Nashville lawyer Lorne Hiller has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award. Hiller was chosen for the award by fellow members of the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2024 Leadership Law class.

He is the 12th recipient of the award.

Hiller, an associate in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Nashville office, grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, before moving to the United States with his family. He is a graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and practiced in western Colorado before moving to Nashville, where he expanded his practice into first-party property insurance coverage litigation. He now represents clients across the country in state and federal courts on matters involving multimillion-dollar catastrophic losses.

The award is named for former TBA President Larry D. Wilks and recognizes a class member with exceptional leadership qualities. The recipient is selected by each year’s class.

Past Middle Tennessee winners include Lynne T. Ingram, Raquel Bellamy, Seth Ogden and Courtney Leyes of Nashville, Jay Ingrum of Gallatin and Elizabeth Taylor of Murfreesboro.

Also, Nashville attorney Edward D. Lanquist Jr. took office as president of the Tennessee Bar Association last week during the group’s annual convention in Memphis.

He most recently served as president-elect, after being elected vice president in 2022. He also served as general counsel for the association 2016-2022.

Thompson Burton grows airport law practice

Thompson Burton has added Sean Cusson as partner to the firm’s airport law practice.

Cusson specializes in airport law with an emphasis in regulatory compliance and corporate counseling. Before joining Thompson Burton, he founded Del Ray Solutions, where he assisted clients in maximizing their opportunities in the aviation market. Previously, he served as director of public safety and security for Airports Council International – North America.

Cussn earned his J.D. at New England Law, Boston, and a is a graduate of George Washington University. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association, Transportation & Transportation Security Law Section and the Transportation Research Board’s Aviation Security and Emergency Management Committee.

Leadership Nashville announces 2025 class

Leadership Nashville, one of the oldest community leadership programs in the country, has chosen members of its 2024-25 class.

The course, which will begin in September, focuses on issues related to government & media, diversity equity & inclusion, business, education, quality of life, health, arts & entertainment and public safety.

The new members of the Leadership Nashville 48th class are: Isaac Addae, Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, Office of Mayor Freddie O’Connell; David Andrews, owner & executive chef, D’Andrews Bakery & Café; Ian Ayre, CEO, Nashville Soccer Club; Meera Ballal, founder, Women’s Healthcare Initiative; Martha Boyd, shareholder, Baker Donelson; Gerard Bullock, real estate broker, Compass RE; Elise Cambournac, president & CEO, Nashville Technology Council; Sarah Cates, vice president, imagination, strategic initiatives, & partnerships, Belmont University; Katie Crumbo, retired nurse practitioner & community volunteer; Sam Davidson, CEO, Nashville Entrepreneur Center; Tina Doniger, CEO, Community Resource Center; Tonya Hallett, vice president, people experience & technology, Amazon; Todd Hartley, senior vice president, legal & business affairs, Country Music Association, Inc.; Darrell Hawks, executive director, Friends of Mill Ridge Park; Jeff Haynes, partner, Boyle Nashville; Kelly Hodges, chief development & engagement officer, Gresham Smith; Monchiere’ Holmes-Jones, chief brand curator, MOJO Marketing & PR; Kathleen Fuchs Hritz, senior director of community relations, Vanderbilt University; Melissa Hudson-Gant, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee; Deana Ivey, president & CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp; Ted Johnson, president, practice operations, HCA Healthcare; Emmanuel LeGrair, creative director, R.H. Boyd; Tessa Lemos Del Pino, executive director, Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors; Johari Matthews, vice president & executive director, ONE Community & Titans Foundation, Tennessee Titans; Bill McCleskey, founder, MiTech Partners; Jeff McGruder, chief relationship officer & principal, Citizens Savings Bank & Trust; Jim Meade, CEO, LBMC, PC; Dale Mitchell, EVP community development, Pinnacle Financial Partners; Roger Moore, deputy district attorney, Office of the District Attorney General; Berthena Nabaa-McKinney, school board member, District 4, Metro Nashville Public Schools; Sneha Oakley, general counsel & vice president, partner development, HealthStream, Inc.; Kerry Price, chief strategy officer, Bass, Berry & Sims; Tonya Quarles, vice president of Sales, Dell Technology; Robert Ramsey, EVP & chief development officer, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority; Bethany Rhoten, president-elect, Junior League of Nashville; C.J. Sentell, CEO, The Nashville Food Project; Pamela Sessions, CEO, Renewal House; Knight Stivender, partner/owner, MP&F; Amy Sullivan, president & CEO, Kirkland’s; Jim Todd, judge, Davidson County General Sessions, Div VI; Jennifer Turner, president & CEO, Tennessee Performing Arts Center; Heather Vassar, SVP, operations, EMPIRE; Joseph Webb, CEO, Nashville General Hospital; Dayton Wheeler, inspector, Metro Nashville Police Department; Juan Williams, commissioner, Department of Human Resources, Tennessee State Government; and Richard Wolfson, senior vice president, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.

Baker Barrios Architects names Powers director

Nashville’s Chris Powers, RA, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, has joined Baker Barrios Architects as director of health care design.

Powers has more than three decades of experience in planning, design and construction in the health care sector, including serving as the senior director of design and construction for HCA Healthcare for 12 years. Over his career, he has mentored and led teams of architects, designers, engineers and contractors on projects across 23 States. He has served as the senior project manager and principal on multiple projects per year with construction values ranging from $5 million to $300 million.

