Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm, has promoted Zac Oswald to senior deputy director of client services.

Oswald will continue to lead the firm’s housing practice group while taking on additional leadership responsibilities across the firm. Oswald had previously served as managing attorney of Legal Aid Society’s Gallatin office since 2018 and joined the firm as a staff attorney in 2014.

He previously served as a law clerk for AMP Law in Miami and as student director of business affairs and licensing for Cat 5 Music Publishing.

Oswald graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2009 and is a 2013 graduate of University of Miami School of Law. During law school, he also earned a master’s in music in the music business and entertainment industries.

Oswald has been the recipient of the Housing and Equality Alliance of TN’s Fred Cloud & Tracey McCartney Award in 2022 and Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services’ New Advocate of the Year award in 2016. He also serves as a board member for Habitat for Humanity of Sumner County.

TBA welcomes new Public Service class

The Tennessee Bar Association has launched its third Public Service Academy, a nonpartisan training fellowship to provide attorneys with the tools to run for local public offices, such as school board, city council and county commission.

The program takes place over the course of two sessions in the fall, during which fellows hear speakers discuss topics like strategy, campaign finance, work-life balance and more.

Ten attorneys from across the state have been selected to take part in the program. The attorneys chosen for the class come from a variety of backgrounds and represent a diverse spectrum of political thought. Class members are:

• Raven Austin, Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office, Chattanooga

• Amanda Bradley, Hartzog & Silva PLLC, Franklin

• Duncan Bryant, TN Supreme Court, Memphis

• Brian Bush, Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams PC, Chattanooga

• Jing Geng, attorney at law, Nashville

• Timothy Martin, attorney, Pickwick Dam

• David O’Neil, attorney at law, Brentwood

• Jessica Schultz, Schultz Law, Nashville

• Ryan Strain, Baker, Donelson, Memphis

• Angela Washington, Washington Law & Government Relations, Columbia

Entrepreneur Center announces Hall inductees

Nashville Entrepreneur Center has announced its new inductees to be welcomed into the Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame. The individuals will be formally honored at the 2022 NEXT Awards Oct. 24, taking place inside the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. This year’s class includes:

• André Prince, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken. Since taking the reins from her uncle in 1980, Prince has transformed one of Nashville’s historic restaurants into a must-visit destination in Tennessee for all locals and tourists.

• Amy Kurland, founder of Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Café in 1982. She opened the café intending to have a gourmet restaurant with occasional live music. Four decades later, it is one of the most sought-after outlets in Nashville for talented songwriters and artists to debut new material and earn new fans. In 2008, Kurland transferred ownership of the Bluebird to the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

• Mike Shmerling, who began his career in 1977 in accounting at the Nashville office of Ernst & Ernst CPAs. Following 17 years of success in public accounting, he dove into entrepreneurship by founding or co-founded 11 businesses, four of which were ultimately sold to publicly traded companies. Additionally, he was part of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Partnership 2010 initiative that ultimately created and launched the EC to become the front door for entrepreneurs aspiring to create companies in Nashville. Today, he serves as chairman of private equity firm Clearbook Holdings Corp., formerly known as XMi Holdings, Inc.

• Steve Turner, founder of MarketStreet Equities Company, an investment firm with diversified holdings in real estate and wetlands mitigation environmental preservation. Through Turner’s leadership in urban revitalization, MarketStreet Equities formed the Nashville Urban Venture partnership which spearheaded the development of The Gulch, one of Nashville’s most vibrant urban districts, known for its dining, entertainment and shops.

The Nashville Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame honors individuals who have built long-standing and meaningful careers in Nashville. Previous inductees include: Dolly Parton, Darrell Freeman, Trisha Yearwood, Cordia Harrington, Leatrice McKissack, Phil Bredesen, Jon Yabrough, among other influential individuals.

MTSU names 2022-23 distinguished alumni

Middle Tennessee State University is again recognizing outstanding alumni who represent excellence and distinction through their professional careers, loyal support and service to the broader community.

This year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award is Katie Vance of Nashville, a 2005 graduate. She is the partner and chief creative officer of Powell Architecture + Building Studio, an award-winning architecture, interior and construction firm in Nashville.

