Rudy

The Nashville School of Law recognized three leaders in the legal community at its recent 24th annual Recognition Dinner. Alumni Mary Frances Rudy and Larry R. Williams are graduate honorees, and the Hon. Robert E. Corlew III is faculty honoree.

Rudy, a 1988 graduate, is founder of Rudy Title and Escrow, a title insurance company that started in Nashville’s Hillsboro Village neighborhood and has now expanded to an office in East Nashville. The firm, which was established in 1999, employs more than 30 people, serves the entire state, and has closed over 45,000 real estate transactions.

Rudy is a lifelong Nashvillian and her family has a rich history in the area. Rudy’s Farm Sausage, from the family farm near today’s Opryland Hotel, was a staple throughout the south.

Williams

Williams is a graduate of the class of 1974 and president of the Law Office of Larry R. Williams, a Nashville firm focusing on personal injury cases, Social Security disability and business law. Williams was an instructor at the School for 22 years, teaching local government and evidence. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Nashville Bar Association.

Williams earned his undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University and taught at Nolensville Elementary School and Northside in the early 1970s while attending law school at night.

Corlew

Corlew, of Milton in Rutherford County, served on the faculty from 1999 to 2014, teaching law students in negotiable instruments, remedies, and secured transactions. Corlew retired from the bench in 2014 after 30 years in the judiciary and has spent his time in leadership roles with Lions Club International, most recently serving as president of the worldwide organization.

He also has been active in the Boy Scouts of America, the Jaycees and the American Red Cross. He has served as a city council member in Murfreesboro and was a major in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Housing Fund appoints Crawford president/CEO

Crawford

The Housing Fund has named Marshall E. Crawford, Jr. as its new president and chief executive officer.

Crawford, 51, most recently served as president of the housing and multifamily development division of Community Ventures Corporation in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Housing Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides resources and creative leadership to help individuals and communities create and maintain affordable and healthy places in which low- and moderate-income people can live.

Crawford will assume his duties later this month, replacing Joan Davis, who has served as interim director for the past year.

Crawford’s experience includes stints with Neighborworks America as senior director for the Southern Region, 2003-2016, the Office of Thrift Supervision for the Department of the Treasury, 1999-2003, loan officer with Prudential Savings Bank in 1999 and small business loan officer with the Small Business Administration. He worked in Nashville in 1995 at Third National Bank.

Crawford served in the U.S. Army from 1987 to 1992 as a logistics specialist, with station postings in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Nuremberg, Germany.

He is a 1995 graduate of Western Kentucky University with a degree in finance. He earned a master of public administration degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2006 and an executive leadership certification from Georgetown University in 2016.

Nashville EO chapter adds 14 new members

The Nashville chapter of The Entrepreneurs’ Organization has added 14 members to its group of Middle Tennessee business owners, retaining its standing as the second-largest EO chapter in the United States and fourth-largest in the world.

EO Nashville now has 211 members, only three members behind New York City, which remains the largest chapter in the U.S. EO Tokyo is No. 1 in the world with 234 members, followed by Mumbai with 220.

The 14 new EO Nashville members are:

-- Phil Breeden, president and founder of FirstCall Claims, a firm of public insurance adjusters

-- Jennifer Ghanem, attorney, Keller, Turner, Ruth, Andrews & Ghanem, PLLC.

-- Angie Lawless, owner, Wagon Wheel Title and Escrow, LLC

-- James Lewis, owner of Community Hospitality LLC, a restaurant group that owns and operates the restaurants Burger Up, Josephine and Prima

-- Trey Myers, founder and president of Turnipblood Entertainment, an entertainment production company.

-- Nicholas Ogden, managing partner of Clear Blue Equity, a company specializing in the acquisition and repositioning of multi-family units

-- Pamela Peters, president of DPM of Nashville Inc., a floor and upholstery cleaning service.

-- Trent Sullivan, owner of LINES, Inc interiors + architecture

-- Jon Thompson, president of Thompson Electric Inc.

