Michael Schwegler has joined McGlinchey Stafford’s Nashville office where he will work in its national business corporate practice.

Schwegler has represented lenders, creditors and businesses in commercial and consumer lending transactions, consumer finance regulation and compliance, real estate, workouts, bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters.

He previously served with the State of Tennessee Office of the Attorney General and Reporter’s Civil Rights and Claims Division for three years as an assistant attorney general. He defended the state in civil rights, personal injury, state taxation, workers’ compensation and administrative cases.

He earned his JD from Vanderbilt University Law School. He also is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A member of the bankruptcy and appellate bars, he is an active member in a variety of legal and finance industry associations.

NEC announces 2021 Hall of Fame inductees

Nashville Entrepreneur Center has announced its Hall of Fame inductees to be honored at the annual NEXT Awards Oct. 25. This year’s Hall of Fame class includes:

n Phil Bredesen: Former mayor of Nashville and then governor of Tennessee. A successful entrepreneur, he founded HealthAmerica Corp., a Nashville-based health care management company. He sold Health America in 1986 after growing it to 6,000 employees and turning a $10,000 initial investment into a $40 million enterprise.

n Lucius Burch III: The chairman and CEO of Burch Investment Group based in Nashville, has had a nearly 50-year career in venture capital, specializing in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and management consulting.

n Leatrice McKissack: Founded in 1905, McKissack & McKissack was one of the first African American professional firms in Nashville. Leatrice McKissack took the helm of the firm in the 1980s, rising to prominence in a male-dominated industry. Today, the McKissack name lives on with Leatrice’s daughters, Cheryl McKissack Daniel, who took the reins from her mother in 2000 and serves as the current president & CEO of the family legacy business, and Deryl McKissack, leading her own architectural, engineering and construction firm of the same McKissack & McKissack namesake and continuing to pave the way for future Black architects.

n Trisha Yearwood: Country superstar, bestselling author, chef, business owner and television personality. She has three bestselling cookbooks, her Emmy Award-winning Food Network series, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, the Trisha Yearwood Pet Collection, her signature product line and dinnerware collection with Williams Sonoma, as well as furniture, home accessories and area rugs.

The Nashville Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame honors individuals who have built a long-standing and meaningful career in Nashville. Each honoree will be formally inducted at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center Oct. 25 at the NEXT Awards. Previous Hall of Fame inductees include: Dolly Parton, Darrell Freeman, Kix Brooks, Cordia Harrington and more.

Schultz takes new post at Cumberland Trust

Cumberland Trust, a Nashville-based independent trust company, has named Debbie Schultz vice president and director of special needs trust administration.

Schultz holds an executive J.D. from Purdue University Global. She earned an MBA and B.S. in business/management from the University of Phoenix. She is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA), graduate of the Cannon Trust School and has earned the Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC®) designation.

Before joining Cumberland Trust, Schultz served as the trust administration team lead at the Bank of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Previously, she led the special needs trust team unit at Arden Trust Company in Phoenix, Arizona.

TN Nurses Association names executive director

The Tennessee Nurses Association has appointed of Kirk W. Lawson, CAE, as the association’s new executive director. Lawson brings more than 20 years of experience at the C-level, as well as a background steeped in member and mission-driven organizations.

Lawson’s appointment will be complete after the retirement of Tina Gerardi, MS, RN, CAE, who has served as the association’s executive director for nearly four years.

As executive director, Lawson will oversee TNA’s operations including the organization’s membership model, programs, partnerships and finances. Lawson also will oversee strategic advocacy efforts toward legislation to improve the nursing profession and health care for Tennesseans.

Lawson most recently served as the executive director of Business Professionals of America, where he implemented a business model that generated more than $1 million in annual revenue, increasing the annual budget from $1.1 million to $2.4 million, while increasing membership and member services. He previously served as the executive director of the Columbus International Program in Columbus, Ohio.

Lawson holds a CAE credential awarded by the CAE Commission, an independent certifying body of the America Society of Association Executives. Lawson also holds a master’s degree from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University.