This year’s Young Alumni Achievement Award, given to a graduate age 35 or younger making a positive impact in the world, goes to Tay Keith, class of 2018, of Memphis. The Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter already boasts an impressive roster of music collaborations that includes Drake, Travis Scott, Beyonce, DJ Khaled and more.

For the ninth consecutive year, True Blue Citations of Distinction are being awarded. This year’s honorees feature:

• Achievement in Education (MTSU faculty): Alanna Vaught (Class of 2003), of Auburntown, a School of Agriculture faculty member instrumental in starting a new Master of Education in Agricultural Education Leadership program.

• Achievement in Education (non-MTSU faculty): Jackie Morgan (Class of 2008), of Rockvale, the outreach senior adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta-Nashville branch and recognized as an established communicator and proven leader in economic and financial education strategy, policy, development and training.

• Service to University: Ed Arning (Class of 1978), of Murfreesboro, former MTSU sports information director who went into private industry before returning to the university as director of two major project areas within the Division of Marketing and Communications.

• Service to Community: Elveta Cooper (Classes of 1996 and 2000), of Nolensville, UPS area human resources manager who has been involved in numerous community organizations.

• Military Service: Brig. Gen. Robert Powell (Class of 1991), of Summerville, South Carolina, a cybersecurity expert in the U.S. Army, the first Army Reserves cyber general and the 17th general officer in the 50-plus year history of the MTSU ROTC program.

The Alumni Association will recognize them at several events during MTSU Homecoming Oct. 14-15.

Universal Douglas names Tudor president, CEO

Universal Douglas, a manufacturer and provider of LED commercial lighting and controls solutions, has named Paul Tudor president and CEO. Tudor will lead the organization, succeeding Ty Anderson who is retiring as president and CEO this month.

Tudor brings more than 16 years of experience leading transformations for private-equity, listed and government-owned companies across retail, distribution, manufacturing, mining and utilities. He previously served as president of Pioneer Landscape Centers, a landscape materials distribution company, owned by private equity firm JLL Partners. Before that, Tudor served as CEO for Stramit, Australia’s second largest manufacturer and distributor of roll-formed steel building products.

Tudor, a native Australian, earned a degree from Curtin University and an MBA from the University of Western Australia.

Centerstone promotes Stoll to senior VP

Centerstone, a nonprofit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder services, has named Becky Stoll senior vice president for crisis services.

Stoll has three-plus decades of experience in social work and psychiatric care and has worked at Centerstone since 1999, previously holding the positions of vice president of crisis and disaster management, director of crisis services and crisis call center program manager.

Stoll will lead both administrative and clinical operations for Centerstone’s robust crisis-care continuum across its multistate footprint, which includes crisis call centers, a 988 crisis chat/text national backup center, mobile crisis response teams, crisis stabilization units and residential facilities for people in crisis.

Stoll is a licensed clinical social worker and holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Tennessee, and a degree in psychology from Tennessee State University.

Buffkin / Baker names associate partner

Buffkin / Baker, a partner-led executive search firm, has added Megan Shepherd Berlinger as associate partner in its health care practice. Berlinger will join the health care delivery vertical, leading our academic medicine searches with a focus on serving AAMC institutions and health systems.

With more than 16 years of experience in school of medicine and health system administration, Berlinger served key administration roles at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, including heart & vascular service line administrator and department administrator. She then transitioned to executive search, incorporating operational experience into the recruitment process.

Before working at Wake Forest, Berlinger completed her administrative fellowship with Johns Hopkins Medicine. She holds both a degree in public health and master’s in health care administration from The University of North Carolina.

GSRM Law adds Smith to wills, trusts, estates

The law firm of Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC has hired attorney Grayson Smith Cannon to the firm as a partner in the wills, trusts and estates section.

Grayson’s practice focuses on estate administration and probate, conservatorships and guardianships, family law, Social Security disability and various business and collection matters.

Before joining GSRM Law, Grayson was an attorney at Phillips & Ingrum in Gallatin. She is a graduate of the Nashville School of Law and Rhodes College.