About | Speakers

Brenda Tracy is a nurse, speaker, activist, and survivor. In 1998, she reported to police that she was brutally raped by four men, two of whom played football at Oregon State University. In 2014, she found the courage to come forward with her story and now seeks to make the world a better place for survivors. As a citizen lobbyist, Ms. Tracy has helped with the passage of eight laws in her home state of Oregon. She has won numerous awards and was named ESPNs top 25 women in 2016 and one of Sports Illustrated most powerful women in sports in 2020. Ms. Tracy is the creator of the “Tracy Rule” which is the most comprehensive serious misconduct policy in NCAA history, and she is the founder of the national campaign and nonprofit, Set The Expectation. Her message of “men as the solution and not the problem” is transforming the landscape of sports and how we engage in gender-based violence prevention work.

Shan Foster is the Executive Director of AMEND Together & Vice President of External Affairs at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. AMEND Together is an initiative that engages men and boys to end violence against women and girls. He recruits, educates, and equips men and boys to serve as advocates for violence prevention and cultural change. Described as an enthusiastic leader, gifted public speaker, and skilled facilitator, Foster is committed to elevating the conversation about violence against women, engaging men to be leaders and role models, and educating young men and boys about healthy masculinity and respect. He is a frequent speaker before national and international corporations, regional and national conferences, local and state government entities, and collegiate and national sports programs, including the National Football League and Major League Soccer. 

Foster graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science in Human and Organizational Development in 2008. During his time at Vanderbilt, Foster was named SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, All-SEC four years in a row, NCAA Division I All-America, and played for the USA Team in the 2007 Pan American games held in Rio De Janairo, Brazil. He was the Lowes Senior CLASS award winner, an award given to the nations senior leader in community, classroom, character, and competition. Foster finished his collegiate basketball career as the all-time leading scorer in school history and was drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks in 2008. He was inducted to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and was honored as an SEC Legend during the 2016 SEC Basketball Tournament. 

Prior to his work at YWCA, Shan served as Dean of Culture for the Intrepid College Preparatory Charter School in Nashville where he now is a contributing board member. He is a graduate of the 2018 Leadership Nashville class and serves on the board for the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Nashville Sports Council, and Martha O’Bryan Center’s Explore Academy. Foster is on the advisory committees for the Joyful Heart Foundation, Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee and serves on the Vanderbilt University Athletics Committee. He most recently was selected Nashville’s 2019 40 Under 40 award winner and Nashville Emerging Leader Award Finalist. Shan was recently recognized by Nashville Business Journal as a Power 100 Disruptor. Also, author of, What Hurt Didn’t Hinder, a story of vulnerability and perseverance, showing that it is possible to reconstruct what it means to be a man, embrace our diversity, and raise everyone up in the process. Foster continues his contributions as a Deacon at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

David Plazas is the Opinion and Engagement Director for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He has written award-winning editorials and columns on issues ranging from affordable housing to government accountability. He oversees the opinion team and strategy for multiple large and small publications across the state including The Tennessean. He also leads The Tennessean’s Civility Tennessee campaign on civic engagement and delivered a TEDx Talk in 2020 on the art and science of public disagreement.  

During COVID-19, Plazas started the Tennessee Voices podcast, featuring conversations with leaders, thinkers and innovators statewide that has produced more than 200 episodes since March 2020.

Plazas chairs The Tennessean’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which has led efforts to create more equity in coverage, the newsroom and special projects. The group has been critical to a new Black Tennessee Voices initiative to tell stories for and with the Nashville area’s Black community. A Latino Tennessee Voices initiative launches in September.

Prior to moving to Tennessee, he lived and worked in Fort Myers, Florida for 14 years, serving as an editor and reporter at The News-Press. He holds a bachelor’s in political science and Spanish and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and an MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University. He and his family live in Nashville’s Salemtown neighborhood.

Chief of Police John Drake began his law enforcement career in his hometown of Nashville,  Tennessee, as a police officer in 1988, and continues to dedicate himself to the safety of  Nashville’s families and visitors.  

