Eleanor Smith, formerly of Bass, Berry & Sims, has joined Barnes & Thornburg as chief client officer, bringing more than two decades of legal business development and practice management experience to the role.

Leveraging her health care industry roots, she will focus initially on expanding Barnes & Thornburg’s national health care industry practice, which boasts more than 80 attorneys.

Smith’s legal practice management experience includes more than 15 years focused on the health care sector. She is a member of the Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care and the American Health Lawyers Association. She is former chair of the Legal Marketing Association’s Nashville chapter.

Stevenson rejoins Littler to lead Nashville office

Joycelyn Stevenson has returned to Littler, an employment and labor law practice representing management, as office managing shareholder in Nashville.

Stevenson, who most recently served as executive director of the Tennessee Bar Association, was with Littler 2013-2017. She succeeds Bradley Strawn, who has been overseeing the Nashville office in addition to the Atlanta office and will continue to serve as the firm’s Atlanta office managing shareholder.

Before joining the TBA, Stevenson was a shareholder at Littler and represented employers in litigation and arbitration and conducted strategic risk analyses of business decisions related to human resource management for companies of all sizes. She also conducted high level workplace investigations and provided extensive training to clients on anti-discrimination laws and respect in the workplace.

She serves as vice chair of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority and recently served as president-elect of the National Association of Bar Executives. She is a past president of both the Nashville Bar Association and the Lawyers’ Association for Women - Marion Griffin Chapter.

Stevenson earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her B.A. from Howard University.

Legal Aid Society hires development manager

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm, has hired Amia’ Butler as development manager.

Butler will oversee Legal Aid Society’s fundraising, philanthropy and advocacy efforts, including its annual Campaign for Equal Justice, which supports Legal Aid Society’s mission to advance access to justice across Middle Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau.

Butler brings seven-plus years of experience in fundraising, public relations, program coordination, event planning, facilitation and volunteer management to the position. She comes to Legal Aid Society from North Carolina-based Push Consulting, where she served as a digital marketing strategist.

Butler’s previous experience also includes serving as a pro bono program coordinator for Legal Aid of North Carolina.

She is a graduate of Austin Peay State University with a degree in public relations and a master’s degree in corporate communications.

Leadership Tennessee announces new class

Leadership Tennessee has announced its Spring 2023 Leadership Tennessee NEXT cohort, a program offering Tennessee’s early and mid-career professionals personal and professional development while fostering a greater understanding of Tennessee and its assets. This class will be the sixth cohort to complete the program.

The class will meet four times during the program year, conducting sessions in Pickwick Landing, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville. Participants will grow their professional skills and build an activated network of rising leaders spanning the state while learning about significant issues facing the state.

The new class includes:

Blount County

• Lauren Emert, director of economic development, Blount Partnership - East TN

Davidson County

• Brittney Anthony, state rep, state government and regulatory affairs, Williams Companies

• Matt Cheek, director of development and strategic partnerships, Nashville Teacher Residency

• Brittany Farrar, regional director, Youth Villages

• Mason Foley, associate, Main Street Health

• Kelby Garner, executive principal, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools

• Brittany Irby, director of community engagement, MP&F Strategic Communications

• Brian Marshall, senior program manager/chief executive officer, VUMC/MashUp! Nashville

• Victoria Robinson, Assistant commissioner of communications and engagement, Tennessee Department of Education

Hamilton County

• Quentin Lawrence, director of workforce strategy, City of Chattanooga

• Vivian Lozano, director of social impact, La Paz Chattanooga

• LaTonya Lyons, director, inclusion & diversity recruiting partnerships, Unum Group

• Shannon Millsaps, senior director of transportation & infrastructure, Thrive Regional Partnership

