The Nature Conservancy has elected five to its Tennessee board of trustees, including two from Nashville: Aaron Barrett and Lisa Calfee. They are joined by Matt Jernigan of Tullahoma, Philip Fieler of Memphis and Larry Blythe of Robbinsville, North Carolina.
Nashville’s Neil Johnson, product development innovation manager at ITW Dynatec, is serving as a board intern through the Young Leaders Council until June 2024.
Barrett is chief operating officer of Ingram Barge, previously holding several positions within the company including vice president, Ingram Logistics, multiple positions in vessel and fleet operations, customer service and logistics, and barge maintenance and repair. He oversees all of Ingram’s vessel operations, Barge M&R, Motor Vessel M&R, Custom Fuel operations, barge logistics and customer service and ST&E activities.
He holds a degree in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University with a focus on leadership and organizational effectiveness.
Calfee serves on the boards for the Nashville Chinese School and Jewish Middle/Upper Schools. In addition, she has hosted international exchange students for the past three years, was a home-schooling parent and previously taught for STEM Scouts (a branch of the Boy Scouts of America).
She holds a degree in biology and a master’s degree in plant sciences from The University of Tennessee. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in horticulture and urban forestry from Virginia Tech University. She was an assistant professor at Queens University and taught plant physiology and botany classes at UNC Charlotte and Vanderbilt.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.
Stevenson is new chair of hospital authority board
Frank Stevenson, senior pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, has been elected chair of the Metro Hospital Authority Board.
Stevenson has served on the board for the past eight years and has served as the chair of the finance committee for the past four years.
He also serves as associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Tennessee State University, as well as adviser of the TSU Gospel Choir and director of the Men’s Center.
Stevenson is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin and a holds a master of public administration from Murray State University. He is working toward completing the doctoral program at Trevecca Nazarene University. Stevenson recently served as executive director of a local charter school and executive deputy director for the Tennessee Office of Minority Health.
He is the founding pastor of City of Grace Church and serves as the senior pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. He also serves on the boards of the Nashville Predators Foundation, The Tennessee Historic Commission and South Nashville Youth Football League.
Ware Malcomb adds Lukens as civil engineering manager
Ware Malcomb has hired Jim Lukens, P.E. as civil engineering manager of its Nashville office.
Lukens brings more than 30 years of experience in civil engineering, design, project management and client management to the firm. His experience in civil land development is vast, covering all aspects of commercial, industrial, office, retail, multifamily, education and public work.
Lukens previously operated his own engineering and land development firm for more than 20 years. A licensed professional engineer in Tennessee, he earned a degree in civil engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and MBA from Belmont University. In addition, he is a licensed Real Estate Affiliate Broker specializing in commercial real estate.
Ware Malcomb’s Civil Engineering practice specializes in land development projects, with a focus on efficient design practices ensuring successful project outcomes. The team has worked on office, industrial, health care, public, institutional, retail, restaurant, mixed-use, multifamily and single family residential and subdivision projects.
Ware Malcomb opened its Nashville office in April 2022. The firm has been working with clients across Tennessee for more than nine years including multifamily, retail, office and industrial projects.
Nashville Pride Board selects new president
Nashville Pride has announced the appointment of Nicholas Gulick as the president of the board of directors for the 2023-24 term. Gulick will be responsible for board leadership and supporting the organization in the planning, developing and implementing the Nashville Pride Parade and Festival.
Gulick, a native of McMinnville, is director of development for OZ Arts and principal empowerment coach at Nicholas Gulick Coaching. Gulick has served on the Nashville Pride board of directors since 2021 and most recently served as secretary of that board.
Rounding out the board Dakerri Rhone as vice president and Brady Ruffin as secretary. Mac Huffington, who served as president of Nashville Pride for two terms, will serve as immediate past president.
Oak Steakhouse taps Arcuri for executive chef
The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, the hospitality group behind Nashville’s Oak Steakhouse and O-Ku, as well as a collection of additional restaurants and lodges in the Southeast, has named Jordan Arcuri as executive chef for Oak Steakhouse.
Arcuri grew up in Orlando, cooking in the kitchen alongside her parents and grandparents throughout her childhood and early adult years. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, she gained experience in the kitchens of more than five Nashville-based restaurants, most notably overseeing multiple culinary programs, menus and operations at local Nashville hospitality group M Street for six years.
Arcuri also was featured on two Food Network’s shows, Chopped and Supermarket Stakeout. Winning both competitions, she received the fitting nickname of “beef queen.”
Southeast Venture welcomes assistant property manager
Commercial real estate firm Southeast Venture has added Cole Pittman as assistant property manager. The role will be integral to supporting Southeast Venture’s thriving property management portfolio, which has grown by more than 280,000 square feet in 2023.
Pittman previously served nine years in the banking industry. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in biology.
Andrews Agency hires account executive
Payton Todd has joined the Andrews Agency as an account executive. Her client work includes branding, copywriting, social media, event planning and strategic planning in the retail, hospitality, banking, health care and nonprofit industries.
Todd is a recent University of Tennessee graduate with a master’s degree in advertising and public relations. She also earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Tennessee, with concentrations in public relations and marketing and a minor in business administration.