Baker Donelson has elected 11 new shareholders across the firm, including Evan L. Clark and Michaela D. Poizner in the Nashville office.

Clark is a member of the firm’s Financial Services Transactions practice group and the Long Term Care Transactions team. He is counsel to lenders and borrowers in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-insured long-term care, seniors housing and multifamily loans throughout the United States ranging from large scale, multi-state portfolio transactions to single-asset deals.

A graduate of the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, Clark has been named a Rising Star by Mid-South Super Lawyers and named a Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” in Health Law.

Before entering private practice, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Thomas W. Brothers, Sixth Circuit Court, Twentieth Judicial District of Tennessee.

A member of the firm’s Health Law Group and co-leader of the Behavioral Health Initiative, Poizner assists clients in buying and selling health care assets and guides them through matters ranging from privacy and security concerns and fraud and abuse analysis to development of policies and procedures and navigation of licensure and Medicare enrollment.

Poizner serves on the board of directors of Leadership Health Care and is a member of the American Health Law Association, where she is on the Program Planning Committee for the annual Fundamentals of Health Law program. She is a graduate of the Vanderbilt Law School and has been named a Rising Star by Mid-South Super Lawyers and named a Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” in Health Law.

Before joining Baker Donelson, Poizner clerked for the Vanderbilt University Medical Center office of general counsel.

Sherrard adds Lovell to management committee

Carla Lovell, member at Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, has been named to the firm’s management committee. Lovell has been with Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison since 1995, and has been a member since 2005.

Lovell advises individuals and families in tax and estate planning, charitable planning and business succession. She has represented hundreds of clients in estate planning and estate administration, and has worked for some families for more than 20 years. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel.

Lovell is a volunteer for the Nashville Bar Association Pro Bono program, a member of the board of directors of the Planned Giving Council of Middle Tennessee, a member of the board of directors of YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, and a member of the board of directors of Vox Grata, Inc.

Barge selects 3 VPs, new board members

Three employees – Ray Spangler, Steve Mosher and Kevin Kennoy – were promoted to the vice president level at Barge’s recent annual meeting.

Spangler joined Barge in January 2021 as the firm’s chief technology officer after 25 years with Verizon Wireless. He is a graduate of Kent State University with an associate of applied science degree in Computer Technology.

Mosher, PE, PTOE, is Barge’s manager of Georgia transportation. He has more than 20 years of experience in the transportation engineering industry, designing and managing a wide range of transportation projects for state and local governments. Mosher is a University of Memphis alumnus with a degree in civil engineering and an MBA.

Kennoy, PE, has 29 years of industry experience and serves as a Client Service team leader. In this role Kennoy guides the development of client relationships in the Florida and Alabama region. He is office lead of Barge’s newest office in Panama City, Florida, managing strategic growth in the Panhandle. Kennoy holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Auburn University.

The firm also welcomed two new board members, Steve Edwards and Chris Provost.

Edwards, PE, LEED AP, also serves as a vice president and the manager of the firm’s Structural Practice. He has a degree in construction engineering from Iowa State University. Edwards has 20-plus years of experience covering a wide range of market segments, from industrial and commercial facilities, bridges and airports to housing development, parks and recreation facilities.

Provost, PE, is an executive vice president and Barge’s chief strategy officer. He has served as project engineer, project manager, project director or officer-in-charge on projects throughout the U.S. and has managed a multitude of large and small projects for a variety of public and private sector clients. As CSO, he manages the Client Service Team and oversees the firm’s strategic development. He has a degree in civil engineering from Tennessee Technological University.

Business Roundtable elects Tucker secretary

Van Tucker, president and CEO of Launch Tennessee, has been elected secretary of the Tennessee Business Roundtable.

Tucker serves as chief executive of Roundtable member Launch Tennessee, a public-private partnership that aims to make Tennessee the most startup-friendly state in the nation and to stimulate Tennessee’s statewide economy by facilitating capital formation, market building and nurturing the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Tucker’s election fills the unexpired portion of the term vacated by Mary Beth Hudson, a former vice president of Charleston, Tennessee-based Wacker Polysilicon North America, upon Hudson’s departure from the company in late January. Wacker remains a Roundtable member company.

Before joining Launch Tennessee, Tucker spent most of her career in banking and finance, including cofounding Nashville-based Avenue Bank. She also served as a co-founder of the Nashville Fashion Alliance. Tucker earned her MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

Centerstone’s Middleton is now regional CEO

Centerstone, a not-for-profit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder services, has promoted Ben Middleton to regional CEO for its Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina operations. Middleton succeeds Dr. Robert N. Vero, who retired from the organization after 40 years of dedicated service.

Middleton has worked for Centerstone and its legacy organization since 1985 and previously held the positions of regional chief operating officer, vice president for core services and director of substance use programming, among others.

Middleton also serves as the executive sponsor for Centerstone’s Black & Brown Professionals Network, one of Centerstone’s employee resource groups working to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across the health system.

Middleton earned a degree in psychology from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Alabama A&M University in Normal, Alabama.

Pendleton named president of Amerigroup Tennessee

Amerigroup Tennessee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem, Inc., has named Chad Pendleton president of the health plan.

Pendleton has more than 25 years of health care and executive leadership experience working with payers and providers across Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, commercial and workers’ compensation insurance product lines. Most recently, Pendleton was vice president of business development at CareSource, where he was responsible for creating strategic business partnerships, expanding geographical and product lines, and driving new revenue sources. He has also served in a variety of leadership roles for other health benefits organizations.

A Memphis native, Pendleton is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, holds an M.S. in health services administration from the University of St. Francis and is working on his Ph.D. in public policy and administration at Walden University.

Pendleton succeeds Robert Garnett, who recently was named vice president, Analytics Center of Excellence, for Anthem’s Government Business Division.

Crain Construction adds project engineer

Commercial construction development and design veteran Lora Markem has joined Crain Construction Inc. as a project engineer.

A Dickson County native, Markem has 26 years of experience in construction project management and design development in Middle Tennessee and holds a degree in architectural engineering technology from Nashville State Technical Institute (now known as Nashville State Community College).

Markem’s experience includes design development, project management, preconstruction, property due diligence, permitting, subcontractor coordination, value engineering and owner/developer risk assessment and management.

Andrews Agency hires account executive

The Andrews Agency has hired Hannah Garrett as an account executive. Her client work includes public relations, event planning, social media and marketing initiatives in the food and beverage, tourism, music and nonprofit industries.

Garrett is a Samford University graduate with a degree in journalism and mass communication, with concentrations in public relations and print journalism and a minor in marketing.

Previous work has been in the food and beverage industry, planning nonprofit events like the 50th Anniversary Birmingham Heart Ball, social media work for sports programs and assisting startup companies.

Garrett is working on multiple accounts including Battle of Franklin Trust, The Heritage Foundation, Jackson Downs Wine and Spirits, John A’s Restaurant, The Jones Company, Chukkers for Charity and Saint Henry School.