s COVID pandemic response with legislators and Gov. Bill Lee.

Simpson joined TMA in 2016 as assistant director of government affairs after 10 years of public service with the Tennessee Legislature and serving as a Department of Health legislative liaison for Gov. Bill Haslam. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the Nashville School of Law, is a member of the Tennessee Bar and Nashville Bar, and serves as a board member of Tennessee Firearm Training and Safety Resources.

Rebecca Lofty Woods is now assistant director of government affairs. The registered lobbyist, has during her seven years significantly grown TMA’s annual Day on the Hill and Legislative Doctor of the Day program.

She coordinates the Tennessee General Assembly Doctors’ Caucus, oversees the Collaborative Care Coalition comprised of a dozen state physician organizations, and serves on the board of the Tennessee Lobbyist Association.

MTSU’s Turnham wins 2020 ATHENA Award

Diane Turnham, MTSU’s senior associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator, is the recipient of the 2020 ATHENA Award as selected by Rutherford Cable.

Turnham was nominated by the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon counties. The award acknowledges an individual who excels in her profession, gives back to the community and helps develop other leaders, especially women.

Turnham, who has been part of the MTSU community for 38 years, began there as an assistant basketball coach. She is known as a driving force behind the growth of scholarships for women athletes, better travel conditions, more operating funds, better equipment, better facilities and the addition of women’s soccer and golf programs.

LaShan Dixon, an MTSU alumna with a degree in physical education and a master’s in health and human performance, was honored with the 2020 ATHENA Young Professional Award.

Dixon, who is assistant public health director with the Rutherford County Health Department, also was nominated by the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon counties.

The Young Professional Award acknowledges “an emerging leader under the age of 40 who exemplifies the ATHENA attributes and serves as a role model for young women,” according to Rutherford Cable.

Tennessee Sports Hall adds new board members

Candice Storey Lee, Vanderbilt University’s vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director, and Harold W. Byrd, former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, are the newest members of the board of directors for the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Lee is the first African American woman to head an SEC athletics program and Vanderbilt University’s first female athletic director. She has served as an integral leader at the university and in athletics for almost 20 years, most recently serving as deputy director of the program, appointed in 2016. She has served as the department’s most senior female administrator since 2004. She is also the sport administrator for the football and women’s basketball programs. Under her leadership, student-athletes during the 2019-20 season exceeded a 3.0 grade-point average for the 15th consecutive year. The NCAA Academic Progress Rates for the 2018-19 academic year showed seven of Vanderbilt’s varsity programs earning nation-leading scores.

Byrd has been an advocate for the University of Memphis and the Memphis Tigers since his attention was first captured when the basketball team reached the 1957 NIT championship game.

Graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, Byrd served in the Tennessee Legislature 1976-82. While there, he was vocal on raising awareness and state government acknowledgement for the University of Memphis. Byrd is the co-founder and president of the Bank of Bartlett and, for nearly 20 years, has been a faithful booster, cheerleader and follower of the sports program, seeing Memphis finish in the nation’s Top 25 (in 2014 and 2017) and set several season-scoring records.

American Constructors has new president, CEO

American Constructors, Inc. has named Derek Martin, PE, LEED AP, as president and CEO following the death of Harold Brewer. Martin was previously vice president of marketing and preconstruction.

Martin has 19 years of construction experience including work as a project coordinator, project manager and senior project manager. He has been with American for 15 years and has been involved with multiple projects for Williamson County Schools, Brentwood Academy, High Hopes Development Center, Metro Parks, Nashville Public Library and the Nashville Predators.

Martin earned a B.S. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

First Horizon taps VP of private client services

First Horizon Bank has named Cara Rhodes as vice president with its private client services team. Rhodes will be based at the bank’s Hill Center office.

Rhodes, who has more than 16 years of experience working in wealth management, commercial lending and mortgage banking, will be responsible for managing client relationships and new business development in Middle Tennessee.

She holds series 7, 66, life, health and variable insurance licenses in Tennessee and Florida. Rhodes earned degrees in finance and communications from Florida State University.