Bone McAllester Norton PLLC has hired Brandon Meredith, a University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law alumnus, as the firm’s newest attorney at its Sumner County office. Meredith joins Bone McAllester Norton with 13 years of legal experience at Phillips and Ingrum in Gallatin.
Meredith is a veteran attorney in civil litigation who primarily focuses on real estate, landlord and tenant law, estate planning and administration, estate litigation, construction, boundary lines and other land use matters. Meredith also has represented the Gallatin Housing Authority for many years.
Meredith served as president of the Sumner County Bar Association 2014-2015.
Before attending the University of Memphis School of Law, Meredith worked as one of Bone McAllester Norton’s first service center managers.
Magura named CEO, president of WNPT
Becky Magura has been named President and CEO of Nashville Public Television and will assume her duties Sept. 8.
Magura is president and CEO of WCTE Central Tennessee PBS in Cookeville, where has received numerous national and state awards for her leadership. Magura has played a pivotal role in fostering lifelong learning and the use of public media for K-12 education. During this past year, when the pandemic resulted in an acute need for at-home learning, she served as the liaison for the Tennessee PBS At Home Learning Collaborative in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education and all six Tennessee public television stations.
Magura began her career at WCTE more than 39 years ago. In that time, she has held numerous production, educational outreach and management positions at the station. She served for six years on the national PBS board of directors, including serving on the PBS executive committee and as chair of the PBS Interconnection Committee. Magura’s other national board service includes APTS: Association for Public Television Stations Board, NETA: National Telecommunications Association Executive Board and Small Station Association executive board. She has just been elected to the American Public Television Board of Trustees. Locally, Magura serves on the Tennessee Technological University Alumni Board and recently completed service on the Cookeville/Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Board.
YWCA announces 2021-22 board members
YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee has elected 13 new members to its board of directors for the 2021-22 term. New members represent leaders in the legal, finance, business and media sectors.
New YWCA board members include:
• Lara Crouch, director client experience, Nashville Predators
• James Crumlin, shareholder, Baker Donelson
• Irwin Fisher, community volunteer
• Joey Hatch, community volunteer
• Latrisha Jemison, regional community affairs manager, Regions
• Marcia Masulla, owner, Roar
• Eleanor McDonald, chief legal counsel, Ingram Industries
• Jayme Parmakian, shareholder tax, LBMC
• Roberta Pettis, president and founder, FocusWorks Consulting
• Kristy Sinkfield, director strategy and innovation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Valerie Smith Molette, CAO, Deloitte
• Alecia Wynn, managing director, Ankura Consulting
• Vicki Yates, anchor, News Channel 5
Amanda Weeks-Geveden, senior vice president, managing director at U.S. Bank, is the new board chair, and Cynthia Whitfield-Story, CEO at INSPIRE1, LLC Consulting Firm, is board chair-elect.
Trevecca chooses dean for online learning, support
LaMetrius Daniels. Ph.D., has been promoted to dean of online learning and support services at Trevecca Nazarene University.
Upon joining Trevecca as director of online learning in 2014, Daniels worked with TNU leadership to establish the Center for Innovative Instruction, broadening the scope of online learning to support all areas of the University. In 2017, she was also named program director for instructional design and technology.
In her new position, Daniels will have expanded responsibility in the areas of program design, strategy and compliance, while continuing to collaborate with faculty to build on Trevecca’s online instruction capabilities.
Daniels, who served as dean of campus technology and director of information technology at Fisk University before joining Trevecca, first worked as an instructional designer at the University of Alabama. She began her career as a high school teacher before taking a position as a distance learning specialist at a community college.
Daniels earned her Ph.D. in instructional systems and workforce development. She also holds a master’s degree in instructional technology and bachelor’s degrees in information technology and business education, all from Mississippi State University.
She is a member of the International Society for Technology Education, the Online Learning Consortium and the Quality Matters Instructional Design Association and she has volunteered as a peer mentor for instructional designers across the U.S.
Bridgestone CMO announces retirement
After more than a decade leading the integrated marketing efforts for Bridgestone Americas, Philip Dobbs, Chief Marketing Officer, has announced he will retire in October.
