U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper announced today that Alfred Degrafinreid II has joined his office as counsel. Degrafinreid will be based in Nashville and will advise on policy matters and coordinate community outreach for Rep. Cooper.
The native Tennessean holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tennessee State University. He is a recent graduate of Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law and served in various leadership positions in the Student Bar Association. He also was selected as commencement speaker. While in law school, he worked as a legislative assistant for the state’s press association.
Degrafinreid worked on both Mayor Karl Dean’s re-election campaign and Howard Gentry’s 2007 mayoral run. He has also served as a legislative assistant for state Sen. Andy Berke and for state House Speaker Pro Tempore Lois M. DeBerry.
Baker Donelson hires securities specialist
J. Allen Roberts has joined the Nashville office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.
Roberts, who joins as shareholder, concentrates his practice in general business law, mergers and acquisitions and private equity and debt offerings, including private placements of convertible debt, preferred stock, common stock and warrants.
A frequent lecturer on mergers and acquisitions and corporate issues, Roberts is a 1995 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law where he was the research editor of the Tennessee Law Review. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and is active in the American Bar Association in the Business Law Section and M&A Jurisprudence, M&A Trends, Negotiated Acquisitions and Private Equity M&A subcommittees.
Lattimore Black adds six to local offices
Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC has added several new employees. They include:
Kevin Roswell, who has joined LBMC Technologies, LLC, as a network systems engineer in the network operations division. He most recently served as a network administrator for the State of Tennessee, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Denise Baltz, who has joined LBMC Employment Partners, LLC, in a payroll specialist position in the Nashville office. She previously worked in the HR/payroll department at Film House, Inc.
Kaitlin Grigsby, who has joined LBMC Employment Partners, LLC, in a client development role after serving in the Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC human resources department for the past two and a-half years.
Gretchen Bates as a staff member with the tax department’s wealth management team. Bates previously served as a tax intern for LBMC, as well as CRI.
Shannon Simmons as a staff member with the tax department, where she will be working closely with business clients in the entrepreneurial services group. Previously an accountant at Aegis Sciences Corporation, she has experience in corporate health care accounting.
Lauren Rogers, CISSP has joined the firm in a senior consultant position in the Security & Risk Services department. She previously was a security analyst at AdvanceMed, an NCI company and Federal contractor. Her background also includes operational experience in health care and with the Department of Defense.
Curry is new associate at Sherrard & Roe
Attorney Lauren Curry has joined the law firm of Sherrard & Roe, PLC, as an associate in the firm’s Litigation Group. Prior to joining Sherrard & Roe, Curry was a judicial law clerk to The Hon. Jane B. Stranch, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Curry received her J.D. in 2011 from Vanderbilt University Law School, where she was senior articles editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif. Curry received several Vanderbilt Scholastic Excellence Awards as well as the Lightfoot, Franklin & White Best Oralist Award and the Mock Trial Quarterfinalist & Top Litigator Award. She was a member of Phi Delta Phi and recipient of a Law School Merit Scholarship.
From 2005-2008, Curry was a patrol officer with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, where she was also a certified Mounted Horse Patrol officer. She received the Law Award for the highest law grades in her police academy class and received the Chief’s Coin, recognizing excellence in job performance.
Curry earned a B.A. in psychology, cum laude, at the University of the South in 2004.
Catholic Charities’ picks Geriatrics coordinator
Linda Edwards, a long-time Nashville social services practitioner, is the new Geriatrics Services program coordinator for Catholic Charities of Tennessee. In her role, Edwards oversees the agency’s Adult Day Program operating at Saint Mary Villa, as well as its Living at Home/Staying at Home initiative.
Prior to assuming her new responsibilities, Edwards spent more than seven years away from the area working with the Henderson County Department of Social Services in Hendersonville, NC, where she was focused on in-home services.
Prior to her tenure in North Carolina, Edwards was on staff in Nashville with Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee, YWCA of Middle Tennessee, Centerstone (Dede Wallace Mental Health Center), and Saint Mary Villa Child Development Center.
McNeely Pigott & Fox promotes team member
McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations has promoted Logan Pratt to associate account executive. He previously was a staff associate.
Pratt, a native of Hot Springs, Ark., joined MP&F in 2011 and has worked with a variety of client teams, including the Tennessee Charter School Incubator, Table 3 and Kirkland’s. While at MP&F, his areas of responsibility have included event planning, media relations, writing and video production.
Daniel, Dralus join Concept Technology, Inc.
IT service provider Concept Technology, Inc. has hired Jonathan Daniel as an IT support analyst and Darlene Dralus as a field engineer.
Daniel’s previous technology experience includes a four-year stint on the Geek Squad at the Best Buy in Madison. As an in-store counter intelligence agent, he was responsible for diagnostic, repair and upgrade of computer hardware and software. He also worked as a computer and network field service technician for FieldTechs.net.
For the past nine years, Dralus worked as a web developer and network support administrator for Franklin Road Academy in Nashville. While there, she coded websites, developed custom web applications, built and maintained web and database servers, installed software and supported the help desk.
Paramore promotes 3 to VP, adds 3 to staff
Paramore, a digital agency, has promoted three employees to vice president and added three new team members.
Amanda Durand has been promoted to vice president of sales, where she oversees business development for the agency. Durand has been with Paramore since early 2006. She was previously with dot-com media companies in New York City and Los Angeles, including Value Click Media.
Kate Gallagher has been promoted to vice president of accounts. In this role, Gallagher is responsible for both the Client Services and Media teams. She joined the agency as an intern in early 2005. As the agency’s second employee, Gallagher quickly climbed the ranks and has been in every account service and media position in the agency.
Josh Miller has been promoted to vice president of production. He oversees all aspects of project development, including creative, programming, engineering, content strategy/creation and project management. Miller joined Paramore in 2006.
The agency, which recently opened a satellite office in West Virginia and landed on the Inc. 5000 list for the fifth year in a row, also has welcomed three new hires:
Jenni Shaver joins Paramore as project manager. Most recently serving as marketing and brand coordinator for Vasquez Entertainment/Artist Management Company, Shaver brings more than five years of marketing and project management experience.
Coming from Mullen Advertising in Boston, Sarah Hillard joins an 0perations coordinator, focusing on internal operations.
Lisa Milone joins as an account manager. She most recently served as a project manager for Fresh Aesthetics. Milone will be responsible for leading, managing and growing client relationships.
Fifth Third Bank promotes 11 employees
Fifth Third Bank (Tennessee) has announced the promotion of 11 bank employees within the local affiliate, including three members of the senior management team.
Promoted to senior vice president are Michael Shingleton, chief financial officer; Connie White, marketing executive; and Chris McCall, business banking executive.
Promoted to vice president are Alison Regg, senior credit analyst; and Kenneth Maclean, commercial portfolio manager III.
Promoted to assistant vice president are Stuart Clamp, mortgage area sales manager; and Eric Meriwether, financial center manager II.
Promoted to officer are Keith Garrett, financial center manager; Thomas Hall, mortgage sales coach; Li Sullivan, mortgage loan officer; and Haley Thorne, retail recruiter.
Nashville Bank & Trust hires financial planner
Nashville Bank & Trust has added Dustin Baucom to its Wealth Management Services department.
Prior to NBT, Baucom was director of financial planning and case design for Wellness Financial Advisors. He was responsible for investment strategies, life insurance design and financial planning for the firm’s clients.
Baucom is currently enrolled in Belmont University’s Executive Program for Financial Planning.