Ronn Stewart and Burgin Dossett have formed Stewart + Dossett, LLC, a development, construction and real estate services firm. A minority-owned and operated business enterprise, the company offers a wide range of project experience in the commercial, hospitality, mixed-use and residential sectors.

Stewart and Dossett previously were part of the management team at Crosland Tennessee, which developed Terrazzo and amassed approximately 30 acres of land in the north Gulch as part of a land investment fund now owned by Northwestern Mutual.

Stewart has more than 20 years of experience in commercial lending, architecture/engineering and real estate development. He has specialized in mixed-use, multi-family and retail development and construction.

Dossett has more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate design and construction, including 10 years in the international arena. A registered architect with a deep commitment to quality urban development, Dossett has focused on both mixed-use and adaptive reuse projects.

Bass, Berry & Sims names 3 new members

Stephen J. Jasper, Blaine H. Smith and Russell E. Stair have been elected to membership in the firm Bass, Berry & Sims PLC.

Jasper focuses his practice on state and local tax litigation, advocating on behalf of his clients to resolve disputes or potential disputes with the Tennessee Department of Revenue and local taxing authorities. He earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and B.A. from the University of Missouri.

Smith’s practice includes high-end, sophisticated estate planning, estate administration and probate litigation. Blaine graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in accounting. He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Stair, based in the Knoxville office, focuses on bankruptcy and litigation with an emphasis in commercial litigation, business disputes, financial products and broker-dealer litigation, and corporate and securities litigation. He earned a B.S. and M.A. from the University of Tennessee before earning his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Baker Donelson merges with 2nd Houston firm

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC has merged with the Houston law firm of Drucker, Rutledge & Smith, L.L.P., marking Baker Donelson’s third merger, and its second one in Texas, in less than four months.

In October 2011, Baker Donelson merged with the Houston firm of Spain Chambers, giving the firm its first Texas location, then in November merged with the Orlando firm of Litchford & Christopher, marking its first location in Florida. Now with its merger with Drucker, Rutledge & Smith, the combined firm, which will continue with the name of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, has more than 630 attorneys and advisors in seven states and Washington, D.C.

Through the merger with Drucker, Rutledge & Smith, Baker Donelson gains seven attorneys. These attorneys will relocate from their office in The Woodlands to join Baker Donelson’s other Houston attorneys in a new location in downtown Houston.

McNeely Pigott & Fox adds pair to team

McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations has added Lacey Purcell as the firm’s newest staff associate and Ashley Mock as a graphic designer, the first addition to the company’s art department in three years.

Purcell, a Mount Juliet native, graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in communication and interned with McNeely Pigott & Fox during the summer of 2009.

Mock is a native of Germantown, Ohio, and comes to MP&F from McGuffin Creative Group in Chicago, where she served as creative director. Mock earned a degree in graphic design from the University of Evansville.

Two new hires join Fifth Third Bank

Leanna Terlikosky joins Fifth Third Bank as a personal banker at the Music Row Financial Center. Terlikosky has worked in retail banking for seven years and was previously employed by U.S. Bank.

Ben Reed joins Fifth Third Bank as commercial portfolio manager for the Tennessee affiliate. He was previously employed at SunTrust Bank and earned his undergraduate degree from Loyola University and a MBA in finance from the University of New Orleans.

Lifepoint Hospitals promotes Braswell

LifePoint recently announced the promotion of Leigh Ann Braswell to the position of senior director, Health Information Management (HIM) Services, and Ron Evans to the position of senior director, Physician Systems.

Braswell has a diverse background in health information management, including experience in HIM operations, coding, ICD-10 implementation and training, HIPAA privacy, corporate compliance, education and project management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in HIM from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Ron Evans joined LifePoint in June 2010 as director, Meditech Systems. Previously, he served Iasis Healthcare, overseeing revenue cycle systems for the company’s Texas and Florida markets. Evans is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.

Lattimore Black hires for Nashville office

Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC (LBMC), one of the Southeast’s largest accounting and business consulting firms, has made a number of hires in the Nashville market:

• Mark Burnette has been named director, risk services. Burnette has more than 16 years of experience in information security and risk management with extensive experience in the healthcare industry. His certifications include Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Risk Professional (CRP) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). Prior to joining LBMC, Burnette was president of MainNerve, Inc., where he was received the 2010 Nashville Emerging Leader Award in Technology.
• Mikael Elledge has joined as a staff accountant in the tax services group. Prior to joining LBMC, he was a staff accountant with CPA Consulting Group, PLLC.
• Eric Kimmerling, CPA, has joined the firm as a senior accountant in the audit services group. He has four years of public accounting experience in several industries including retail, not-for-profit, logistics and contractors, as well as benefit plan audits.
• Patricia Aguirre has joined as a tax processor with the tax services group. Prior to joining LBMC, she was a human resources associate with the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic in Yakima, Wash.
• Catherine W. Blythe has joined as a staff member with the audit services group. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kentucky with bachelor’s degrees in accounting and business administration/finance.
• Michelle L. Ebel, CPA, has joined the firm as a staff accountant with the audit services group. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting, she has held internships with Betts & Rubio, PLLC, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
• Linda-Gail Y. Hough has joined as a staff member with the audit services group. Hough graduated from Belmont University with a bachelor’s of business administration degree and a master’s of accountancy.
• Ashley Lassiter has been hired as a staff member in tax services. A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting, Lassiter previously interned with LBMC.
• Matthew Liskom has joined the sales and local tax (SALT) team. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, he brings experience in both SALT and OneSource software.
• Colt Sullivan, CPA, is a senior in tax services. His experience in public and corporate accounting includes FAS 109 and multi-state tax issues. Sullivan holds a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in tax, both from Mississippi State University.
• Madison Vannoy is a staff member in tax services. She holds a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting and finance from the University of Tennessee.

Kitchens named editor of law publication

Hunter Kitchens, attorney in King & Ballow’s Litigation Section, has been named editor of Employment Law Comment.

Kitchens received his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. He earned his undergraduate degree from University of Mississippi, where he received a bachelor’s degree civil engineering.

Corizon names new chief nursing officer

Corizon, which specializes in correctional healthcare solutions, has promoted Becky Pinney as its first senior vice president, chief nursing officer (CNO).

In this newly created position, Pinney will serve as a leader and mentor for the company’s nursing leadership team and will solidify company standards for nursing practices and patient care.

Pinney joined the Corizon team in 1990 as the director of nursing for the Powhatan Correctional Facility in Virginia.