Mason

Dickinson Wright PLLC has hired Ariel Mason and Dustin Kovacic as associate attorneys. Mason joins the firm’s downtown Nashville office, and Kovacic joins the office on Music Row.

Mason previously worked for Dickinson Wright as a summer associate in the Nashville office, where she composed arguments for inclusion in trial briefs and motion memoranda. She also conducted extensive research on general litigation issues, including business disputes, employment law, and bankruptcy law.

Mason also was a summer associate with Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell, PLC in Memphis and a legal intern with Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation and Autozone, Inc. She also served as a constituent services intern for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and was president of Vanderbilt Law School’s Health Law Society.

Kovacic

Kovacic worked as a law clerk in Dickinson Wright’s Music Row office prior to his employment. He assisted in drafting producer, songwriter, management, pitching and consulting agreements for entertainment clients. He also researched and drafted memos on various topics for litigation including copyright and employment law. Kovacic also worked extensively on a major publishing catalogue sale purchase during his time at the firm.

Prior to joining Dickinson Wright, Kovacic worked as an intern for Nashville entertainment law firm Shackelford, Zumwalt & Hayes, LLP. He continued his work in entertainment law as a law clerk at Crownover Firm, LLP in summer 2014.

In law school, he served as senior development editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law. He was also a member of the entertainment and sports law society.

Spicer Rudstrom adds veteran defense attorney

Duffy

Litigation and business law firm Spicer Rudstrom, PLLC has hired employment and insurance defense attorney Brian S. Duffy to its Nashville office. Duffy brings with him more than 40 years of experience and will serve in an Of Counsel role for the firm.

Duffy comes to Spicer Rudstrom from McConnaughhay, Duffy, Coonrod, Pope, Weaver, Stern & Thomas PA in Tallahassee, Fla., where he was a shareholder. He also is a former senior assistant attorney general for Florida, and was an honors graduate of Florida State University College of Law.

Harding Academy names new head of school

Skeen

The Harding Academy Board of Trustees has selected David Skeen as the next head of school, beginning July 1, 2016.

Skeen is currently middle school head at Canterbury School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Previously, he served as dean of students, teacher, coach and director of summer programs at Calvert School in Baltimore, Maryland.

He holds a degree in history from Washington and Lee University and a master’s in educational studies with a focus on Independent School Leadership from Johns Hopkins University.

Mason will serve as Barry’s chief of staff

Mason

Debby Dale Mason, chief community development officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, has been appointed by Mayor Megan Barry to be her Chief of Staff. Mason will be focused on the management of the executive offices, guiding the formation and implementation of policy within the administration.

Mason’s career spans 40 years in the private, public and non-profit sectors in Nashville, 20 of which have been at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Mason’s early career includes time spent with the Tennessee Arts Commission and Historic Nashville, Inc., as well as a role as chief of staff in Mayor Bill Boner’s administration.

Her career has also included time at the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, the Nashville Downtown Partnership, and as a small business owner, managing a consulting company.

In her role as the chief community development officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Mason served as a member of the Chamber’s senior management team, focused on community development initiatives, regional projects and relationships with key policy makers and Chamber stakeholders.

Mason will start her new position within the Mayor’s Office on Nov. 18.

Bridgestone selects DeMouy as vice president

DeMouy

Bridgestone Americas has named James (Jim) DeMouy as vice president of environmental, health, safety and sustainability for Bridgestone Americas.

DeMouy will provide environmental, health and safety strategic and operational leadership for the global enterprise, including stewardship of the sustainability initiatives. He will lead and direct all environmental, sustainability, health and safety-related activities for the entire Americas region, including overseas locations (manufacturing and retail).

DeMouy most recently served as vice president, environmental health safety and corporate social responsibility for Alstom Thermal Power, where he led a global team and oversaw all environmental, health, safety, crisis management and sustainability programs for the Baden, Switzerland-based business totaling 35,000 employees. Prior to Alstom, he worked at General Electric as general manager of environmental health and safety for power generation services.

Memorial Foundation names Routh VP of grants

Routh

The Memorial Foundation has named Jackson Routh as the organization’s vice president of programs and grants. Prior to joining The Memorial Foundation, Routh served for 10 years as the community initiatives manager for the Dollar General Corporation.

In his position, Routh will be responsible for implementing and managing all aspects of the Foundation’s grant evaluation and monitoring program. He succeeds Scott Perry, who was named president of the foundation, following the passing last summer of J.D. Elliott, The Memorial Foundation’s founding president.

Routh is the incoming president of the Goodlettsville Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He is a former recipient of the Presidential Award from the Commission on Adult Basic Education and of the Dollar General Chairman’s Circle award. Routh earned a master’s degree in human development counseling from Vanderbilt University.

Realtors Association hires communications director

Newman

Phil Newman, a longtime Knoxville- and Nashville-area communications and public-relations professional, has joined the Tennessee Association of Realtors as director of communications.

In this key leadership role, Newman will serve to advance TAR’s strategic priorities in communications and community outreach, while supporting the Association’s initiatives in public-policy advocacy, education and professional-standards training.

Newman is founding principal of Franklin-based NewManifest Communications. He has served TAR for the past two years on a contract basis, providing media-relations services and leading an effort to promote the association’s Graduate Realtor Institute program.

Newman previously directed communications and public relations for Christ Presbyterian Academy and the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. He has served as communications administrator for hospital giant HCA, account executive for McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC, and as a business reporter for the Nashville Banner. In addition, he has served as senior writer for Knoxville’s Cityview magazine, contributing writer to Homecoming magazine, and editor/writer for HarperCollins and Thomas Nelson publishers. He began his career with stints writing for Fortune magazine in New York and for Whittle Communications in Knoxville.

Southeast Venture hires new designer

Downey

Brett Downey has joined Nashville commercial real estate firm Southeast Venture’s design services team as a designer.

Downey graduated with a degree in interior design from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in August 2015. Prior to graduation, he worked as an intern at Artech, an architectural firm in Chattanooga, where he honed his design and drawing skills. Downey also is an associate of the International Interior Design Association.

In his position at Southeast Venture, Downey will be involved in the development of drawings and details for large multi-family projects, corporate interior projects and project renderings for presentations.

DSi announces addition to electronic discovery

Burt

National eDiscovery and digital forensics company DSi announced today the addition of Daniel Burt to its electronic data discovery department.

Burt will assist in the data intake, processing and solving complex issues on several eDiscovery projects. Leveraging his previous experience and expertise, he will also lead the effort to improve and automate discovery, review, and production QC processes.

Previously, Burt worked at DTI, a legal process outsourcing and litigation technology solutions company. He holds a degree in computer information systems from Middle Tennessee State University.

Belmont Law graduate hired as assistant DA

Floyd

District Attorney Glenn Funk has announced the appointment of Nashville native Marcus Floyd to the position of assistant district attorney.

Floyd is a graduate of Belmont University College of Law and Middle Tennessee State University who previously served as a probation/parole officer in Memphis and Nashville. While attending law school, Floyd worked as an intern in DA’s Office and as a judicial law clerk in the 21st Judicial District.

A graduate of Hillsboro High School, Floyd grew up in Edgehill.

Junior Achievement adds program manager

Pozuk

Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee has hired Melanie Pozuc as program manager.

Pozuc previously worked as a communications and assessment coordinator for AmeriCorpsVISTA, where she gained considerable experience in fundraising, project management and data collection. As the JA program manager, Pozuc will recruit teachers and volunteers in Sumner and Wilson counties to increase the JA presence.

Pozuc, a native of Kent, Ohio, earned a degree from Kent State University, and is pursuing her MBA Lipscomb University.