Williamson County native Jeff Smith has joined FirstBank as Franklin president, responsible for overseeing the bank’s branch office in the historic Post Office building at Five Points in Franklin, which is scheduled to open in early 2014.
Smith comes to FirstBank from Franklin Synergy Bank, where he was a commercial loan officer. Prior to his time at Franklin Synergy, he was with Capital Bank as well as Franklin National Bank. Smith has more than 27 years of banking experience in Williamson County.
A Middle Tennessee State University graduate, Smith is a longtime member of the Franklin Breakfast Rotary Club and is a past president. He also is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Franklin.
Nashvillians in leadership roles for Global Alliance
Misty Chambers was recently installed as president of the board of directors of the Global Alliance for Arts & Health.
Chambers is clinical operations/design specialist with Nashville architectural firm Earl Swensson Associates, Inc. (ESa). She serves in a health care planning, design and research capacity for ESa and also is a licensed registered nurse with nearly three decades of experience.
She joined ESa in 2006 after serving as director of facilities planning at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University.
Donna Glassford, also of Nashville, is currently serving as interim executive director for the Global Alliance. Glassford is president of Donna Glassford Arts in Health Consulting, which develops and coordinates artistic programming for health care clients across the country. She is a past secretary of the Board of Directors of the Global Alliance.
DVL promotes Meyer to senior vice president
DVL Public Relations & Advertising has promoted Jill Meyer from vice president to senior vice president.
She has been with DVL since 2004 and has more than 20 years of experience in government, corporate and non-profit public relations. At DVL, Meyer works on key accounts in the health care and food and beverage industries.
Hoar Construction promotes project manager
Ripley Bickerstaff, LEED AP BD+C, has been promoted to senior project manager in Hoar Construction’s Nashville office.
In his new position, Bickerstaff will have an enhanced role in client relations and account management. He will be responsible for a team of project managers and engineers and for handling multiple projects and clients.
Bickerstaff joined Hoar Construction in November 2004. He holds engineering and master of science in civil engineering degrees from Vanderbilt University. He is active in the Urban Land Institute, Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, Associated Builders and Contractors, Habitat for Humanity and Hands on Nashville.
Nashville Zoo hires chief development officer
Suzanne Iler has been hired as chief development officer for Nashville Zoo.
Iler will oversee the Zoo’s development department with responsibilities for raising operating, capital and endowment funds, as well as overseeing development events and corporate sponsorship.
Iler has more than 17 years of experience in non-profit fundraising, most recently serving as senior vice president of philanthropy at the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. While at the YMCA, Iler led its largest-ever annual giving campaign, which secured $6.6 million. Prior to joining the YMCA in 2004, Iler was vice president of development for Centerstone Community Mental Health and executive director for Belle Meade Plantation.
VU’s Russell honored for diabetes efforts
The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has awarded Vanderbilt’s William Russell, M.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, its highest honor, the Living and Giving Award for support of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Russell also is the principal investigator for the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet research program and was instrumental in Vanderbilt gaining the designation as a TrialNet Clinical Center. He guides the efforts of the TrialNet research team in furthering the goals of early detection, treatment and prevention of T1D. TrialNet is funded by the National Institutes of Health, JDRF and the American Diabetes Association.
An active supporter and advocate of families touched by T1D, Russell and the Children’s Diabetes Program team support multiple community outreach programs, including Diabetes Family Day.
Civil Site Design Group adds project manager
Gary O’Brien, PE, has joined Nashville-based Civil Site Design Group, PLLC, as a project manager. O’Brien will handle project design, coordination, and management for a wide range of commercial, residential, and health care projects.
O’Brien specializes in the delivery and management of large-scale commercial and health care projects. Before joining Civil Site Design Group, O’Brien worked with Actus Lend Lease as a senior program manager. In that role, he coordinated the details of a $400 million project to build and renovate hotels on 12 U.S. Army posts across the country. O’Brien also was associated with CEI Engineering Associates, where he served as regional manager, increasing annual revenue in the Nashville branch office by $800,000 over his six-year tenure.