Dobbs oversaw Bridgestone’s digital transformation, highlighted by an overhaul of the company’s consumer and commercial web experiences. Starting in 2014, Dobbs led a cross-functional, cross-business effort that established a best-in-class digital platform focused on delivering shopping and buying solutions in both the B2C and B2B spaces.
Dobbs also worked to reshape Bridgestone’s sports marketing strategy in the Americas region to create consumer and customer engagement platforms that build brand awareness and drive conversion across the purchase funnel.
Bridgestone will name a successor for Dobbs at a later date.
Centerstone taps CEO for Military Services
Centerstone, a not-for-profit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder services, has hired Blas Villalobos as the new chief executive officer for its Military Services division.
Villalobos comes to Centerstone with more than a decade of specialized experience working with veterans and the military community, most recently serving as the director of Veterans Affairs for Chapman University in Orange, California.
Villalobos will also be tasked with growing the organization’s partnerships with other military-friendly organizations, including existing partnerships with Wounded Warrior Project and Supportive Services for Veteran Families.
Villalobos began his academic career at Long Beach City College and holds doctorate and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Southern California, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University-Long Beach. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, having served from 1999 to 2003.
Fisher accepts position at Tennessee Tech
Joe Fisher, who has more than four decades of broadcasting experience with Nashville media and college sports, has joined Tennessee Tech University as news and communications director.
Fisher was most recently the director of broadcasting for Vanderbilt University Athletics. He was named Tennessee Co-Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 2013. The Regional Emmy winner is also a 2018 inductee of the Metro Nashville Public Schools Sports Hall of Fame.
Before joining Vanderbilt Athletics, he served as the weekend sports anchor and reporter for WKRN-TV and WSMV-TV in Nashville.
Fisher’s public relations background includes experience as an account executive at Dye, Van Mol and Lawrence Public Relations in Nashville.
As Tech’s news and communications director, Fisher will oversee the news function of the university to external and internal audiences through media relations, video and radio work to promote the university and its strategic initiatives.
Reliant Bank promotes Harris to vice president
Reliant Bank has promoted Zina Harris to vice president, learning and development manager. In her new role, Harris will support Reliant’s strategic training initiatives, providing leadership, direction and guidance to the bank’s team of learning specialists.
Harris has 20 years of collective organizational training experience within the banking and hospitality industries. She joined the Reliant team in 2018, and most recently served in the position of AVP, branch manager at the bank’s Thompson’s Station location in Williamson County. Harris has played a key role in supporting the bank’s retail management training program, often helping to transition retail leaders during mergers and acquisitions.
ESa adds Reed as senior graphic designer
Donnie Reed has joined ESa as senior graphic designer. A Tennessee native, he earned his BFA in graphic design from Austin Peay State University. Before joining ESa, he worked for GBHEM as a visual content and web manager.
Reed is responsible for supporting members of the marketing team and the firm with graphic design needs for proposals, promotional efforts, events and social media initiatives.
PENCIL welcomes new board members
Nonprofit PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement & Leadership) has chosen a new class of board members, as well as a new slate of board officers, for fiscal 2022. Joining the board for three-year terms are:
• Kenny Crapse, assistant vice president, commercial banking, Fifth Third Bank
• Shani Dowell, founder & CEO, Possip
• Joan Fleming, vice president, Residential Lending and Community Development, Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Co.
• Jacky Gomez, recruiting programs specialist, talent acquisition, Asurion
• Emily Gruening, director of leadership & training, Ryman Hospitality Properties
• Rachel Hawksworth, vice president, talent acquisition, HCA Healthcare
• Olivia Hill, executive director, human resources, Reliant Bank
• Ashley Johnson, CPA, EY (Young Leaders Council intern)
• Amani Kelly, director of sales, Forrester Research
•Devin Lintzenich, director of professional development & retention, Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
• Jacquie Thomas, senior vice president, market director, PNC Bank
PENCIL’s Board Leadership:
• Chair: Norman Merrifield, principal thought leader, 808 Education, LLC
• Vice chair: Wes Payne, senior vice president, Pinnacle Financial Partners
• Secretary: Robyn Williams, senior manager, EV Product Planning, Nissan North America
• Treasurer: Juan Williams, commissioner, State of Tennessee Department of Human Resources
• Immediate past chair: Brandyn Payne, chief employee experience officer, Consilio