Chief Drake began his police service in the Patrol Division, before being assigned to the Vice Division’s Narcotics Unit to investigate mid to upper level drug traffickers. From the Narcotics  Unit, and with a passion to mentor youth, Drake transferred to the Police Athletic League, where  he began a basketball program for children. That program grew from 100 participants the first  year to more than 1,300 participants in less than 5 years. Chief Drake also started a junior golf  program which is now part of the First Tee initiative.  

Chief Drake began seeking leadership roles in 2006, was promoted to sergeant in February 2007,  and served as a patrol supervisor at the North Precinct. He next went to the Office of Professional  Accountability, where he investigated internal allegations against both sworn and civilian police  department employees. In 2010, following his promotion to lieutenant, Drake was assigned to  the Hermitage Precinct to lead its Investigations Unit, which handled cases ranging from  homicide to misdemeanor theft. After 4 years as an investigative lieutenant, Drake was  promoted to captain (April 2014) and served as an overnight field supervisor for 6 months before  being assigned to oversee the Domestic Violence Division as its first male captain. While there,  Drake helped start the lethality assessment program and detailed domestic violence  supplements, which are still widely used today.  

On September 1, 2015, Drake was appointed commander of the Central Precinct, Nashville’s  downtown business/entertainment district, which draws millions of tourist visits each year. On  July 1, 2017, Drake was appointed Deputy Chief over the newly created Support Services Bureau, which oversees SWAT, Special Events, Field Training Officers, School Resource Officers, Fleet  Operations, Building Services, Parks, Warrants, Aviation and several other components within  the police department.  

In June 2020, Drake was appointed Deputy Chief over of the Community Services Bureau, which  includes the department’s 8 precincts, before being appointed Interim Chief of the Metropolitan  Nashville Police Department in August 2020 and Chief of Police on November 30, 2020. 

Chief Drake holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the College of Public Service at  Bethel University.

Sharon K. Roberson, Esq. is a seasoned C – Suite executive.  She serves as President and CEO of YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, the largest domestic violence service provider in Tennessee. Since joining the YWCA, Sharon has led the expansion of the shelter beds at the Weaver Domestic Violence Center to offer more women and children shelter and care. She has also broadened the agency's life-saving services, including adding the only Emergency DV Text Line in Tennessee and implementing a children's program at Weaver. Under Sharon's leadership, the YW has grown all of our school-based programs, including expanding our Amend Together healthy masculinity program to six other YWCA's across the country. The YW has also expanded our adult learning center programing and our career services and gained full construction and operational funding for the first-ever pet shelter in the State for pets of domestic violence victims.  

Additionally, Sharon has renewed the organization's focus on racial justice by implementing a social justice and advocacy program, staying true to the YWCA's mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. 

Before this position, she served as a Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary for Direct General Corporation. Sharon has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, including before Direct,  17 years with AIG/American General Life and Accident and American General Property. During her career at AIG/American General, she served as a General Counsel for almost a decade and as COO of various companies. Sharon was a state regulator for over a decade. As a regulator, she held the position of General Counsel and Assistant Commissioner for the State of Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, as well as Director of self-insurance and surplus lines. She was appointed by both a democratic and republican governor.

Sharon has served on and chaired numerous insurance boards in multiple states. She was the first African American and female president of the Tennessee Association of Life Insurance Companies. And the first African American and Female to chair the Tennessee Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association.

Additionally, Sharon has served on many non-profit boards, including the Nashville Symphony, YMCA, Girls Scouts of Middle Tennessee, Past President of the Nashville Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and the YWCA. 

Sharon has received community recognition, including being a two-time Athena nominee, Nashville Bar Fellow, Leadership Nashville alum, Nashville Business Journal Women of Influence, and being inducted into the YWCA Academy of Women of Achievement. 

Recently under her leadership, the YWCA was named a 2018 person of the year by the Nashville Tennessean. She has been named one of Nashville's Most Powerful Women by the Nashville Post and one of Nashville's Most Admired CEOs by the Nashville Business Journal. 