Churchill Mortgage promotes 16
Churchill Mortgage, a provider of conventional, FHA, VA and USDA residential mortgages across 26 states, has promoted 16 employees to leadership positions within its Brentwood headquarters.
Those employees, along with their new titles, are:
- Kevin Watson: district manager, Middle Tennessee
- Chris Bowser: sales manager, Middle Tennessee
- Heidi McQuaig: processing manager
- John Lann: branch operations manager
- Brenda Pearson: underwriting process manager
- Elizabeth Wright: lock desk manager
- Courtney Bright: licensing manager
- Scott DeNicholas: technical support manager
- Grant McFarland: pipeline manager
- Terry Tuck: underwriting manager
- Cynthia Caruso: underwriting team leader
- Kelley Thomas: underwriting team leader
- Raylene Wendt: underwriting team leader
- Clint Johnston: processing team leader
- Melissa Pool: processing team leader
- Marquista Webster: sales support team leader
Watson develops Churchill’s presence and growth in Brentwood, as well as its branches in Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro and Benton, Ark. With more than 20 years of mortgage industry experience, Watson was previously Churchill’s Middle Tennessee regional sales manager, overseeing multiple branches and heading Churchill’s Realtor Specialty Team, which facilitates the development of the loan officer and real estate agent relationships with each buyer at any stage of their home buying process.
Smith to lead Vanderbilt Network Services
Janice Smith, R.N., M.Ed., has been appointed to the new role of chief administrative officer of Vanderbilt Network Services.
VNS serves as an interface between core departments of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and off-campus clinics. VNS staff members have expertise in project management, information technology, procurement, medical records, telecommunications and related services. Providing startup and ongoing services for clinics and joint ventures, VNS works with clinical teams to support standardization of Vanderbilt infrastructure and operations beyond the main campus. VNS also serves certain needs of Vanderbilt affiliates.
Smith will also continue in her role as chief administrative officer of Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks.
Webber named director of Family Staffing Solutions
Trey Webber has been named director of the Nashville office of Family Staffing Solutions, Inc.
Family Staffing Solutions provides care for clients in Davidson County through its Nashville office, located in Green Hills.
Webber was previously the scheduling coordinator in the Nashville office. She brings several years of retail sales and management experience to her new position, having spent several years working at her family’s luggage and gift store, Nashville Truck and Bag Co.
As director of the Nashville office of Family Staffing Solutions, she will be responsible for overall operations including company expansion and management of office staff and caregivers.
Butler Snow adds 2 to Nashville office
David Lewis and George Crawford III have joined the Nashville office of Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada, PLLC.
Both will be members of the firm’s Business Services Practice Group. With these additions, Butler Snow’s Nashville office has grown to 47 attorneys.
Crawford counsels private and closely held businesses with their corporate, real estate and transactional legal matters, with a focus on emerging technology companies and assisting with their corporate and capital structure issues. He earned his J.D. from the University of Tennessee in 1998 and completed his bachelor’s degree at Centre College in 1993.
Lewis’ practice is focused on a full-range of strategic initiatives including corporate transactions, corporate governance, business planning, mergers and acquisitions and health care. Lewis earned his J.D. from Tulane University in 1993 after completing his bachelor’s degree at Rhodes College.
Symphony Chorus taps Corcoran as director
Nashville Symphony has appointed Associate Conductor Kelly Corcoran as the new director of the Nashville Symphony Chorus.
Corcoran’s responsibilities will include working with Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero to review and select choral works to be performed with the Symphony. She will also conduct auditions for new chorus members and rehearse the Symphony Chorus to prepare this nationally recognized ensemble for performances with the orchestra.
Corcoran fills this post following the retirement of Dr. George Mabry in 2011.
Corcoran has conducted a variety of programs, including the Symphony’s SunTrust Classical Series and Bank of America Pops Series, and has served as the primary conductor for the orchestra’s education and community engagement concerts.
As a guest conductor, she has led major orchestras throughout the country, including performances with The Cleveland Orchestra and the Atlanta, Colorado, Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee and National Symphonies.