He is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in architecture and is a registered architect in 9 states. Powers serves on the editorial advisory board of Healthcare Design Magazine and served on the board of the Nashville Civic Design Center.

PENCIL welcomes new class of board leaders

PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement and Leadership), Nashville’s business connector to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), has its new class of board members and officers for the 2024-25 program year.

The new governing board, which will serve a three-year term:

Lamar Allen, LaMarvelous Balloons, Brent Binns, Elliott Davis, Lillian Blackshear, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, Melissa Cornejo-Nell, Metro Nashville Public Schools, Christina Feagins, Deloitte, Sharon Gentry, HCA Healthcare (joining 9/24), Kia Goodwin, Brown-Forman, Taneisha Harvey, Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Minh Le, Finn Partners, Emmanuel LeGrair, R.H. Boyd, James McIntyre, Belmont University, Will Parrott, Merrill Lynch, Sam Reed, Jigsaw

Board Interns, who serve Ex Officio:

Jaimie Swann, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, Obinna Udeh, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, Patrick Dooley, RSM US LLP - Young Leaders Council, Erica Griffith, Wistia - Young Leaders Council, Katlin Pendleton, KP Financial Consulting - Young Leaders Council, Shay Coplin, Hyland - Young Leaders Council

Board officers:

• Board chair: Robyn Williams, Bridgestone Americas, Inc.

• Vice chair: Kaitlyn Jones, R.C. Mathews Contractor

• Treasurer: Jose Ferreira, JLL, Inc.

• Secretary: Kason Davis, Caterpillar Financial Services

• Immediate past chair: Hasina Mohyuddin, Vanderbilt University Peabody College

Vise joins Board at Cumberland University

David A. Vise, a 1990 Pulitzer Prize recipient, former Washington Post reporter and author, has been elected to the Cumberland University Board of Trust.

His education experience includes being the founding executive director of Modern State’s “Freshman Year for Free,” the largest free college for credit program in the country, benefiting over 400,000 students.

Vise’s father, the late Harry Vise, was a longtime member of the Cumberland board and was instrumental, along with other trustees, in leading the school through its transition back to a four-year university in 1982.

Vise also has been involved with organizations such as Save a Child’s Heart, Children’s Hospital of Washington, Martha’s Table Shelter, and a literacy program in The District of Columbia’s Public Schools. Additionally, he has served as an advisor to the Head of Sidwell Friends School and as president of one of the nation’s largest Jewish congregations, with a focus on interfaith relations.

He has written four books, including two bestsellers: “The Google Story” and “The Bureau and The Mole,” a captivating spy thriller. Vise’s new book on Google and the advent of AI will be published by Penguin Random House.

Cumulus Media promotes Mason

Cumulus Media has promoted Paul Mason to spoken word programming operations manager for Cumulus Nashville. Mason will provide day-to-day programming oversight for Nashville’s spoken word stations, adding SuperTalk 99.7 WTN/WWTN-FM to his existing responsibilities over 104.5 The Zone/WGFX-FM and Titans Radio.

He fills the News/Talk programming position previously held by Dan Mandis, who will remain with SuperTalk 99.7 WTN in his role as Morning Show Host.

Leadership Middle Tennessee graduates its 2024 class

Leadership Middle Tennessee celebrated the commencement of its class of 2024 recently at the Adventure Science Center.

The celebration was the culmination of an 11-month program in which class members attended a session each month in one of 10 Middle Tennessee counties to gain a greater understanding of critical issues in the region, learning through interactive presentations, facilitated dialogue, behind-the scenes visits and experiential adventures.

Each year, the class is composed of business and community leaders from the 10-county Middle Tennessee region, including Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties.

2024 class members were:

Cheatham

Bill Anderson, Nabholz Construction Corporation, and Archibold Marowa, Hiscall Inc.

Davidson

Gavin Baxter, JE Dunn Construction, Raquel Beck, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Paige Bernick, Lewis Thomason PC, Phillip Branch, Merrill Lynch, Suzannah Gills, Turner Construction Company, Harry Perret, The Oak Tree Advisors, Selina Staub, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Lindsay Youngbauer, Woodmont Investment Counsel

Dickson

Stacey Levine, Healthy Parks Healthy Person, and Sommer Pearson, Dickson Arts Council

Maury

Wesley Bryant, Parks, Bryant, & Snyder PLLC, Michael Franks, TriStar Bank, and Travis Growth, Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance

Montgomery

Curtis Glenn, Clarksville Police Department, Robert Huffman, Nova Technologies, Rylan Kean, Millan Enterprises LLC, Cheryl Lankford, Legends Bank, and Erin Yow, Hilldale Christian Child Care Center

Robertson

Mandy Christenson, White House Area Chamber of Commerce, Keifus Malone, Owens Corning, and Adele Watts, The Springfield Woolen Mills/Southern States Construction

Rutherford

Colleen Dudley, Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee, Charles Frazier, Law Offices of Charles R. Frazier, Chad Hill, Volunteer State Bank, Janet Kincherlow, Martin-Urban League of Middle Tennessee, and Lori Williams, Middle Tennessee Electric