Sharon graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Economics and earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law. She and her husband Cliff are the proud parents of two adult children. Sharon is an avid runner, having completed five full marathons.

Amanda Weeks-Geveden is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director for U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management.  Amanda is responsible for leading Private Wealth Advisors and Private Bankers, as well as the entire new business effort, across Kentucky & Tennessee.  

Amanda has just embarked on her 28th year in financial services.  Amanda spent the first ten years in consumer banking and the last sixteen in Private Wealth Management.  Amanda is committed to educating women to be in the lead when it comes to their family finances.  Amanda shares tactical and easy to implement strategies through speaking engagements, articles, and videos.  

Amanda is very passionate about her community.  She serves as a Board Chair YWCA in Nashville and has Co-Chaired “Wine, Women and Shoes”, their high-profile fund-raising event, in 2015 and 2016.  

Amanda was recognized in 2013 & 2014 as a “Nashville Emerging Leader” Award Finalist and as a Nashville Business Journal (NBJ) “Women of Influence” award recipient in 2017.  Amanda was a 2020 nominee for the highly prestigious ATHENA award presented by Nashville Cable.  Amanda is driven to give back to women in business and has served as a mentor at the NBJ Mentoring Monday for the last several years and has recently co-founded Advancing Women in Nashville (AWIN), a coalition of Nashville’s largest and most well-respected corporations with a mission to advance and develop women leaders through leadership programming, advocacy, and coordinated community engagement.  Within her work in AWIN, Amanda has been featured on national podcasts and radio shows including the Lipstick Economy, Women2Watch, and KIND Leadership.  

Amanda is married to Brian and they have an eighteen-year-old son, Garrison.  She spends her free time walking Hank the Goldendoodle, traveling, reading, and boating. 

Captain Rickey Bearden currently oversees The Domestic Violence Division of the Metro Nashville Police Department. He is a 12-year veteran of the MNPD and considers himself a progressive leader that understands the poise and sophistication required in modern-day law enforcement. His career has developed through various opportunities to build crucial partnerships between the Nashville community and MNPD. His previous assignments included The Office of Community Outreach and Partnerships and he served as the Community Coordinator at Central Precinct. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Service Management from Cumberland University and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with minors in Psychology and Sociology from Tennessee State University. 

Rashed Fakhruddin is an engineering supervisor with Nashville Electric Service (NES), where he has been employed the last 26 years.  Rashed is also one of the leading proponents for service, inclusion and cultural diversity within Nashville’s ever-changing and growing community through his many roles in the city including director of community partnerships at the Islamic Center of Nashville.

Rashed spends a tremendous amount of his time speaking to thousands of high school students every year on professional and life skills, preparing them for success in high school, college, the workplace & life. Rashed also serves on the Nashville Chamber’s Engineering Partnership Council for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Rashed mentors high school students through job shadowing and internships at his work, and currently co-chairs Pearl-Cohn’s advisory board. Rashed has also served on the chamber’s Education Report Card Committee and is presently serving on the advisory board for the chamber’s Leadership Public Education.  Rashed is also an honorary alumni of Teach for America. Rashed recently co-chaired PENCIL’s Back to School Breakfast and American Cancer Society’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign to help fight breast cancer through research, education and survivors support.

Rashed is passionate about eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace and justice. He is an advocate of ending domestic violence toward women. Rashed serves on the boards of You Have The Power and the YWCA, where he is an ambassador of the AMEND Together program which empowers men and young boys to help end the cycle of violence towards women & girls.  He brings the AMEND message to thousands of high school students every year while speaking on life skills through his work and also shares this message to the Muslim community through sermons. 

Over the past two decades, Rashed has made an important impact on the Nashville community by serving in various leadership roles at the Islamic Center of Nashville, including past president.  For the last 2 decades, Rashed has been coordinating and providing presentations on Islam to universities, schools, leadership groups and other organizations upon request in order to help develop a better understanding of Muslims, while building bridges and fostering stronger relationships within the community.  Rashed has helped put a caravan faith tour together for Nashvillians to allow the opportunity to visit the different places of worship in Nashville. Rashed has helped build partnerships with organizations and non-profits throughout the city to help work for social justice.  Rashed also served on Vanderbilt University’s Visiting Advisory Board for Diversity and Equity in 2016 and serves on Nashville Ballet’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee.

His work throughout the city has resulted in many awards including:

• YWCA’s “Man of the Year” Award (2017)

• Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee’s Good Guys Award (2015)

• PENCIL’s volunteer of the year award with Metro Nashville Public Schools (2015)

• Community Nashville’s Human Relations Award (2016)

• Conexion Americas’ Amigos We Love Award (2017)

• NES’s President’s Award (2014)

• Southerner of the Year honoree by Southern Living Magazine (2016)

• Nashville Predators’ Walmart Community Playmaker honoree (2018)

• Nashville Public Education Foundation’s Hall of Fame honoree (2018)

• Vanderbilt University’s Public Service Award (2018)

• Tennessee Human Rights Outstanding Service Award honoree (2019)

• Academies of Nashville Mobilizing to Meet Student Need Award for Pearl-Cohn High School (2021)

Rashed and his wife have three children. Rashed loves to play basketball, watch football (Titans), follow Vanderbilt baseball and exercise (Barre3, cycling, yoga & basketball).

In a career spanning four decades, Rita P. Mitchell has a proven track record of achievement and success in the highly competitive financial services industry.  Rita became president of her own insurance and securities brokerage firm, Mitchell Financial, Inc., spoke on the TEDx stage, has been a frequent contributor to Black Enterprise magazine, and became the first-ever recipient of First Horizon’s 2018 Inclusion & Diversity Leader’s Award. Before retiring in early 2018, Rita served as Executive Vice President and Manager of Private Client Services for Middle Tennessee, First Tennessee Bank, now First Horizon.

In addition, Rita is a recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award of Excellence, the U. S. Department of Commerce Regional Minority Service Firm of the Year (8 state region), 

Dr. R. H. Boyd Woman Business Owner of the Year, U.S. Small Business Woman Advocate of the Year, the 2014 YWCA Academy for Women of Achievement, and the 2018 recipient of the NashvilleBusiness.Net 100 Leading African Americans. 

In 2018, Rita wrote her debut book, Own Your Phenomenal Self: A Guide on Character, Success, and Leadership which serves as a “pocket mentor” to empower young career women to achieve their desired success and an Amazon bestseller.

Rita is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, and Speaker. Currently, she serves on the boards of the YWCA USA, Cheekwood, Leadership Nashville Alumni Association, the Founders' Advisory Board of Studio Bank, and is past Board Chair of the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee.

Most recently, Rita published her second book, Spoken Art: Too Brave To Back Downwhich is a one-of-a-kind mother-daughter memoir of art, poetry, fashion, and the power of affirmation thinking.

Michelle Mowery Johnson is the Senior Director of Communications and Advocacy for YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. She joined the 123-year old nonprofit in 2013. In addition to overseeing the public relations and external communications efforts for the agency, Michelle is responsible for managing the YWCA’s advocacy program that has resulted in several new anti-domestic violence laws being passed in Tennessee. She helped launch YWCA’s AMEND Together program (previously called MEND) soon after joining the organization, and has generated tens of thousands of media impressions through drafting and distribution of editorials, news stories, and an UpWorthy viral video. In addition, Michelle has helped guide the Shear Haven domestic violence awareness training program for licensed cosmetologists into an international program that has reached beauty professionals in 99 countries. 

Michelle is a skilled communications expert, with experience in the private, nonprofit and government sectors.  She served as Director of Communications for the Tennessee Department of Human Services during Governor Phil Bredesen’s administration and was an award-winning television news journalist for the ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates in Richmond, Virginia and Memphis, Tennessee.

A native of Richmond, Michelle is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University. She is married and has two teenage children and a 25-year old stepdaughter. 

Vanessa Helbig Johnson has worked in the Youth Development industry for over 15 years, gaining experience in program planning, non-profit leadership, women empowerment, and social justice. She leads the YWCA's Girls Inc. and AMEND Together programs in Nashville. Vanessa's passion for youth work can be traced back to her time in AmeriCorps and working in youth ministry, where she spent significant time working in East St. Louis and advocating for women's rights. As a seasoned Director at YWCA Nashville & Middle TN, she is passionate about advancing the rights and opportunities of underserved youth and promoting equity and inclusion. In addition to her work at YWCA, she is also involved in Alignment Nashville, PASSAGE: Anti-Racism, Passage: Steering Committee, Substance Abuse Coalition, AWAKE Advocacy Committee, YWCA Advocacy Committee, Learning Liberation Collective, and National Girls Inc. Trainer. As a leader, Vanessa has been recognized for her excellent accomplishments in program growth and development, staff development, strategic planning, and centering her work on positive youth development. Outside of the office, Vanessa can be found playing with her 18-month-year-old son, Malcolm, and her partner, Tommy.

Ben Weinstein joined AMEND in November 2020 as a specialist facilitating youth clubs, and he is now the program manager. (Fun fact: Ben interned with AMEND in 2017, before he even lived in Nashville!) Prior to joining AMEND, Ben worked and volunteered for the Sexual Assault Center as a victim advocate, and spent several years in fundraising, supporting victim service and reproductive healthcare nonprofits. Ben graduated in 2018 from Harvard Kennedy School with a master in public policy. During this time, Ben supported organizing efforts to engage white men in feminist and anti-racist work and wrote the report “Our Place in It: Organizing Impact in the Field of Men’s Violence Prevention.” Ben enjoys hiking, cooking, religiously following the NBA, and volunteering for local political campaigns.

In 2019-20, his 10th season in SMASHVILLE, Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena President, Chief Executive Officer and Alternate Governor Sean Henry proudly watched the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena create countless GOLDEN moments. In the wake of the devastating tornadoes on March 3 and COVID-19 pandemic that followed, led by the passion and dedication of the greatest staff in all of sports, the organization worked, and continues to work, tirelessly in support of the Middle Tennessee community.

Henry is most proud of and grateful for that very community – all of SMASHVILLE, the Loyal Legion and the 7th Man – for creating such an amazingly unique bond with the Preds. Without their support, we would not have been recognized as Arena of the Year by Pollstar magazine, IEBA, CMA and ACM. Our fan support solidified our spot as a Top Workplace with The Tennessean and as the No. 1 professional sports franchise by ESPN, and without their tireless dedication to this franchise and passion for all we aim to achieve, we would not be the organization we are today. Henry is proud to serve these incredible fans alongside the best employees in the sports and entertainment industry to reach our ultimate goal, to be the #1 sports and entertainment venue in the United States with its centerpiece being the Stanley Cup Champion Nashville Predators hockey team. 

The most recent highlight of Henry’s career has been witnessing the Nashville Predators, Bridgestone Arena, Predators Foundation and Ford Ice Centers coming together to address the many needs of those impacted by the recent tornadoes and ongoing world health crisis. Although these groups have been committed to serving the community since Day One, their response throughout this unprecedented time has been a shining light for Nashville and Middle Tennessee. In just six weeks following the tornadoes, more $2.7 million was raised and delivered to the community, with the total surpassing $3.0 million in subsequent weeks. These ongoing, all-inclusive efforts have also featured support from Predators ownership, players, coaches, management and staff, as well as the NHL, other NHL teams and the generosity of Predators fans and partners. 

Another highlight, which occurred in June 2019, was the successful approval by Metro Nashville Sports Authority of a new lease, which ensures that Nashville’s team, the Nashville Predators, will remain at Bridgestone Arena through the year 2049. Most importantly, the new lease eliminates the Metro Davidson County General Fund’s support and relieves local taxpayers of any financial responsibility for Bridgestone Arena and the Predators by utilizing existing in-arena revenue streams to maintain, improve and expand the building. Since the last agreement in 2012, the growth of the franchise and arena serve as testaments to a strong model of public-private partnership. As a result of this partnership and a community-wide embrace of the Predators, the creation of projects like the Ford Ice Centers in Antioch and Bellevue have and will continue to spark economic development and growth in communities throughout Tennessee.

Alongside an annual impact of over $600 million in tangible benefit to the community, the memories built within and around Bridgestone are the intangible and possibly even more valuable impact that the growing success has created. The reach, power and passion of the amazing fan base continue to have SMASHVILLE’s ripple affect extended in so many new ways. From the Nashville Predators Foundation presented by SmileDirectClub to the new Ford Ice Center in Bellevue and Ford Ice Center Antioch, one of the busiest rinks in North America, to the rising media ratings; the borders of SMASHVILLE’s growth positively impact families and businesses all across the region.

For Henry, the cornerstone of our franchise has been the organization’s commitment to the community through the Nashville Predators Foundation and the Nashville Predators youth hockey programs. During the non-traditional 2019-20 season, the Foundation donated over $4 million in cash and in-kind gifts throughout the Nashville community and surrounding areas. The organization’s Hearts of Gold program also infused the area with more than 9,000 community service hours donated by employees, players and staff. Henry recently played a vital role in the Foundation’s groundbreaking naming partnership with Nashville-based SmileDirectClub which introduced SuperGrants valued up to $100,000, allowing several Tennessee-based organizations to complete large-scale projects in support of education, health, and cultural needs. This partnership will greatly expand upon the life-changing work that the Foundation has been committed to for over 20 years. Starting in 2016-17, Henry also contributed greatly to the decision to commit $500,000 over the course of five years to AMEND, an innovative YWCA primary prevention initiative dedicated to ending violence against women and girls in our community.

Henry was born a Nashvillian, although it took him 42 years to get here. Before leading his favorite staff in SMASHVILLE, he served for 11 years as the Executive Vice President and COO of the Tampa Bay Lightning, two years as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Unity Motion and 14 years with Volume Services Inc., where he worked with the Detroit Pistons, St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins.

Though much of his time is spent moving the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena towards its ONE GOAL alongside tireless and passionate SMASHVILLE employees, Henry is grateful for each day he has the opportunity to serve on the boards of the Nashville Predators Foundation, YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Nashville Downtown Partnership, Nashville Sports Council, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, The Sports Fund and stay involved (along with his wife) in his children’s schools, sports teams, marching band and clubs. 

Despite the numerous titles and accolades Henry has achieved in his professional career, his reigning Father of the Year Award is one that has no equal and one that would not be possible without the support of his wife of 30 years Tracey Manning (a.k.a. the Suburban Diva) or his four children – Steven, Matthew, Amy and Jessica. How Henry managed to win Father of the Year despite his constant attempts to recreate National Lampoon’s Vacation and repeated stories (all normally captured in the Diva’s writings), is perhaps his greatest achievement. During quarantine, the Henry family ranked those vacations and selected Yellowstone National Park as the top destination. To memorialize their favorite trip, after years of owning bears ranging from small to life-sized, they adopted a real, live bear from the wildlife refuge center in the park.

Joe Woolley has been CEO of the Nashville LGBT Chamber since August 2018. Since taking the helm, Joe has been relentless in the pursuit of excellence for the Nashville LGBT Chamber leveraging the Chamber members, community partners, staff, and board of directors. 

Under Joe’s leadership, the Chamber membership has grown 44% to 500+ members. The Chamber garnered national recognition for their advocacy of our members at a local and state level, and finalized LGBT Business Enterprise recognition by Metro Nashville. Additionally, the Chamber received two years of metro appropriations to lessen the disparity of LGBT-owned businesses gaining contracts, and ensuring member representation during the NFL Draft and other major events taking place in the city. At the state level, advocacy against anti-LGBT legislation is a priority and passion for Joe. Under Joe’s leadership, in 2015 the Chamber helped form Tennessee Thrives, a statewide business coalition against discriminatory legislation. In 2019 the Chamber organized and lead another large business coalition that vocally spoke out against the discriminatory legislation filed and pushed to keep Tennessee “open and equal.” Joe pushes that this is key to continued business growth as discriminatory laws make it hard for businesses to attract and retain talent. 

