The Greater Nashville Association of Realtors has appointed Jarron Springer, current president of the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association, as its new chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1.

As CEO, Springer will be responsible for key outcomes, goals and strategic planning for GNAR.

Springer, a graduate of the University of Alabama, earned his law degree from the Nashville School of Law, as well as his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation.

He has served the TGCSA since 1999 and became president of the organization in 2005.

Don Klein, former GNAR CEO, announced his decision to step down a year ago, ending a 16-year run with the association.

UNH names Beverly as chief medical officer

United Neighborhood Health Services has added Steven Beverly, MD, as chief medical officer. As CMO, Beverly will provide oversight as a member of the leadership team and maintain primary responsibility for clinical activities, ensuring that UNHS continues to provide quality health care regardless of ability to pay.

Beverly is a certified OB/GYN who has been practicing for 13 years, having spent the last 11 years in private practice in Bowling Green, Ky.

A graduate of the University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio, Beverly earned his M.D. in 1996. He then completed his Obstetrics/Gynecology residency at Alton Ochsner Foundation in New Orleans. In 2012, he earned a M.S. degree in Healthcare Management from the University of Texas Dallas.

UNHS is a private, non-profit network of neighborhood health centers that have served Nashville for more than 30 years. It has eight neighborhood clinics, two homeless clinics, two mobile health clinics and a clinic in Hartsville, and serves approximately 32,000 medically underserved people each year.

Former Vanguard counsel joins Frost Brown Todd

Davis W. Turner, former assistant general counsel of Vanguard Health Systems, Inc., has joined Frost Brown Todd’s health care industry team in the firm’s Nashville office.

With 19 years of in-house counsel experience, Turner has served as legal counsel for the nation’s largest investor-owned hospital companies, including Quorum Health Group, OrNda Healthcorp and Hospital Corporation of America, in addition to Vanguard.

At Vanguard, which owned 28 hospitals in five states, he represented the company in complex business transactions and negotiation of critical agreements, including real estate transactions, physician contracts, and vendor agreements.

Turner is the vice chair of the in-house practice group of the American Health Lawyers Association, former vice chair of the health care fraud and compliance interest group of the American Bar Association and former chair of the legal and operational policy committee of the Federation of American Hospitals.

Ney named shareholder at Waddey Patterson

Registered patent attorney Paul Ney has been named shareholder at intellectual property law firm Waddey Patterson. Ney was previously “of counsel” at the firm.

Ney’s legal practice has focused on civil litigation encompassing various intellectual property law matters in private and public settings. His experience includes service as acting general counsel for the Department of the Navy, overseeing legal issues including intellectual property and litigation matters, and directly supervising and working with the Department’s intellectual property legal counsel including the Counsel to the Office of Naval Research and the Patent Counsel of the Navy.

Ney served as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County from January 2008 to October 2009.

Ney is a 1980 graduate of Cornell University with an A.B. degree in Biology and a 1984 graduate of Vanderbilt University with both a J.D. degree and a M.B.A. degree.

Lieff Cabraser’s Byrd promoted to partner

Kenneth S. Byrd has been promoted to partner at the national plaintiff’s law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP.

Based in Lieff Cabraser’s Nashville office, Byrd represents consumers in consumer protection cases and individual and families of loved ones who died in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed in courts in Tennessee and across the Southeast and Midwest. Byrd is also a member of Lieff Cabraser’s fast expanding False Claim Act practice group, assisting whistleblower stop fraud and misuse of funds in government contracts and programs.

Pancoast Benefits hires vice president of sales

Pancoast Benefits, a provider of employee benefits and administrative support, has hired Tommy Martin as vice president of sales. This addition is the result of the recent merger between Pancoast Benefits and Hendersonville-based Martin & Associates.

Smith has more than 25 years of experience in the employee benefits field and most recently held office as president of Martin & Associates.

Pancoast Benefits was founded by former Vanderbilt head football coach Fred Pancoast in 1985 to provide businesses with employee benefits administrative support and professional consultation.

FirstBank vice president reappointed ASIS chair

Clark Cummings, FirstBank’s senior vice president and director of risk management, has been reappointed chairman of the Banking and Financial Services Council for ASIS International.

ASIS International is responsible for educating members on global security issues and strategies, ensuring the security of information and safe practices of corporations internationally. The organization comprises more than 37,000 security professionals in more than 31 industries worldwide.

Cummings has been a member of ASIS International for the past 13 years.

First Farmers Bank makes leadership changes

First Farmers and Merchants Bank has announced the hiring of Jill Giles as controller. Previously the audit manager at the Brentwood accounting firm Rayburn, Bates & Fitzgerald, Giles replaces Robert Matthews, who has become the bank’s director of human resources.

Giles had been at Rayburn, Bates & Fitzgerald since 2011. Prior to that, she spent five years at Kraft CPAs, first as an audit senior and then an audit manager.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT-Martin in 2003 earned an M.S. in accounting and information systems from Middle Tennessee State University in 2005.

Baker Donelson enhances firm’s business practice

Andrea Barach has joined Baker Donelson as a shareholder and a member of the firm’s business department.

Previously with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Barach joins Baker Donelson’s Nashville office and represents clients in a range of business transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions and financings across several industries including health care, long term care, real estate development and finance.

A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Barach has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2005 and is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association.

J. Alexander’s hires director of real estate, develpment

J. Alexander’s LLC, operator of J. Alexander’s restaurants and Stoney River Legendary Steaks restaurants, has announced the appointment of Robert G. Miles to the newly created post of director of real estate and development.

Miles is responsible for construction activity, real estate transactions and management of department personnel. Among an array of other duties, Miles also is responsible for securing general contractors, architects, engineering firms and other service providers for capital projects.

Previously, Miles served as senior vice president of real estate and development for Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.

Butler Snow adds to government relations group

Butler Snow LLP has hired John T. Herzog for the firm’s Nashville office.

Herzog is a member of the Government Relations Group and will focus on providing government relations, public policy and strategy for both corporate and association clients at a federal and state level.

Herzog joins Butler Snow after spending the last decade in Washington, D.C., where he most recently worked as the vice president of government affairs & political strategy for Jeffrey J. Kimbell & Associates. In this role, Herzog led the firm’s outreach to the U.S. Senate, where he provided legislative, public policy, regulatory and reimbursement solutions to clients in the life sciences sector, including medical devices, pharmaceutical biotechnology, provider services, and biodefense.

CCA promotes 2 to senior vice president positions

CCA has promoted Lucibeth Mayberry to senior vice president, real estate and Kim White to senior vice president, human resources.

Mayberry previously served as vice president and deputy chief development officer, and White as vice president, correctional programs.

Mayberry will oversee the company’s land acquisitions, real estate development agreements, facility-build projects and facility maintenance. She joined CCA’s partnership development team in 2003 following a legal career.

White joined CCA in 2012, following a 26-year career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. There, she served as warden, regional director and as assistant director of the Human Resources Management Division.

Marsh becomes member at Dickinson Wright

Darlene T. Marsh has joined Dickinson Wright PLLC as a member.

Marsh’s practice focuses primarily on commercial real estate with an emphasis on finance and environmental compliance.

Marsh earned her B.S. from Tennessee State University and her J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law.