Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP has made several hires to strengthen the firm’s corporate practice in Nashville. They are:

• Matt Bryson, an associate who represents private companies and financial sponsors in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other investment, financing and exit transactions. Bryson previously was a member of the corporate team in Dentons’ Atlanta office.

• J. David Creasy, an associate who advises private investment funds, investment managers and institutional investors in formation, investment, transactional and regulatory matters. Before joining Waller, Creasy was with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in New York, where he worked in the firm’s private investment funds practice, and at Seward & Kissel LLP in New York, where he focused on investment management.

• Cristina Lue, an attorney who assists health care clients with governance matters, mergers and acquisitions, and other complex corporate transactions. Lue has experience in both corporate and government settings, including six years serving as in-house counsel for a large insurance claims management company. She also worked as a senior attorney for a financial services company, where her work focused on SEC filings, negotiating settlements, evaluating private securities transactions and guiding those organizations through due diligence efforts and regulatory compliance. In the public sector, she served as a public health policy analyst for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she identified key legislation and reviewed newly implemented federal laws, rules and regulations.

• Willard Younger, an associate who represents buyers and sellers in the health care and financial services industries in structuring and executing merger and acquisition transactions and complex reorganizations. before joining Waller, Younger gained valuable experience as a corporate associate for Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York. He also served in roles in New York State Government and politics focusing on economic development, infrastructure and campaign finance.

• Daniel Walder, an associate who focuses on mergers and acquisitions and securities transactions. Before joining Waller, Walder was with Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, where he was a member of the firm’s corporate department and capital markets practice.

• Laura Layton, an associate who assists physician practices, private equity investors and other clients in the health care industry with mergers and acquisitions, due diligence and regulatory compliance. She began her transactional career in media and communications, where she worked in both in private practice and as in-house counsel. Before Waller, Layton served as a legal fellow at Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. She also was in-house counsel for a global media company, an associate for Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and a law clerk for a corporate firm in Lima, Peru.

Manning selected for 1st Advancement Academy

Bradley’s Shundra Crumpton Manning, an associate in the firm’s Nashville office, has been selected to the inaugural National Bar Association Associate Advancement Academy for Excellence.

The Academy is designed to facilitate the advancement and retention of black attorneys in the nation’s largest law firms, focusing on associates within the first three years of practice at AmLaw 200 firms.

The yearlong academy, which began July 1, is composed of 20 associates and entails monthly participation in educational and networking sessions, mentoring check-ins with NBA mentors and events throughout the year.

Manning is an associate in Bradley’s litigation group and represents clients involved in complex business litigation and product liability disputes with particular experience in managing class action litigation. She is also experienced in privacy and data security matters.

While attending Vanderbilt University Law School, she was a three-time recipient of the Sen. Avon N. Williams Jr. and Hon. Robert Lillard Law School Scholarship.

Manning serves as a first-year director for the Marion Griffin Chapter of the Lawyers’ Association for Women, which addresses issues of concern to women within the legal profession.

HarperCollins Focus taps Kendrick for post

HarperCollins Focus today announced Sara Kendrick as the new associate publisher for the HarperCollins Leadership imprint.

Kendrick has served as a senior acquisitions editor for HarperCollins Leadership since the imprint launched in 2018. In this role she acquired bestsellers including Business Made Simple by Donald Miller, We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers, and Quantum Marketing by Raja Rajamannar. As associate publisher, Kendrick will lead editorial planning, brand initiatives, and continue to acquire authors and content for HarperCollins Leadership.

Also at HarperCollins, Brian Dembowczyk has been named associate publisher for the Bibles team, which publishes multiple Bible translations: King James Version, New King James Version and New English Translation.

Dembowczyk spent the last six years as the managing editor and publishing team leader for The Gospel Project, spearheading the brand expansion into Korean, Spanish, French and Vietnamese. Dembowczyk holds a master of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a doctor of ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is a doctor of philosophy candidate at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also serves as an adjunct professor.