Joe’s dedication to the organization began long before becoming CEO serving four years on the board of directors including two years as President. Joe has a long history of LGBT advocacy, he was one of five founders of the Tennessee Equality Project back in 2004. He is a mayor-appointed board member for Nashville Education Community and Arts Television (NECAT). He was chosen for the 2018-19 class of Leadership Nashville and is currently on the leadership team for the current class. He also serves on the Nashville Area Chamber Partnership 2030 advisory committee, helping shape the economic direction of the city for the next 10 years. He is most proud of the work he does on the Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Council that was responsible for the Equal Business Opportunity legislation and the executive order that made Metro the first city in the South and the 13th in the nation to recognize LGBT certified businesses in city procurement. In 2019 he was named as a Power 100 by the Nashville Business Journal as a “connector” in the city. Joe was named at the start of 2020 as a 40 Under 40 by both; Business Equality Magazine as a top national LGBTQ leader making an impact in the United States, and also by the Nashville Business Journal as an under 40 leader in Nashville. The Business Journal has also highlighted him in their “The Boss” series where he shares his story of buying Jeff Bezos a drink. 

Joe has lived in Nashville since the year 2000, when at the age of 18 he moved from Twin Falls, Idaho after graduating from high school. He supported himself after moving and started Belmont University in 2002. He was the first person in his family to ever attend college and Joe graduated in 2006 as the first graduate of Belmont’s New Century Journalism Program. He moved to New York City after being accepted in the International Radio Television Society (IRTS) Fellowship Program where he worked for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, having written his thesis on young people getting their news from non-traditional news sources. After the fellowship, Joe was hired by CBS News and was a producer on the foreign desk covering the War in Iraq and working with Katie Couric when she anchored the Evening News. 

Joe loves to workout, travel, and to entertain friends in his home in the Belmont neighborhood of Nashville, that he shares with his husband Jim Schmidt and their dog Spooner. 

As President, Bank of America Nashville, Tyson connects Bank of America’s lines of business to deliver integrated financial services to individuals, families  and businesses across the region. He also leads the effort to direct the bank’s resources across the market to address local priorities and aid in building strong communities.

In addition, Tyson is the Managing Director, MLWM Market Executive at Merrill Lynch, a leading provider of comprehensive wealth management and investment services for individuals and businesses globally.

Tyson is a member of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital Vanderbilt Advisory Board, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Leadership Nashville Board of Trustees, and Nashville Public Library Foundation Board of Directors.

Tyson resides in Nashville with his wife, Lindsay, and their children, Isla and  Aiden.

Cynthia Whitfield-Story is the President and CEO of INSPIRE1, LLC Consulting & Coaching Firm. She focuses on executive and leadership coaching, strategy development, and leveraging diversity, equity and inclusion in businesses and organizations.

Cynthia retired from Allstate Insurance Company as the field senior vice president of the Southern Region. She was accountable for business results for the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Cynthia was accountable for all profit and loss results and managed a business revenue stream of nearly two billion dollars with almost 2,500 sales professionals, and 86 Regional employees.

For over 30 years, Cynthia has been a leadership coach, consultant, and mentor focusing on strategy development and an integrated people-first approach. She is known for creating solutions to challenges and winning with accountability to achieve business results. She believes in being authentic, inspirational, challenging the status quo, and creating an inclusive work environment. Her passion in these areas led her to start her own consulting company, INSPIRE1. She is certified in Executive Coaching from Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, Hogan Assessments and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion from University of South Florida Muma College of Business.

