Dr. Coreen Jackson

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Dr. Coreen Jackson, the director of the Tennessee State University Honors Program, has been appointed President of the National Association of African American Honors Programs.

Jackson, who served as the vice president of the NAAHP since October 2013, was appointed president at the organization’s annual convention in Jackson, Mississippi.

Jackson hopes to bring the NAAAHP annual conference to TSU in October of next year, in collaboration with Fisk University.

A longtime professor of communications at TSU, she also holds several national offices including chair of the Multi-Cultural Research Division of the Broadcast Education Association. As director of the Honors Program, she envisions transitioning the program to an Honors College, while increasing the amount of Honors courses in STEM, Social Sciences, Business and Liberal Arts.

Veterinary Association names board members

The Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association has named its 2014 Executive Board.

The newly elected officers are:

President: Dr. Frankie Locklar, Maury County Veterinary Hospital, Columbia

President-Elect: Dr. Maben Thompson, Upper Cumberland Veterinary Clinic, Crossville

Vice President: Dr. Susan Moon, Brooks Road Animal Hospital, Memphis

Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. Joe Ed Conn, Belle Meade Animal Hospital, Nashville

Immediate Past President: Dr. Steven Ambrose, Hillcrest Animal Hospital, Memphis

Six members-at-large were also elected to represent East, West and Middle Tennessee. They are: Dr. Russell Reel, Blue Ridge Veterinary Services and Morristown Animal Hospital, Morristown; Dr. Kristi Lively, Village Veterinary Medical Center, Farragut; Dr. Leland Davis, Reelfoot Animal Hospital, Union City; Dr. Lauren Olavessen, Merial Limited, Delta District, West Tennessee; Dr. John Zavaro, Healthy Petz Veterinary Hospital, Spring Hill; and Dr. Mandy Hagan Willis, Middle TN Veterinary Service, Morrison.

Benchmark Realty adds Cormack to team

Whitney Cormack has joined the Benchmark Realty team and will be working in the Nashville area.

A member of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, she will assist with buyer agents, first-time homebuyers and residential real estate properties.

Cormack graduated from Belmont University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Prior to her work in real estate, she was involved in real estate marketing and event planning.

CapStar adds more staff, appoints Seaton Controller

CapStar has announced the addition of several key staff positions, including a Controller in Finance and Administration.

Senior financial professional Mark Seaton has been appointed Controller. Seaton was a senior Manager specializing in community banking at Kraft CPAS, LLC, where his expertise included compliance, mergers and acquisitions and regulatory reporting. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Western Kentucky University and is a Certified Public Accountant in Tennessee and Kentucky. He is a chartered Global Management Accountant and has an accreditation in business valuation.

Candance Walton joins CapStar as an Accountant in Finance and Administration and was formerly employed at the General Council on Finance and Administration for the United Methodist Church, where she was responsible for monthly financial reports to 56 UM conferences. She has a degree in Accounting and Business Law from Tennessee State University.

Staff accountant Chris Gagner was most recently employed by Peoples State Bank of Commerce in Nolensville as a staff accountant and HR administrator. He is a Certified Credit Counselor and studied at Columbia State Community College.

Theresa May has joined the company as a Human Resources Information Systems and Payroll Specialist. She was previously payroll specialist at Advance Financial 24/7, processing payroll for more than 600 employees. May has also worked as purchasing manager at both Florida Community Bank and Orion Bank in Naples, Fl. She earned a degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Hodges University.

Jason Carr has joined the bank as Senior Commercial Loan Document Specialist. Carr was previously a Commercial Banking loan documentation specialist at U.S. Bank and has expertise in commercial real estate, law and finance. Prior to his time there, he specialized in Real Estate Business Banking at Regions. He has a degree in Business Administration, Finance and Economics from the University of North Alabama in Florence and is pursuing an additional accounting degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

Farmington Mortgage, a Division of CapStar Bank, has hired Stephanie Schritenthal, as a Mortgage Loan Closer/Post Closer. Schritenthal has 16 years of experience in mortgage lending with expertise in conventional, FHA and VA loans. She has previously worked as a closing specialist with elite Home Loans and as an underwriter for Countrywide Home Loans.

Anderson Benson brings Bousselot on board

Darla Bousselot has joined Anderson Benson Insurance & Risk Management as a personal risk advisor in the agency’s private client practice.

She previously founded Advantage Insurance and has 10 years of industry experience as both an agent and a carrier representative.

Most recently Bousselot worked with specialty insurance carrier PURE on its Tennessee launch.

Bousselot holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee.

Kiss to serve veterans; Metro creates new post

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has appointed Lisa Kiss, who served in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2002 for two full terms of service, as Veterans Service Officer.

Kiss will assist and support veterans who live, work or attend school in Davidson County and their families with such things as federal burial and survivor benefits, as well as link them to educational and employment opportunities.

She will help veterans in navigating the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system when applying for benefits and entitlements, including: disability compensation or pension; dependent and survivor benefits; burial benefits/ pre-registration; healthcare options; GI Bill and education entitlement; vocational rehabilitation; disability claim appeals; obtaining military service and discharge records; and accessing community resources.

Kiss most recently worked at the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of the Middle Tennessee Region. Her training and certification is through the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration, as well as various nationally recognized Veterans Service Organizations.

Colliers names Barton Director of Research

Katie Barton has been named Director of Research for Nashville’s Colliers International office.

She comes to Colliers from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s economic development team where she served for two years.

While at the Chamber, she managed the team’s property database, edited and packaged Requests for Information, and assisted with marketing materials and logistics in support of Partnership 2020.

As Director of Research, Barton will be responsible for conducting in-depth market analysis, research and reporting for Colliers Nashville.

Prior to moving to Nashville, Barton worked for the Savannah Economic Development Authority in Savannah, Ga., where she provided project support to the relocation and development teams, and assisted the World Trade Center Savannah with inbound delegations and special events.

She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from North Georgia College and State University, and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the University of Georgia.

Nur joins LBMC Technologies office

Salaad Nur has joined LBMC Technologies, LLC, as a Senior Intacct Consultant.

He will be working at the technology firm’s Brentwood office. His past experience includes Intacct experience with Serra.

Originally from East Africa, Nur has lived in the Nashville area for 16 years.

He earned his MBA from Middle Tennessee State University.

Turner honored as 2014 Woman to Watch

Britnie Turner, founder and CEO of Aerial Development Group, was recognized as the 2014 Woman to Watch during a recent awards ceremony presented by the Council on Workforce Innovation during the Women’s Conference, held at Belmont University.

Aerial Development is a residential and commercial development company founded by Turner in Nashville in 2009. The company revitalizes urban neighborhoods through renovations and infill. It donates a percentage of the profits to support orphans in Africa and local Middle Tennessee nonprofits.

Turner serves on the board of The Horizon Initiative, an international non-profit organization rescuing and empowering orphaned children to self-sustainability through a micro-community model.

She is a frequent speaker for REIN, a not-for-profit that supports real estate investors in Tennessee. She also is an active member of the Women’s Presidents Organization, Urban Land Institute Nashville, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Greenways for Nashville and Nashville Civic Design Center.

Dickinson Wright hires two associate attorneys

Dickinson Wright has hired two as associate attorneys for its Nashville office.

Joshua Burgener joins the firm after working as an associate attorney for the Wiseman Ashworth Law Group in Nashville. He graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2010.

Michael Lewis comes to Dickinson Wright after previously working with the firm as a summer associate. Lewis is also a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as an intelligence officer. He served as a judicial intern for Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Williams C. Koch, Jr.

Lewis graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2014.