Tom Jurkovich has joined Mayor John Cooper’s administration as senior adviser for public affairs.

Jurkovich will provide strategic leadership in communications, community outreach, issue management, and coalition building as part of the effort to advance the mayor’s priorities on a range of policy areas, including transportation, sustainability, affordable housing and economic development.

He brings more than 35 years of experience in local and national public affairs to the mayor’s staff.

Jurkovich joins the mayor’s staff from the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, where he served as vice president for communications and public affairs since 2015 and directed the team responsible for the airport’s communications, public and media relations, and government affairs.

Jurkovich previously served as director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development 2002-2007, where he acted as liaison to the business community and as the city’s chief corporate recruiter.

Jurkovich began his career as a litigator with the law firm of Fulbright and Jaworski in Houston, Texas. His national public service includes stints as staff director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce. He later did a turn as a government relations director for Microsoft Corp. before returning to his hometown of Nashville.

He is a graduate of McGavock High School and Vanderbilt University and earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was executive editor of the law review.

Nashville CARES hires development director

Nashville CARES has appointed Ken Hinman as its development director.

Hinman has 30 years of experience in business development, marketing strategies, brand leadership, product development and turnarounds, having served Ingram Design Collective as president and CEO, Talalay Global as global marketing officer and Jamison Bedding and Hartman Luggage as executive vice president of sales and marketing. Most recently served as founder and president of Hinman Consulting and Compass Executives as a senior coach and adviser.

Hinman has served on several boards in various positions including Learning Matters, Habitat ReStore, First Steps, Youth Courts, Make a Wish Foundation and Vestry of St. Timothy’s Episcopal. He graduated from the University of Mississippi with degree in business administration.

Leadership Middle TN announces 2022 class

Leadership Middle Tennessee, Inc., the regional leadership organization that encompasses a 10-county collective of community leaders in Middle Tennessee, has selected 42 members for the class of 2022.

Class of 2022 members by county are:

Cheatham

Jeff Bennett, director of divisions, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville

Bo Bowen, financial adviser, Edward Jones

Jerome Terrell, director of economic and community development, Cheatham County

Davidson

Melissa Blackburn, judge, Davidson County General Sessions Court

Jessica Dauphin, president and CEO, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee

Shan Foster, executive director of AMEND Together & SVP of external affairs, YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee

Shelly Hazle, senior policy adviser, Greater Nashville Regional Council

Elizabeth Palmer, director of development, Tennessee, Middle Street Partners

Julie Perrey, vice chancellor/chief mission integration officer, Diocese of Nashville

Suzanne Sager, associate dean, College of Business, Lipscomb University

Nancy Youssef, Soles 4 Souls, chief business development officer

Dickson

Margaret Cole, CEO, CareNet Pregnancy Medical Center

Kathryn Little, sales manager, Benefits, Inc.

Laura Travis, vice president, Tennessee College of Applied Technology Dickson

Maury

Esterlene Dukes, vehicle electrical systems manager, General Motors Company

Robert Smith, owner/operations, MagMann LED

Kenny Boyd, chief operating officer, Maury Regional Health

Montgomery

Brett Jackson, senior manager business development, Collins Aerospace

Walt Lord, military adviser in residence, Austin Peay State University

Kris Phillips, VP, university advancement & executive director of APSU Foundation, Austin Peay State University

Yolonda “Yolo” Williams, national commander Women Veterans of America, U.S. Army Retired

Gail Young, director of physician recruitment & physician relations, Tennova Healthcare Clarksville

Robertson

Kelley Crecelius, military coalition director, First Horizon Bank

Ace Timmermeier, manager, community impact, United Way of Greater Nashville

Lewis Walling, supervisor of system data, Robertson County Board of Education

Rutherford

Amelia Bozeman, adjunct professor, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, Middle Tennessee State University

Brian Hercules, town manager, Town of Smyrna

Megan Keen, customer service manager, Tennessee Valley Authority

Jackie Morgan, senior education program manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta - Nashville Branch

Jessica Stollings-Holder, professional speaker, author, trainer, coach, self/entrepreneur

Sumner

Kimberly Baker, CEO, Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce

Jason Duncan, president, Results University

Kevin Releford, campus leader/regional director, GAP, Inc.

Loren Sluder, executive director, Community Life Bridge

Williamson

Valencia Breckenbridge, CEO, Graceworks Ministries

Karen Clark, senior vice president/private banker, FirstBank

Susan Minor, vice president-operations, Franklin Housing Authority

Martin Plumlee, owner and CEO, Plumlee & Associates, LLC

Wilson

John McDearman, CEO, Wilson Bank & Trust

Erik Moses, president, Nashville Superspeedway

Zabrina Seay, director, Wilson County Veterans Service Office, Wilson County Government

Andy White, executive director, Prospect, Inc.

Schultz named to Barge Board

Barge Design Solutions has selected Nancy Schultz, vice president of global consulting company North Highland, for its board of directors.

Schultz has more than 35 years of consulting experience and will continue her role at North Highland while serving on the Barge board of directors. Her consulting experience includes helping clients design and implement growth strategies with a particular focus on data and analytics, technology, and customer experience. This expertise spans manufacturing, retail, the public sector and health care and includes companies across the Fortune 500/1000 spectrum.

Schultz is on the board of Music City Baseball, an organization helping bring major league baseball to Music City. She also served as board president for three years and board member for more than 10 years at Nashville Children’s Alliance, a nonprofit organization.

Schultz holds a degree in electrical engineering and mathematics from Vanderbilt University.

Alto names Dabit chief operating officer

Alto Solutions, Inc., a self-directed IRA platform, has named Amin Dabit to its leadership team as chief operating officer.

Dabit brings more than 15 years of experience in the financial services and wealth management industry to Alto, most recently as vice president of advisory service at Personal Capital. Dabit will spearhead strategy development, as well as the execution and scaling of the business during its current phase of rapid growth.

Dabit previously served in financial adviser and client service roles at Merrill Lynch and UBS Financial.

ESa adds five new employees

Allie Bierman, Savannah Heipp, John Henley, Ankita Patel and Emily Threadgill have joined architectural firm ESa.

Bierman joins as a member of the interior design team. She earned a degree in interior architecture and design from the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design in 2021. She previously served as an interior design intern at Orcutt Winslow.

Heipp joins ESa as a member of the architecture team after a year of interning remotely. She earned a degree in architecture from the University of Central Florida and a master’s degree in architecture and health at Clemson University.

Henley, who previously worked at the firm, rejoins ESa as a member of the architecture team. He earned a degree in fine arts from Watkins College of Art and Design in 2010. Before rejoining ESa, he worked as a designer with Advent.

Patel joins ESa as a member of the architecture team. She earned her master’s degree in Architecture from the University of South Florida. She previously was an intern architect for Chapuis Design Group in Brandon, Florida.

Emily Threadgill joins ESa as a member of the architecture team. She earned a degree in architecture from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She formerly served as a project manager with HMK Architects.