Nashville Bar honors Rubenfeld, Harbison

Friday, January 6, 2017, Vol. 41, No. 1

Abby Rubenfeld and Bill Harbison have been honored by the Nashville Bar Association with the The John C. Tune Public Service Award, the organization’s highest.

The award, which is only given in years when there are deserving nominees, was presented this year for outstanding contributions to the community.

Additionally, the NBA recognized several other members with the following awards and accolades:

The CLE Excellence Award was given to Judge Philip Smith and Judge Phillip Robinson in recognition of exceptional service to the NBA’s Continuing Legal Education Program. It recognizes NBA members who have demonstrated dedication and commitment to the NBA’s mission to provide cutting edge, quality continuing legal education to improve the knowledge and practice skills of lawyers.

The Nashville Bar Journal Award for Contributor of the Year went to Kimberly Faye and Caroline Hudson, recognizing them as NBA Editorial Committee members who “continually make the Nashville Bar Journal a source of pride for the NBA.”

The YLD President’s Award was given to Kelly Donley and Lauren Spahn, for their dedication and efforts on behalf of the NBA Young Lawyer’s Division.

The YLD Enterprise Award was presented to Mollie Gass and Peter Malanchuk for advancing the charitable purposes of the NBA Young Lawyer’s Division through a new initiative, program, or activity.

The Emeritus Award – recognizing those who have reached 50 years of law practice and of honored service as a member of the Bar – was presented to eight members: Hon. Robert S. Brandt, David M. Bullock, Hon. Ben H. Cantrell, H. Fred Ford, Sr., Hon. Bill E. Higgins, David Young Parker, Earl J. Porter, Jr., and Hon. J. Randall Wyatt.

The NBA President’s Awards were given to the following members for their outstanding contributions to the NBA: Andrea Perry, Hon. Joe Binkley, Edward D. Lanquist, Jr., Tom Lawless, and the 14 Producers of the Blanton CLE Program.

The Legal Aid Society recognized James A. Beaks with the Pro Bono Volunteer Award and Waller, LLP with the Pro Bono Leadership Award.

Habitat for Humanity names 2017 leadership

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville has chosen its executive committee and added eight new board members for 2017.

The 2017 Executive Committee members are:

• Karen Springer, chair, Saint Thomas Health

• Ridley Wills, vice chair, The Wills Company

• Mendy Mazzo, secretary, Skanska

• Overton Colton, treasurer, Truxton Trust Company

• Lucia Folk, past chair, CMT

• Dan Hogan, at-large, CAPSTAR Bank

• Paul Kleine-Kracht, at-large, HealthTrust

• Jarron Springer, at-large, Greater Nashville Realtors

• Christie Wilson, at-large, The Wilson Group

New board members are:

• Overton Colton, founding organizer, Truxton Trust Company.

• Janella Escobar, head of corporate communications for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.

• Meg Harris, human resources business partner for Nashville Business Solutions Center, UBS.

• David Mangum, attorney

• Patrick McCartan, treasurer, Caterpillar Financial Services Corp.

• Anne Rolman, senior vice president, Bank of America

• Christie Wilson, president, The Wilson Group Real Estate Services

• Alan Young, founder, Armor Concepts

Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon adds engineer

Michael Pigg, PE, has joined Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon, Inc., as a civil engineer.

Pigg has 16 years of experience in design and management of projects requiring structural, geotechnical and civil engineering knowledge. He was previously with James + Associates, Inc., as project engineer working on retail, commercial, and industrial projects.

He earned a degree in civil engineering from Tennessee Technological University, is a registered professional engineer in Tennessee and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Also, Brian Landry, PE, has joined Barge, Waggoner as an electrical engineer in the Industrial and Building Services Business Unit.

Prior to joining Barge Waggoner, Landry was estimating team leader at Stansell Electric Company. Landry also has worked on several Design Build projects, including the decorative lighting of the Korean Veterans Bridge, a signature project in Nashville.

Landry earned a degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University and an MBA from Cumberland University.