-- Martin Watts, founder and CEO of Ozark River Portable Sinks

-- Casey Riggs, attorney, Riggs Davie PLC

-- Dani Dubetz, founder and CEO of Music City Loft, a vacation rental service

-- Bryan White, a principal at Crosslin Technologies, a managed IT services provider and consulting firm

-- Sherry Deutschmann, founder and former owner of LetterLogic Inc., a patient billing company

Turner wins entrepreneur award for Southeast region

Turner

Pinnacle Financial Partners President and CEO Terry Turner has been named Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 for the Southeast region in the field of financial services. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas like innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Turner was selected by an independent panel of judges as part of EY’s nationwide Entrepreneur of the Year program.

Since 1986, EY has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation and discipline have driven their companies’ success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. Now in its 31st year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and companies like Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Pierre Omidyar of eBay and James Park of Fitbit, among many others.

As a Southeast award winner, Turner is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs on Nov. 18, 2017.

Integrated Healing names Fisher executive VP/CFO

Fisher

Integrated Healing Technologies, LLC has hired Jeff Fisher as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Fisher will provide both operational and programmatic support to the organization and serve as its chief financial spokesperson in all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to budget management, cost benefit analysis, forecasting and securing new funding.

Holding various leadership and management roles at Pinnacle Financial Partners and SunTrust Robinson-Humphrey, Fisher joins the IHT team with more than 40 years of experience in banking, finance and health care. More recently, his primary focus has been on the health care industry. Joining Aegis Sciences Corporation in 2008, Fisher became its chief financial officer and chief culture officer, and in 2014 he became the first executive vice president and chief financial officer at Covenant Surgical Partners, Inc.

Fisher earned a degree in business administration and history from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in financial management from Tennessee State University. He also attended Tennessee School of Banking and University of Virginia School of Retail Banking to further his education and banking career.

Smithson elected chair of Davidson GOP

Smithson

The Davidson County Republican Party executive board has elected Melissa Smithson as the new party chairman.

Smithson has been a longtime activist in local Republican politics, including most recently serving as the Trump Campaign county co-chair and as a candidate for Council District 28. She has served on the DCRP board previously as communications secretary for the last two terms.

She also has been involved in Save Our Fairgrounds and StopAmp, serving as communication and social media director.

Chase Montgomery was elected first vice chair. Others executive board members include Heather Sczepczenski (second vice chair), Erin Rogus (communications secretary), Steve Glover (treasurer), Aaron Snodderly (assistant treasurer), Evann Freeman (recording secretary).

Mertie named to Saint Thomas board

Mertie

Scott Mertie, president of Kraft Healthcare Consulting, LLC, has joined the Saint Thomas Health Foundation’s board of directors. He will serve on the investment committee.

Saint Thomas Health Foundation, a division of Saint Thomas Health, is focused on providing access to essential health services to everyone in the Middle Tennessee community, particularly uninsured and under-insured residents.

With nearly 25 years of experience in the health care industry, Mertie’s expertise includes consulting on financial, operational, reimbursement and compliance matters for health care clients throughout the United States.

Andrews Agency names Thomas president, partner

Thomas

The Andrews Agency has named Jena Locke Thomas its president and partner. Founding partner Susan Andrews Thompson will remain involved in the agency’s operations as chief executive officer.

Formerly vice president at the agency, Thomas’ work includes public relations and strategic marketing efforts for restaurant, development and non-profit clients. Prior to joining The Andrews in 2013, Thomas spent more than four years as a consultant at Hall Strategies with expertise in media relations, special events and social media.

Poplar Hill Realty picks managing broker

Hunter

Bellevue’s Poplar Hill Realty has promoted Michelle Hunter into the role of managing broker. In her new role, Hunter will serve as the company’s representative to the Tennessee Real Estate Commission and will be responsible for overseeing all affiliate brokers, ensuring legal compliance and record keeping.

Hunter has a total of 17 years of experience and has been with the firm 10 years, serving residential clients as an affiliate broker. She also assists the company with bookkeeping and property management duties.