The law firm of Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC bas brought M. Clark Spoden into the firm as a partner in the firm’s litigation section.

His practice is focused on the representation of companies in contract, employment, environmental, administrative law, construction, business tort, noncompetition, intellectual property, wrongful death and personal injury cases.

Clark is an administrative law judge for Nashville Electric Service. He has taught remedies at the Nashville School of Law since 2003 and civil procedure since 2019. In addition, Clark is a frequent lecturer on trial practice and employment law.

Clark previously was a partner at Burr & Forman LLP. He is a graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South and earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee School of Law.

Baker Donelson adds Ray as of counsel

Attorney Lindsay Ray has joined Baker Donelson as a member of the firm’s government enforcement and investigations group.

Ray represents clients in litigation matters, with a focus on white-collar defense, complex commercial litigation, securities litigation, labor and employment disputes and governmental investigations.

Additionally, Ray has dedicated a significant amount of time to pro bono matters, including the successful negotiation of a settlement on behalf of an artist with regard to the misuse of his copyright-protected photographs and other work. She also represented an inmate of New York’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in his Section 1983 prisoners’ rights case involving the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment violations caused by his four-and-a-half years spent in solitary confinement.

A graduate of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Ray is a member of the New York County Lawyers’ Association McInerny Inn of Court.

FINN Partners hires 7 for Nashville office

FINN Partners has added seven senior public relations and marketing experts to its growing Southeast team. They are:

Joseph Harkins, senior vice president, integrated marketing, who brings more than 25 years of experience in marketing, advertising and communications. His depth of experience includes serving in leadership roles with both global and large independent agencies and representing clients in manufacturing, banking, education and building products.

Valerie Beesley, vice president, health, who has more than 15 years of public relations agency experience within the health care, nonprofit and technology sectors. She started her career in health care and pharmaceutical communications representing clients including GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly. She earned a master’s degree in public relations from Syracuse University.

Christina Chu, vice president, health, who has nearly two decades of experience in public relations and marketing for both agencies and in-house and has worked with several notable brands in the health space, such as Atrium Health, and boutique organizations such as the Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart Foundation.

Amanda Gilchrist, vice president, community impact, whose experience in public relations spans more than 20 years in government and corporate communications.

Nate West, vice president, health, who brings more than a decade of public relations experience and specializes in the integration of health and environmental communications.He previously led communications for the Tennessee Wildlife Federation and is a member of Nashville’s Emerging Leaders class of 2022.

Benjamin Zhang, vice president, corporate and consumer, who leads national and international client campaigns for major transportation brands. Before joining FINN, he was a member of Mercedes-Benz USA’s corporate communications team. He earned his juris doctor from Rutgers Law School.

Kimberly Nichols, account director, integrated marketing, who brings more than 25 years of experience orchestrating, facilitation and driving integrated omnichannel marketing programs for clients across myriad industries.

LP Building Solutions names Mason EVP

LP Building Solutions has named Jimmy Mason executive vice president, general manager of OSB.

Mason succeeds Jason Ringblom, who was recently appointed executive vice president, general manager of siding.

Mason brings more than 20 years of manufacturing operations experience to the role. He joined LP in 2006, most recently serving as vice president, siding manufacturing, where he has been instrumental in leading the siding business’ exceptional safety performance, strong overall equipment effectiveness results, and the conversions of LP Dawson Creek and LP Houlton to siding mills. Before this, he held roles as regional operations director and regional operations manager for siding, as well as plant operations superintendent at LP Roxboro and LP Roaring River, and plant manager at LP Roaring River.

Mason earned a degree in business administration with a professional option in operations management from Auburn University.

Meharry welcomes Woods as senior vice president

Meharry Medical College has appointed Walter D. Woods senior vice president of institutional advancement. Woods will provide comprehensive advancement and development initiatives, efforts to innovate with the health care sector and further develop the college’s strategic community initiatives.

Woods most recently served as a strategic adviser to The Humana Foundation, advising on operational, policy and programmatic issues critical to advancing the mission of the foundation. He also has served the American Association of Retired Persons, American Gas Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

Woods holds a degree in business administration in finance from Howard University, an MBA in marketing, managerial economics and decision sciences from Northwestern University and has participated in an executive education program for nonprofit leaders at Stanford University.

Mayor Cooper announces changes to senior staff

Mayor John Cooper has named Sam Wilcox as deputy mayor for policy & innovation and Jennifer Rasmussen-Sagan chief of staff.

Bill Phillips, who has served as deputy mayor and chief of staff since 2020, will continue with the Cooper administration on a part-time basis as special counselor to the mayor.

Wilcox – who joins the administration Feb. 28 - will lead the mayor’s policy, communications and special projects teams to advance Mayor Cooper’s priorities in affordable housing, transportation, education, community safety and sustainability.

Wilcox joins the Cooper administration from D.A. Davidson, where he served as vice president for technology investment banking. Before that, he was an associate at a family investment office and a business analyst at Oak Street Health.

Wilcox is a Harry S. Truman scholar, an Auburn University alumnus and a Middle Tennessee native.

Rasmussen-Sagan – after serving as a senior staff assistant to Mayor Cooper since 2020 – will lead day-to-day operations at the Mayor’s Office and manage the mayor’s personnel.

She previously was director of marketing, brand management and public relations for D&JR Holdings and before that deputy chief of staff to then-Mayor Mike Fahey of Omaha, Nebraska. She has consulted, managed or worked for more than 10 campaigns for community, city and federal candidates.

She is a University of Nebraska alumna.

Connico names president, expands 2 senior roles

Connico, a national construction consultancy, today announced that it has named longtime senior team member Sri Kumar as majority owner and president.

Kumar joined Connico in 2011. Since then, he has risen through leadership ranks to a member of the senior leadership team and most recently served as a senior project specialist. Sri also is known for his industry leadership and serves on the board of the Airport Consultants Council. He’s also president of the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers Northern Kentucky chapter.

Connico also announced that David Hunley will expand his role from vice president to chief development officer. Bryan Hafertepe has also joined the ownership team as chief operating officer and will lead Connico’s recruiting and retention initiatives.

Hunley has been with Connico since 1992 and has 39 years of experience in cost estimating, scheduling, construction oversight and administration, resident project representation, design support and engineering fee reviews.

Hafertepe is a licensed professional engineer. He focuses on assisting in developing cost estimates, value integration, project management and construction observation, and has worked on projects at nearly 55 airports in the last five years.

Hafertepe also will lead the company’s retention and recruitment efforts, including training and mentoring.

Nashville CARES announces 2 hires

Nashville CARES has hired Dakerri Rhone as its community engagement and volunteer manager and Karen Gregg as its special events and strategic partnerships coordinator.

Rhone has for the past several years coordinated volunteers and empowered Nashvillians to serve throughout city while serving as a board member for the Human Rights Campaign, Nashville Pride, the Tennessee Equality Project and as the founder of The STAND Movement.

Gregg is a recent transplant from Pennsylvania and has 10 years of experience in the nonprofit world. She has coordinated and organized nearly 400 annual events.