Stites & Harbison, PLLC has named attorney Richard S. Myers, Jr., as its Nashville and Franklin office executive member. He succeeds Gregory D. Smith, who has served in this role for nine years.

Smith, a member of the firm, will continue to serve as chair of the domestic service group and represent his family law clients.

A registered U.S. patent attorney, Myers has held various leadership positions in the firm, including prior service on the management committee and as co-chair of the Intellectual Property & Technology Service Group.

Myers will continue to serve firm clients and practice as a member of the firm’s intellectual property & technology group. As the new office executive member, Myers will assist the chair in implementing and executing firm policy while also serving as a liaison to the Nashville and Franklin communities on behalf of the firm. Myers has been with Stites & Harbison since 2002.

Also at Stites and Harbison, attorney Samuel F. Miller is back to the firm’s Nashville office where he started his legal career in 2003. He rejoins the firm as a member in the intellectual property & technology service group.

Miller has more than 20 years of intellectual property and litigation experience, and his practice focuses primarily on trademark and patent litigation.

Before rejoining Stites & Harbison, Miller founded and served as managing partner of Miller Legal Partners PLLC in Nashville and Brentwood for seven years.

He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and a former chair of its intellectual property section.

Fisher Phillips adds 2 Nashville partners

Fisher Phillips, an international labor and employment law firm representing employers, has added Christopher Bellamy and Marcia McShane as partners in Nashville.

Bellamy most recently served as in-house head of US Litigation and Global Data Privacy for a Fortune 500 energy company. In that capacity, he managed a wide variety of matters ranging from securities and derivative lawsuits, complex litigation matters, contract disputes and personnel issues to matters involving government regulations, and tort claims.

Earlier in his legal career, Bellamy established his own law practice with a focus on trials and litigation. He then went on to serve as assistant general counsel in the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance before becoming an assistant district attorney in Tennessee’s 19th Judicial District.

He also served as an adjunct professor in pretrial litigation at Vanderbilt University Law School.

Bellamy earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was the president and founder of Law Students for Veteran’s Affairs and an active member of the moot court and mock trial teams. He served as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard in various leadership positions for more than a decade. He is admitted to practice in all Tennessee state and federal district courts as well as the Supreme Court of the United States.

McShane has two decades of experience in private practice and was a partner at a national labor and employment firm, where she defended management in complex legal claims at the administrative, trial and appellate levels.

She most recently served as chief of staff and director of legal affairs at the Tennessee Commission on Aging & Disability, where she led the Office of General Counsel and the broader legal team on the formulation of policies and practices governing recruiting, hiring, discipline, performance management and compliance with federal, state and local laws governing activities funded by the agency’s $81M budget.

She previously served as assistant commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Human Services, where she led the public information and legislative office and served on the executive leadership team. She also is a frequent lecturer and served as a Rule 31 listed mediator and arbitrator in employment matters, business disputes and general civil matters.

McShane earned her J.D. from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and her undergraduate degree from Florida State University.

She is licensed to practice in Tennessee and Mississippi, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Neal & Harwell taps Williams to lead HR

Neal & Harwell, PLC has hired Sidney Williams as director of human resources.

Williams previously served as director of human resources at Kirkland’s Home and as human resources and benefits manager for Logan’s Roadhouse.

Williams holds a degree in business-human resources management from Western Governors University.

JLL promotes Cripe to lead for Tennessee region

JLL has promoted Nashville native David Cripe project and development services lead for the Tennessee region.

Cripe, who has 25-plus years of industry experience, will promote growth and expansion of the PDS business line, particularly in Nashville and Memphis. He will continue to lead JLL’s Southeast health care practice.

Cripe joined JLL in 2022 as senior vice president to lead the firm’s Southeast health care practice.

Southeast Venture selects senior staff accountant

Southeast Venture has hired Ryan Dillehay as senior staff accountant.

Dillehay previously served as senior staff accountant at Envision Healthcare and as a staff accountant at HCA Physician Services Group. He holds a degree in business administration with concentrations in accounting and finance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is pursuing an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University.

SV Design welcomes Sikes as designer

SV Design has hired Hollie Sikes as a designer. Sykes holds a degree in architecture from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and further broadened her expertise with a semester abroad at The Institute of Advanced Architecture Catalonia.

Her professional journey includes internships at Comma Design Works and Heyoh Design and Development and serving as a teaching assistant at The University of Tennessee.

Cozart earns award from TN Pharmacists Association

Kate Cozart, clinical pharmacist practitioner at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, has been named the Health-System Pharmacist of the Year for her impact on pharmaceutical education, leadership and support of resiliency and wellness.

The Health-System Pharmacist of the Year Award recognizes one distinguished pharmacist in Tennessee for their profound contributions to the field.

Cozart started her career at TVHS in 2015 and serves as a primary care clinical pharmacist practitioner at the TVHS Clarksville VA Clinic helping Veterans manage chronic diseases. Cozart also is the postgraduate year 1 residency program coordinator for TVHS fostering continual learning and leadership among pharmacy residents.

VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York Campus in Murfreesboro and the Nashville Campus, as well as more than a dozen community-based outpatient clinics located in Tennessee and Kentucky.

New leadership named for Cumberland nursing school

Dr. Jason Grindstaff, Ph.D., has been named interim dean of Cumberland University’s Jeannette C. Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions following the retirement of Dr. Mary Bess Griffith at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year.

Grindstaff has more than a decade of academic service since joining the Cumberland family in the fall of 2010, leading courses spanning both undergraduate and graduate programs in exercise & sport science.

He served as the program director for the master of sport & exercise science program, executive director of the honors program, and chair of the academic integrity board.

He earned a B.A. in psychology and sports medicine from Dakota Wesleyan University, an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from Cumberland.

Before arriving at Cumberland, Grindstaff was a postdoctoral associate for two years with the University of Florida, where he provided mental health and sport psychology services for the Gators’ athletic department. He taught graduate and undergraduate courses in sport psychology, physical education and deaf education at both the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Florida.

Additionally, all CU nursing programs will now operate under the direction of Beth Chatham, Ph.D., who has been at the school since 2006.

Chatham’s career at CU began as an adjunct clinical faculty member in pediatric nursing before transitioning to a full-time role in 2011. She has taught courses in pediatric nursing, leadership, research in nursing, transcultural nursing, transition to professional practice and nursing concepts. She also was the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Michael J. Spalding Professorship in Nursing Award, honoring her level of expertise and devotion to academia.

Dr. Chatham holds both a BSN and MSN from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she was presented with the Volunteer of Distinction Professional Promise Award.

Dr. Chatham’s nursing experience is extensive and global, with various specialty areas and locations. She has worked as an operating room nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, a community health nurse in Mississippi, a certified nurse midwife in northern England, and a mission nurse in Honduras. Additionally, she served as the maternal/child clinical nurse specialist at Nashville Metropolitan General Hospital for over 20 years.