TriStar welcomes Faulks as primary care physician

Board-certified family medicine physician Steven Faulks, M.D. has joined TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center.

Faulks completed undergraduate studies at Mississippi College with a degree in engineering. He then completed graduate studies at Mississippi College, Clinton, earning a master’s in biology, followed by studies at the University of Mississippi, Jackson, where he earned an MBA. He completed medical school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, followed by a residency in community health and family medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He is certified by The American Board of Family Medicine.

Faulks provides routine wellness exams and screenings for specific health concerns, immunizations, management of chronic illnesses or conditions, coordination of at-home or nursing home care, as needed, and referrals to specialists for serious illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease.

AC Hotel announces its leadership team

Yedla Management Company has announced two key leadership hires for its new AC Hotel Nashville Brentwood. The 148-room property, slated to open in August, is the second AC Hotels by Marriott to open in Tennessee.

Michael Hickerson joins as general manager, and Michael Owenby will serve as director of sales.

Hickerson previously served as GM of the AC Hotel Asheville Downtown for nearly five years. His experience working with Marriott hotels spans more than two decades.

Owenby has worked in hotel sales for more than 14 years with multiple Marriott brands. He recently served for three years as the director of sales for Yedla Management Company’s AC Hotel Huntsville Downtown.

Leadership Nashville announces 2022 Class

Leadership Nashville will have 44 participants for the 2021-2022.

As one of the oldest community leadership programs in the country, Leadership Nashville’s nine-month independent executive program strengthens Nashville through deep connections formed among proven leaders while experiencing a three-dimensional view of our city.

The course, which will begin in September, focuses on issues related to government, media, education, business, labor, diversity, quality of life, human services, health, arts, entertainment and crime and criminal justice.

Members of the 45th class are:

• Burkley Allen, At-large member of Metro Council

• Taryn Anderson, Sandbox Entertainment Group, LLC

• Adrienne Battle, Metro Nashville Public Schools

• Gil Beverly, Tennessee Titans

• Trace Blankenship, Bone McAllester Norton PLLC

• Matthew Bourlakas, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

• Michelle Gaskin Brown, Amazon

• Cameo Carlson, mTheory

• Brigid Carpenter, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

• Kate Chinn, AllianceBernstein

• Brandon Corbin, Tennessee Department of Health

• Katie Cour, Nashville Public Education Foundation

• Michael Cuffe, Physician Services Group, HCA Healthcare

• Yuri Cunza, Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

• Samuel Deaton, Nashville Junior Chamber and president, Coleman Realty Company / Atrium Development

• John Dyke, The Turnip Truck Natural Market

• Sarah Ann Ezzell, community volunteer

• Brian Fox, Confirmation.com

• David Fox, MP&F Strategic Communications

• Jonathan Godfrey, Fifth Third Bank

• Kelly Goldsmith, Vanderbilt University

• James Gooch, Bass Berry & Sims

• Laurel Graefe, Federal Reserve Bank - Nashville Branch

• Dwayne Greene, Metro Nashville Police Department

• Dave Hanson, Green Hills Partners

• Clay Hart, Pinnacle Financial Partners

• Mohamed-Shukri Hassan, Metro Nashville Mayor’s Office

• Kolin Holladay, Polsinelli PC

• Alex Jahangir, Division of Orthopaedic Trauma/professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

• L. Gregory Jones, Belmont University

• Nancy Keil, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee

• Michael McSurdy, Family & Children’s Service

• Michael Mettee, FB Financial / FirstBank

• Derrick Moore, Slim & Husky’s Pizza

• Turner Nashe, ReCOVer-Health

• Lagra Newman, Purpose Preparatory Academy

• Charlane Oliver, The Equity Alliance

• Jackie Patillo, Gospel Music Association

• Tracey Rogers, News2

• Mary Roskilly, Tuck-Hinton Architecture & Design

• Todd Siefert, Ryman Hospitality Properties

• Clay Stauffer, Woodmont Christian Church

• Eric Stillman, Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee

• Fahad Tahir, Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital