Clayton

Four insurance industry veterans were honored this year, including one posthumously, with induction into the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame at Middle Tennessee State University.

The Class of 2015 inductees included the late Scott Clayton of Nashville, Eugene “Gene” Frazer Jr. of Knoxville and David Meador and Ken Pinkston, both of Nashville.

The Insurance Hall of Fame has inducted 62 since its inception, according to Kenneth Hollman, holder of the Martin Chair of Insurance at MTSU.

Clayton entered his life insurance business and gradually expanded his services to include disability insurance, long-term care insurance, equities, business succession planning, executive benefits and his favorite – estate planning – for over 51 years.

He worked with Connecticut Mutual and Mass Mutual for more than 60 years, winning numerous awards, including 50 years a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table.

Meador

Blinded since college following an automobile accident, David Meador currently makes his living as a motivational speaker after retiring from the insurance industry in 2002.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University and a master’s from Loyola of Chicago, Meador went on to become a 20-year career sales representative with Northwestern Mutual in Nashville, where he set the agency record for consecutive weeks of production – bringing in new business every week for 11 consecutive years.

He was a member of both the National Association of Life Underwriters and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors for a decade.

Upon his retirement, Meador moved to public speaking at civic clubs and corporate conventions. He was also very active in the United States Blind Golf Association, winning the national championship in 1976, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and receiving the Ben Hogan Award at the 2013 Masters Tournament.

Pinkston

An alumnus of Martin Methodist College, MTSU (B.S. ’64) and Vanderbilt, Pinkston began his career in the insurance industry in 1964 with Traveler’s Insurance Company in Nashville.

He then joined what would become the Willis Group, filling various roles including president of the company’s research and sales development division and chairman and CEO of Willis operations in North America and vice chair of global operations.

Eugene “Gene” Frazer Jr. of Knoxville retired from the Shafer Insurance Agency in Knoxville, where he served for 34 years.

Frazer

To start his career, Frazer went to work with Travelers Insurance Company as a casualty underwriter in Nashville in 1960 before being transferred to Knoxville and joining Shafer Insurance Agency as marketing manager. He was named vice president a few years later and retired from the agency in May 2001.

A U.S. Army veteran and Vanderbilt University graduate, Frazer was known among his colleagues as a student of insurance. He was active in leadership roles within professional insurance associations on both the local and state level.

Barrett joins ServisFirst as VP, correspondent banking

Barrett

ServisFirst Bank, a subsidiary of ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc., recently hired Andrew Barrett as vice president, correspondent banking. Barrett’s father, Brad Barrett served as executive director of the Tennessee Bankers Association 1992-2013, and his brother, Colin Barrett, serves as the association’s executive director.

Barrett earned a degree in business administration and finance from the University of Tennessee. He also completed the Nexus Leadership Program and attended the Southeastern School of Commercial Lending.

Pinnacle adds Northcutt as senior vice president

Kendria Northcutt has joined Pinnacle Financial Partners as a senior vice president and credit advisor for the firm’s residential construction lending area. She is based at Pinnacle’s Mallory Lane office.

Northcutt brings 11 years of financial services experience to her role. Before coming to Pinnacle, she was a consumer portfolio manager and senior credit underwriter for CapStar Bank. Prior roles included serving as a commercial credit analyst and assistant relationship manager for US Bank and as a commercial real estate credit analyst for Regions Bank.

Northcutt earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in business administration and economics from Middle Tennessee State University.

Nashville Symphony promotes conductor

Parameswaran

The Nashville Symphony has promoted Vinay Parameswaran to associate conductor and has signed a contract agreement that will keep him with the organization for the next three years.

Named assistant conductor in early 2014, Parameswaran has conducted classical and pops performances by the orchestra, as well as all of the organization’s community concerts. Working closely with the Symphony’s education and community engagement team, he also conducts and develops the programming for the popular Pied Piper Children’s Series.

Prior to joining the Nashville Symphony, Parameswaran conducted the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble on the album Two x Four in 2013, featuring violinists Jaime Laredo and Jennifer Koh. In the summer of 2012, he was one of seven out of over 130 applicants to take part in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music’s Conductors Workshop, headed by Marin Alsop and Gustav Meier. That May, he served as the cover conductor to Robert Spano in the Curtis Symphony Orchestra’s tour to Dresden, Germany, as well as the cover conductor to Miguel Harth-Bedoya with the Fort Worth Symphony.

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Parameswaran holds a degree in music and political science from Brown University.