Taylor

Stites & Harbison, PLLC has announced the launch of a new entertainment law practice with the addition of member Stephanie R. Taylor to its Nashville office. Taylor will lead the team with help from current Stites & Harbison attorney Jeremy Brook.

As an entertainment and music industry attorney, Taylor provides a broad range of legal services to clients involved in the creation, production and management of creative works.

Besides being an accomplished attorney, Taylor is a classically trained violinist and has toured as a professional country/bluegrass fiddle player. She earned her J.D. and B.A. in music education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her MBA from Belmont University.

Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Taylor was a partner and chair of the Entertainment Law Division at Bone McAllester Norton PLLC in Nashville. Prior to that, she was a tenured professor of music business at Middle Tennessee State University, where she directed the school’s Recording Industry Exchange program with Russia.

Taylor serves on the board of trustees of the Foundation for Bluegrass Music and the International Bluegrass Music Museum. Taylor also donates her time to Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts. She is a member of the American Bar Association (Entertainment and Sports Law Forum), Americana Music Association, Country Music Association, International Bluegrass Music Association, The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) and the Tennessee Bar Association (Entertainment and Sports Law Forum).

Willis named EVP, CFO for Capella Healthcare

Willis

Gary D. Willis, CPA, has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer for Capella Healthcare.

Willis replaces Denise Warren, who is moving to North Carolina to become EVP and COO for a large multi-hospital system.

Willis comes to Capella from Martin Ventures, where he had served as CFO, overseeing all financial aspects of the investment firm. Previously he served as senior vice president and chief accounting officer for Vanguard Health Systems and had a similar role at LifePoint Health. Before his work in health care, Willis was affiliated with Gaylord Entertainment Company, where he was vice president, controller and chief accounting officer.

Willis holds a degree in accounting from Western Kentucky University.

Capella selects Bivacca to leadership position

Bivacca

Donald J. Bivacca has been named executive vice president and president of hospital operations support for Capella Healthcare.

With more than 25 years of health care experience, Bivacca began his career with HCA in a variety of hospital-based financial leadership roles, culminating in the role of Division CFO. After that, he partnered in launching a private company, ARx–The Accounts Receivable Solution, which grew to serve more than 200 providers in 30+ states and earned recognition as one of the fastest growing companies in Middle Tennessee four years in a row. He then joined LifePoint Health, where he worked for 11 years, serving most recently as Western Group President, with responsibility for 24 hospitals.

Bivacca earned a degree from Bloomsburg University, where he majored in accounting, economics and military science. He earned an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Lifepoint hires Carter as Eastern Group COO

Carter

LifePoint Health has appointed James R. (Jamie) Carter chief operating officer for the company’s Eastern Group of facilities.

In this position, Carter will join the Eastern Group executive leadership team, which oversees the operations of hospitals and healthcare providers in 5 states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. He replaces Victor Giovanetti, who was recently promoted to serve as president of LifePoint’s Western Group.

Most recently, Carter served as administrator of Conway Hospital, part of Baptist Health of Little Rock, Arkansas. Previously, he served as COO of Methodist University Hospital, an academic medical center that is part of Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare System in Memphis.

Carter earned a degree in commerce, business administration and health care administration from the University of Alabama and an MBA from the University of Mississippi.

FiftyForward announces 2015-16 board of directors

McKean

Retired Bridgestone executive Scott McKean will serve as president of the FiftyForward Board of Directors for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Other officers are board members are:

President-elect: Jeri Hasselbring (Discovery Center at Murfree Spring)

Hasslebring

Secretary: Renée Jenkins (American Red Cross)