Turner hires community, citizenship director

Turner Construction has named Jennifer Littlejohn its community and citizenship director of its Nashville and Memphis offices.

Littlejohn most recently served as director of communications for the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce.

There, she developed and executed internal and external communication strategies that helped facilitate workforce development for employers and job opportunities for citizens.

Littlejohn also is founder and principal consultant of OliviaMassey Public Relations.

At Turner, Littlejohn will coordinate and implement Turner’s educational programs, such as Youthforce 2020, a program designed to teach K-12 students about engineering and the building industry, and the Turner School of Construction Management, which offers free training seminars on subjects that impact small- to medium-sized firms owned by minorities and women.

The Tennessee State University graduate also will oversee community affairs and assist with marketing, community outreach and operations, including administering the Minority and Women in Business Enterprise Program, which facilitates mutually beneficial relationships between Turner and minority- and women-owned businesses.

Emma adds 2 veterans to leadership team

Emma, a provider of email marketing software and services, has hired Ethan Zoubek as chief revenue officer and Wellford Dillard as chief financial officer.

As CRO, Zoubek will oversee Emma’s sales and client success departments. With more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and sales leader in SaaS technologies, he specializes in helping software companies create climates that foster client success and accelerate revenue growth.

Prior to Emma, Zoubek was an enterprise sales leader at Krux Digital and ExactTarget. Both companies were acquired by Salesforce.

Dillard has more than 15 years of experience leading financial operations for SaaS companies. As the CFO for Opower, Dillard built and led the company’s finance, accounting, HR, IT, recruiting and operations teams, developing strategies and processes that helped guide and support the Company while growing revenue 12x during his tenure.

Prior to Emma, Dillard also served as the CFO at multiple venture capital-backed companies, including Social Tables, VideoBlocks and GetWellNetwork (acquired by Welsh, Carson and Anderson & Stowe).

McPeak is president-elect of insurance association

Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak will serve in 2017 as president-elect of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the nation’s insurance regulatory support organization.

McPeak has previously served in NAIC leadership roles including secretary-treasurer and vice president.

The NAIC is the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state insurance regulators establish standards and best practices, conduct peer review, and coordinate regulatory oversight.

An active NAIC participant for nearly 20 years, McPeak has served on the NAIC’s executive committee since 2013. McPeak, who was formerly Kentucky’s lead insurance regulator, was appointed as the department’s commissioner by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2011. She was reappointed to her post in 2015.

McPeak has more than 20 years of legal and administrative experience in state government and is the first woman to serve as chief insurance regulator in more than one state.

As TDCI Commissioner, McPeak is the chief regulator of the insurance and securities industries in Tennessee as well as the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office, which protects Tennesseans through fire prevention, education, codes enforcement, and law enforcement.

Fifth Third hires Pinson for commercial services

Brad Pinson recently joined Fifth Third Bank’s Commercial Middle Market Division as vice president/commercial relationship manager for the Tennessee region, focusing on middle market companies and corporations across various industry verticals that are seeking ideas around lending, capital markets, and treasury management.

Pinson has 14 years of experience in the financial services industry (eight years with Fifth Third) and previously served as vice president/treasury management officer for Fifth Third Bank Tennessee.

A Nashville resident and an active member of the community, Pinson is an immediate past president of the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, board member with Sports 4 All Foundation and serves on the Nashville Cares finance committee.

He earned a degree in speech communication from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Holt is partner at Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison

Ryan Holt, who focuses his practice on business litigation and has been with the firm since 2011, has been named a partner at Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison.

A Nashville native, Holt earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2010, where he earned the Founder’s Medal for graduating first in his class. He served as editor in chief of the Vanderbilt Law Review and was elected to Order of the Coif.

Before joining the firm, Holt was a law clerk to the Honorable Gilbert S. Merritt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Holt was a member of the 2013 class of Nashville Emerging Leaders and was a 2016 finalist for the Nashville Emerging Leader Award.

He serves as Board Chair and Founding Board Member of Intrepid College Preparatory Charter School, and is on Montgomery Bell Academy’s Young Alumni Board.