• Sheril Varghese, manager, product delivery, Tennessee Valley Authority

• Julia Whitacre, vice president, operations, Black Creek Chattanooga

Jefferson County

• Ashley Caradine, director of multicultural services, Carson-Newman University

Knox County

• Maegan Tribble, vice president of finance and administration, tnAchieves

• Clarence Vaughn, director, Office of Diversity and Community Relations, University of Tennessee-Haslam College of Business

Madison County

• Russell Cook, CFO, Greater Jackson Chamber

• Lauren Kirk, chief innovation officer, City of Jackson, TN

• Alexis Long, marketing director, ATA CPAs & Advisors

Obion County

• Brooke Simmons, Community Relations Director, Obion County Joint Economic Development Corporation

Rutherford County

• Ryan Korstange, director of academic affairs, Tennessee Higher Education Commission

Shelby County

• Jessica Mosley, director of diversity + community development, Greater Memphis Chamber

• Ian Nunley, program officer for vibrant spaces and communities, Hyde Family Foundation

Washington County

• Eric Carroll, vice president/chief executive officer Greene County, Ballad Health

• Keisha Shoun, director of public affairs, City of Johnson City

• Jessie Wang, assistant dean of equity, inclusion and student success, East Tennessee State University, Clemmer College

Weakley County

• Erica Moore, communications director, Weakley County Schools

WeGo announces 3 executive appointments

WeGo Public Transit has named Vince Malone as chief of staff and administration and promoted Renuka Christoph to chief communications officer and Nick Oldham to chief safety officer.

Malone previously served as director of the Civil Rights Division with Tennessee Department of Transportation. He is appointed to serve on the U.S. Transportation Research Board standing committee on contracting equity and serves several executive committees with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Malone holds a J.D. from the University of Florida and a B.A. in political science from Lipscomb University. He serves on the board of directors for the Sumner Development Corporation and as a commissioner and chairman of the Gallatin Housing Authority. He is also an officer and board member with 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee.

Christoph joined WeGo as director of marketing, communications and sales in April 2021 from the Music City Center, where she served as the director of communications overseeing marketing, media, public relations and communications.

She holds a degree in graphic design from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a master’s degree in marketing from Tennessee State University. She served as a board member for Sister Cities of Nashville, a freelance travel writer for the Tennessee Tribune and The Tennessean, and launched Nations in Our Neighborhood, an initiative promoting Nashville’s ethnic food and culture.

Oldham joined WeGo in 2018 and quickly rose through the ranks, serving most recently as Director of System Safety and Risk Management. He also worked as a system support analyst at Arizona State University.

Oldham holds a degree in computer science from Tennessee State University and a Master of Arts in Christian studies from Luther Rice College and Seminary. He also has certificates in Public Transportation Safety and Transit Safety and Security from the U.S. Department of Transportation - Transportation Safety Institute and a Data Analytics certificate from Pivot Technology School.

Red Cross chapter names exec. director

The Tennessee Region of the American Red Cross has named Lori Ann Tinajero as the Tennessee River Chapter executive director.

The chapter serves Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, Montgomery, Perry, Stewart and Wayne counties in Tennessee, as well as Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Tinajero’s career has been based on service to others. “Red Cross serves so many individuals in our society who find themselves in the middle of a disaster, preventing a disaster, or helping others during a disaster,” she said. “The Red Cross makes a huge difference in the lives of individuals and communities. It’s an honor to be a part of this mission.”

TriStar Skyline welcomes new chief nursing officer

TriStar Skyline Medical Center has named Amy Higgins its chief nursing officer. Higgins will lead nursing operations at the 474-bed multicampus hospital and support quality and patient care experience initiatives.

Higgins previously served as the chief nursing officer at TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center in Nashville.

Higgins has more than 28 years of nursing leadership experience. During the past 10 years she has served in a variety of nursing leadership positions throughout TriStar Health, as assistant chief nursing officer at TriStar Skyline Medical Center.

Higgins has an MBA in health care management from Vanderbilt University and earned her degree in nursing from Middle Tennessee State University.

She has served as a panel member of the National Council State Boards of Nursing since 2009.