Wade

Argent Trust Company has announced the election of Charles D. Wade as president of the Tennessee-based subsidiary of Argent Financial Group.

Wade brings more than 30 years of experience in leading large financial services firms. He joined Argent Financial Group’s executive management team as CEO in 2014. This additional role is an extension of Argent’s utilization of his experience and expertise.

Previously, Wade served as the executive vice president and manager of Reliance Trust’s Wealth Management and Investment Division. Prior to joining Reliance, Wade founded and then served as chairman and CEO of The Trust Company, now the Texas-based trust services subsidiary of Argent Financial Group.

He holds an MBA and finance degree from the University of Alabama. He serves on the boards of Argent Financial Group, Argent Trust Company and The Trust Company.

Bass, Berry & Sims elects new members

Knight

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has announced the election of six new members in the firm, including four in Nashville. Nashville members include:

Jay H. Knight, whose practice primarily focuses on securities, real estate capital markets, structured finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Bass Berry & Sims, Knight served in several positions in the Division of Corporation Finance at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over a period of approximately five years, most recently serving as Special Counsel in the Office of Structured Finance and as a member of the Dodd-Frank Implementation Team. Knight earned his J.D. from Northern Kentucky University and a B.B.A. from Eastern Kentucky University.

Orr

Andrea N. Orr primarily represents publicly traded companies in mergers and acquisitions and securities offerings and also routinely advises clients on corporate and securities matters. Prior to rejoining the firm, Orr was the vice president and corporate counsel at HealthSpring. Orr earned her law degree, cum laude, from Wake Forest University and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee.

Paterno

Tatjana Paterno assists private and public companies at all stages of the business life cycle and continuum. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity securities offerings, strategic relationships and other complex business transactions, as well as corporate governance and securities law compliance. Paterno earned her law degree, summa cum laude, from Southern Methodist University and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Young

Kinika L. Young counsels clients in high-stakes litigation, often representing health care providers and hospital systems in their defense of managed care disputes, risk management and professional liability actions. Young earned a law degree, cum laude, from Tulane University and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Florida A&M University.

Watkins president sets August retirement date

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film President Ellen L. Meyer has announced she will retire on August 1, after serving in the office for seven years.

Meyer

The board has established a presidential search committee, chaired by trustee Larry Papel, and a national search process is underway.

Meyer began her work as the institution’s 15th president on August 1, 2008. Under her leadership, she has led Watkins to a place of recognition and prestige among the best colleges of art in the country. Achievements include the realization of a decade-long goal of regional accreditation of the college through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC, in 2010) and re-accreditation of the Department of Interior Design by Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), the national accrediting agency for art and design and art and design-related disciplines.

In 2011, Watkins gained acceptance into the prestigious Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of 43 leading visual arts colleges in the United States and Canada.

Before coming to Watkins, Meyer was president of Atlanta College of Art for 14 years. Earlier in her career, Meyer was director of continuing education and special programs at Rhode Island School of Design and vice president of marketing and extension at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

A native of Philadelphia, she earned both bachelor and master of arts degrees in art history and theory from George Washington University and pursued additional graduate studies at the Visual Art Center, Antioch University, in ceramics.

Home Foundation taps Hollins as its president

Dickinson Wright Attorney N. Courtney Hollins has been named president of The West End Home Foundation, a private non-profit organization committed to supporting the elderly in Nashville since 1891.

Hollins

Hollins is a member attorney in the Nashville office of Dickinson Wright, PLLC, where she focuses her practice on real estate, banking and corporate law.

On the board of directors for four years, Hollins most recently served as vice president and president-elect in 2014.

The primary function of The West End Home Foundation is to provide all aspects of care and living to seniors, primarily women. Last year was the organization’s first full year as a purely private foundation.

Other 2015 officers approved by the board are: Kim Hardin, vice president; Gayle Vance, secretary; Caroline Shockley, treasurer; Barbara Cannon, immediate past president

New board members for this year include Margaret Smith, Emily James and Sallie Norton.

Logan’s appoints Zavolta its chief people officer

Logan’s Roadhouse has chosen Michelle Zavolta is its new chief people officer. Zavolta will be responsible for all of the human resource/benefits functions and processes, and she will report directly to President and CEO Sam Borgese. She was most recently a human resources consultant in Atlanta.

Zavolta

Zavolta has 13 years of human resources experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Prior to becoming a human resources consultant, she served as vice president of Human Resources and Training for Ted’s Montana Grill. In that role, she provided strategic leadership for employees, ensuring that the company’s values and culture were aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization.

She was also vice president of Human Resources for CB Holding Corp., in Mountainside, New Jersey, where she oversaw all areas of human resources for a $200 million restaurant business operating three brands with 86 locations and 5,000 employees.

Zavolta earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the Marshall University.

Severson is president of Legal Marketing Association

Adam C. Severson of Baker Donelson has assumed the role of president of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA). He will serve a one-year term.

Severson

Founded in 1985, the LMA has 19 chapters and 26 city groups across the U.S. and Canada, and its more than 3,700 members hail from 48 U.S. states and 15 countries.

Severson is the chief marketing and business development officer at Baker Donelson, responsible for the strategic direction and execution of the firm’s business development and marketing initiatives, and collaborates with the firm’s lawyers and professional staff to maintain a client focus, increase marketplace awareness and facilitate cross-office and cross-practice collaboration.

The team Severson leads at Baker Donelson has been recognized as the No. 1 business development & marketing team by the publication Marketing the Law Firm.