Ensworth names new head of school

Ensworth has named C. Prentice Stabler as its eighth head of school, beginning summer 2022. Stabler’s appointment was made after an international search that drew more than 170 candidates.

Stabler is a graduate of Princeton University with degree in history with a certificate in teacher preparation, where he was honored with the New Jersey Distinguished Student Teacher Award. Stabler received the Klingenstein Leadership Merit Scholarship to continue his studies at the Teachers College of Columbia University, where he earned his master’s in private school leadership. During his time at Columbia, he also served as a Klingenstein Graduate Student Consultant with Harlem Academy in New York.

In 2020, Stabler earned an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

Stabler’s career as an educator began at McCallie, where he held a variety of roles, including history teacher, varsity head crew coach, boarding adviser and dorm parent, and assistant director of boarding admission. In 2013, Stabler was appointed the head of upper school at Franklin Road Academy. Stabler was then named associate head of school at FRA in 2019, overseeing the upper, middle and lower school, the office of diversity, community and inclusion, and the office of spiritual life.

Stabler will succeed David Braemer, who served as head of school for 10 years.

MTSU selects Arik to planning chair

Middle Tennessee State University’s board of trustees recently approved the appointment of Murat Arik, Ph.D., associate professor of management, to the Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning.

Arik serves as director of the Business and Economic Research Center. This joint role will allow him to further develop initiatives relevant to the planning needs in the Midstate region while encouraging a dialogue on topics with area policymakers, opinion leaders and the community.

The chair position will first focus on research and service to the Nashville and Clarksville metropolitan areas. Arik also has expressed his excitement to serve as a resource for the broader Middle Tennessee area.

Arik teaches strategic management, management of innovation and innovation acceleration to undergraduates. He has consulted extensively with local and state government agencies, chambers of commerce and private businesses. His research focuses on regional economic trends, international business dynamics, strategic management, management of innovation and innovation acceleration.

Celsor, Woodard join Pinnacle in Gallatin

Pinnacle Financial Partners has hired a duo of experienced financial services professionals for its recently opened Gallatin office.

Karen Celsor joins the firm from Reliant Bank as the Gallatin office leader. She has 35 years of financial services experience.

Trina Woodard also joins Pinnacle from Reliant Bank. She serves as a financial adviser based at the Gallatin office and brings 26 years of experience to her role.

Celsor most recently served as the branch manager for Reliant Bank in Gallatin and held similar roles at Sumner Bank & Trust and Fifth Third in Gallatin. She attended Volunteer State Community College.

Woodard’s prior experience at Reliant Bank in Gallatin included roles as business development officer for Sumner and Davidson counties and as the branch manager for its first location in Gallatin when it was known as Commerce Union Bank. She also served as a personal banker for Cumberland Bank and branch manager for AmSouth Bank.

Thomas & Hutton hires project manager

Thomas & Hutton has hired Andrew Reed, PE, as a project manager for the firm’s Nashville region. He brings five years of civil engineering management experience in various markets including health care, single-family residential, multifamily, student housing, hospitality, mixed-use and urban infill.

Reed recently completed design and permitting for the Vanderbilt University graduate and student housing project. He also is overseeing multifamily and office projects in the Wedgewood Houston and Chestnut Hill neighborhoods, as well as office and medical office projects along the Charlotte Pike corridor.

He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and a registered professional engineer in the state of Tennessee.

You Have the Power welcomes Najafian

You Have the Power…Know How to Use It, Inc. welcomes Azadeh Najafian as Assistant to CEO Cathy Gurley. In this role, Najafian will address internal and external needs that support You Have the Power’s long-term strategies and outreach. She will help identify and research information needed for the agency’s growth and functioning. Najafian will also be responsible for the agency’s communications with agency partners, stakeholders and constituents.

Najafian earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Persian literature from Shiraz University in Iran. She recently completed her Master of Arts in Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University. Najafian has worked at the Kentucky Museum, the South Union Shaker Village and with the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition as an assistant in English as a second language classes.