Treasurer: Kerri Kelley Frye

Michael Aulisio, HarperCollins Christian Publishing; Julia Bonner, Pierce Public Relations; Courtney Caldwell Crants, SunTrust; Lucy Chism, U.S. Bancorp; Karen Clark, community volunteer; Mary Clements, Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation; Teresa Corlew, Nashville Electric Service; Sondra Cruickshanks, community volunteer; Eddie Davidson, Piedmont Natural Gas; Margaret Dunlap, UPS; Cullen Earnest, Advance Financial; Robin Fritz, Ingram Industries Inc.; Gina Grisham, Bank of Nashville; Dr. Ralf Habermann, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Carl Haynes, community volunteer; Pam Hess, St. Thomas Health; Vanessa Hickman, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority; Ashford Hughes, LiUna!; Karah Jennings, RJ Young; Jennifer Joyce, UPS; Dr. Jim Lancaster,Cigna-HealthSpring; Mercedes Lytle, community volunteer; Amy Mohan, Sherrard and Roe, PLC; Barbara J. Moss, Elder Law of Nashville PLC; Dr. Charles Mouton, Meharry Medical College; Jana Lisle Parham, UBS; Laura Purswell, Compass HR Partners; Janet Rachel, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Travis Richmond, HCA, Linda Peek Schacht, Lipscomb University; Brian S. Shelton, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings; Doug Small, Blue Dog Merch; Pete Stringer, First Tennessee Bank; Andrea Turner, PR consultant; Dr. Beth Woodard, Massey College of Business, Belmont University; Allyson Young, YMG Coaching and Consulting.

FiftyForward’s mission is to enrich the lives of adults 50 and older by providing pathways to health, well-being and lifelong learning. There are seven FiftyForward locations, five in Davidson County and two in Williamson County.

Financial Federal Bank adds staff in Nashville

Williford

Financial Federal Bank is pleased to welcome Battle Williford as vice president of commercial real estate and multifamily lending in its Nashville office.

Williford joins Steve Curnutte, a senior vice president and 27-year veteran of Nashville mortgage banking. He will provide financing solutions to commercial real estate developers and owners throughout the United States with a focus on multifamily, retail, office, industrial, self-storage, flagged hospitality, and senior-housing facilities.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University and University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Williford brings more than 10 years of experience in banking and real estate finance, including the last five years at Walker & Dunlop.

NFJE selects Marchetti for executive committee

Marchetti

L. Gino Marchetti, Jr., managing partner of Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti and Blair, PLLC, has been elected to the executive committee of the board of trustees for the National Foundation of Judicial Excellence (NFJE).

Founded in 2004, the NFJE joins bar associations, law schools, think-tanks, and other non-profit organizations that strive to strengthen and preserve the civil justice system and the independence of the judiciary by providing meaningful support and education to the judiciary.

Marchetti has been a member of the NFJE Board since 2012.

He has been a partner with TPMBLaw since 1977 after earning his J.D. from the University of Tennessee in 1976 and his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1973.

His primary areas of practice include commercial and business litigation, employment law, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, and tax-exempt entities.

Barge Waggoner selects director of Water Services

Lambert

Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon Inc., has named Shannon Lambert as director of Water Services.

Prior to this new role, Lambert served as client services manager with Water Services. He will be responsible for the development of growth strategies and business opportunities within his unit. Lambert is a Registered Professional Engineer in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee.

He earned his master and bachelor of science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Junior Achievement hires 3 full-time employees

Rush

Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee has hired Kelsey Rush, senior development and marketing manager, Natalie Goodrum, special events and marketing manager, and Loren Safdie, manager of BizTown.

Goodrum

Rush most recently worked as the director of event operations and sports marketing for Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Tourism & Sports. She is a graduate of Fort Hays State University with a degree in communication studies.

Goodrum graduated from Rhodes College in May with a degree in commerce and business. As the special events and marketing manager, Goodrum will assist in the facilitation and operation of JA of Middle Tennessee’s special events and marketing efforts, and will work with the development team to assist in the recruitment and retention of individual and corporate support.

Safdie

Safdie graduated from MTSU in 2012 with a degree in mass communications, and most recently worked as an administrative assistant for Temple Ohabai Sholom in Nashville.

As the JA BizTown manager, Safdie will facilitate a hands-on learning experience for more than 9,000 Middle Tennessee students, where they will learn the fundamentals of financial literacy and citizenship. She originally is from Crossville.