Brian R. Browder has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as a partner in the firm’s health care practice group in Nashville.

For more than 30 years, Browder has served as lead counsel on complex health care mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and private equity investments. He works with a variety of health care service providers and has created joint ventures between tax-exempt and investor-owned companies to combine their services and help deliver better care to their patients.

His experience has included several high-profile, transformative hospital transactions totaling more than $4.5 billion throughout his career. He regularly represents hospitals, behavioral health care service providers, gastroenterologists, imaging centers, ambulatory surgery centers, renal care providers, skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, management services organizations and dental support organizations.

Browder also is a frequent speaker on health care transactions and corporate matters and is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Business Law and Health Law Sections. He is a member of the Nashville and Tennessee bar associations and the American Health Lawyers Association.

He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and his B.S.B.A. from Georgetown University.

Buchalter welcomes 2 attorneys in Nashville

Matthew DeVries has joined Buchalter’s Nashville office as a shareholder, and attorney Summer Geyer has joined the firm for work in construction and real estate litigation.

DeVries’ focus is on construction law and the representation of clients in entertainment industry. In addition to his legal work, DeVries is the founder of the nationally recognized construction blog, Best Practices Construction Law. He has earned numerous accolades throughout his career, including listings in The Best Lawyers in America for Construction Law since 2013 and the Mid-South Super Lawyers’ “Rising Star” award.

Geyer works with general contractors, subcontractors and property owners.

Convention Center Authority reappointments 2

The Convention Center Authority has announced the reappointment of board members Norah Buikstra and Seema Prasad. Both were reappointed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and confirmed by the Metropolitan Council.

Buikstra is general manager of The Mall at Green Hills. She has served on the CCA board since October 2020.

Prasad is the proprietor of Miel Restaurant in Sylvan Park and Harvest Wine Market in Belle Meade. She has served on the CCA board since May 2020.

The reappointed members will continue to serve in their roles on the board and on any related committees. Buikstra was also recently reappointed as chair.

The Convention Center Authority was created to oversee the development and operation of Music City Center, as well as any investments or projects connected to the convention center. The Authority consists of nine members appointed by the mayor to serve four-year terms. There are three ex officio members appointed by the Tennessee General Assembly.

Veterinary Innovative Partners selects new COO

Franklin-based Veterinary Innovative Partners, a network of nearly 70 veterinarian-owned-and-operated hospitals across 12 states, has appointed Derek Walsh as the organization’s first chief operating officer.

Walsh will focus on building best-in-class service offerings leveraging the company’s strengths to fuel growth and fostering a high-performing, collaborative culture. He also will oversee day-to-day operational management and work closely with the executive team to establish a metrics-driven culture with key performance indicators across all functions.

Walsh brings over 12-plus years of health care leadership experience to his role. Most recently, he served as COO of Southern Orthodontic Partners, overseeing more than 50 locations. His military service as an officer in the U.S. Army – leading teams in air and missile defense operations across the U.S., South Korea and the Middle East – adds a layer of strategic leadership to his background.

Founded by four veterinarians, VIP’s network has grown from 40 to nearly 70 hospitals across Florida, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, Colorado and California.

NAMI Davidson County hires executive director

The National Alliance on Mental Illness Davidson Co., a Nashville-based nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with mental illness and their families throughout Middle Tennessee, has appointed Ashley Blum, LBSW, CPRP, as its new executive director.

Blum brings nearly two decades of experience in behavioral health, homelessness outreach and mental health advocacy to her new role. Most recently, she served as development director at the Nashville-based mental health nonprofit Park Center, where she led business development, marketing and fundraising efforts, including fostering corporate partnerships and overseeing major gift campaigns.

Over the course of more than 15 years, Blum held a series of key positions at Park Center, including director of homeless outreach services and director of residential services, where she managed teams providing critical resources to individuals seeking mental health, substance use and homelessness support. Additionally, she served as the homeless outreach supervisor, facility liaison, SOAR coordinator and TennCare case manager.

Blum also launched the first SOAR program within the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office to help incarcerated individuals secure income and insurance, as well as a relief advocate at the YWCA Domestic Violence Center at different points throughout her career.

Blum holds a degree in social work from Belmont University and is a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner.

Delta Dental of Tennessee elevates 2 executives

Delta Dental of Tennessee has promoted Missy Acosta, the company’s longtime marketing leader, to senior vice president, brand experience, and Jeff Newton, CPA, a member of the finance team, to senior vice president, audit and finance.

Acosta, who previously served as vice president of brand strategy, has been with Delta Dental since 2006. Acosta leads the company’s efforts in marketing, communications and government relations, ensuring Delta Dental’s brand purpose is at the core of everything the organization does.

Newton also joined Delta Dental in 2016 as controller and was promoted to vice president, audit and finance in 2019. He oversees the internal and external accounting and reporting for Delta Dental and its charitable arm, the Smile 180 Foundation, along with the company’s budgeting, tax compliance, COBRA administration and underwriting department.

Zajac named Jackson Foundation president, CEO

Jason R. Zajac has been selected as The Andrew Jackson Foundation’s president and CEO. Zajac will lead the nonprofit organization that manages The Hermitage, the former estate of the seventh U.S. president, as well as its museum, educational and interpretive programming and preservation efforts.

Zajac began his tenure Oct. 2, becoming the seventh professional director of the presidential site.

Having been a founder and partner with Celsinus Partners in Maumee, Ohio, since 2006, where he worked closely with philanthropic families and not-for-profit organizations, Zajac has worked to strengthen historical sites and nonprofit organizations across the country.

He orchestrated a nationwide capital campaign on behalf of the National Cold War Center in Blytheville, Arkansas, the country’s first official museum and research center dedicated to the study and interpretation of America’s victory in the Cold War. He spearheaded a major capital campaign to support a new visitors center for Old Faithful inside Yellowstone Park. And he worked with the Families of Flight 93 to plan and launch fundraising for the permanent memorial at the crash site for United Flight 93 in western Pennsylvania.

He also has experience with fundraising for schools, universities and health care organizations. In addition to his work through Celsinus Partners, he previously served as chief development officer of Allegheny Health Network, an eight-hospital system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Zajac, who holds a degree in American studies from Fordham University, replaces Howard J. Kittell, who retired from the foundation in June after a 16-year tenure.

Zajac will be responsible for the continued preservation of The Hermitage, overseeing and increasing the financial stability and development efforts of the foundation, maintaining and cultivating educational and interpretive programming and advancing state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure at the site.

Affinity Technology adds pair of specialists

Grant Duncan and Alexander Vega have joined Affinity Technology Partners.

Duncan is a field support specialist and onboarding engineer. He is certified in cybersecurity and graduated from Lipscomb University this spring with a degree in web application development and cybersecurity. He is a member of Upsilon Pi Epsilon and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

As a systems administrator, Vega is responsible for resolving support tickets submitted by clients. He was previously systems administrator at National Indoor RV Centers.