Cynthia started with Allstate as a claims representative, giving her a heart for customers and communities that she has maintained throughout her 39-year career. She went on to hold various leadership roles in Operations, Accounting, Finance, Risk Management, and Product Operations. Allstate moved her from Farmington, Connecticut to Hudson, Ohio to Northbrook, Illinois, where she was vice president of risk management, strategy and execution for the company. In 2009, Cynthia was named vice president of Allstate’s Southern Region. Her success in developing and managing the strategic operating model for the region led to her promotion to field senior vice present in 2013.

A New Jersey native, Cynthia earned a degree in business administration from Rutgers University and a master’s in management from Indiana Wesleyan University. She believes in giving back to the community and is board chair-elect of the Nashville YWCA and a major sponsor for the AMEND Together program. In 2018, Cynthia was honored by AMEND Together and the YWCA as their person of the year with the Macdonald-Negri Service Award. She is a board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, and has served as president of the board. In 2019, Cynthia received the Big Brothers Big Sisters Jimmy Webb Volunteer Leadership award. She is a member of Leadership Nashville and serves on the board of directors for Advancing Women in Nashville and the board of FiftyForward. She is a Co-Chair for the Women Business Collaborative Nashville Advisory Council. Cynthia Whitfield-Story President and CEO INSPIRE1, LLC In 2020, Cynthia was named one of Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence celebrating Nashville women making history as a community supporter.

Frank Daniels III is president of FW Publishing LLC, the parent company of The Nashville Scene, The Nashville Post, Nfocus magazine, FWEvents, and Home Page Media Group.

Prior to joining FW Publishing in 2018, Frank was the metro columnist and a member of the editorial board at The Tennessean.

Frank came to Tennessee in 2007 when he sold VitalSource Technologies to Ingram Content Group and moved to Nashville to integrate that educational software business with Ingram’s existing operations. He served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer of Ingram Digital in LaVergne. Ingram Digital, one of the Ingram Content companies, is a leader in digital content management and distribution for publishers. After finishing his earn-out, he elected to stay in Middle Tennessee.

His family has been in the newspaper and media business since 1879, when his 16-year-old great-grandfather, Josephus, bought the weekly Wilson (NC) Advance. Josephus went on to become a successful and controversial newspaper entrepreneur and political figure in North Carolina – he was a member of President Woodrow Wilson’s cabinet, where Franklin D. Roosevelt was his deputy.

Frank began his career in newspapers as a reporter and features editor in St. Joseph, Mo. He worked in Norfolk, VA, as a reporter, covering the Hampton Roads ports. In 1981, he returned to North Carolina and rejoined his family’s business in Raleigh.

He started at The News and Observer as a circulation district manager, and worked as an advertising salesman, computer programmer, credit manager, assistant Controller, Personnel Director, and Assistant General Manager, and acquisitions analyst before leaving Raleigh to run the company’s Business North Carolina magazine in Charlotte.

He returned to The News and Observer and became Vice President, Executive Editor, and a member of the Board of Directors. While executive editor of the paper, The N&O won many industry awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. The N&O became a leader in the transition to digital newsrooms and internet publishing. In 1993, he led the startup of The NandO Times, the first Internet newspaper, and launched the first commercial Internet Service Provider business in North Carolina, nando.net.

In 1995, the Daniels family sold their company to McClatchy Newspapers.

After a short stint with McClatchy, he co-founded two Internet publishing companies, KOZ.com (now MediaSpan,) and TotalSports, LLC, which was sold to Quokka Sports in 2000. After the sale of TotalSports, he acquired controlling interest in VitalSource Technologies.

Frank is also co-owner of The Pilot, a twice weekly newspaper, a bookstore, and a monthly magazine in Southern Pines, NC, and four other monthly magazines in North Carolina, In addition to his columns for the Tennessean, he wrote a monthly column on cocktails and is author of Frank’s Little Black Bar Book.

He was a 2012 inductee into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame. He is the fourth successive editor of The News and Observer to be honored (Josephus Daniels, Jonathan Daniels, and Claude Sitton) and one of six members of his family in the NC Halls of Fame.

Frank is a graduate of Duke University and Woodberry Forest School. He and his wife, Carol, currently live in Clarksville, but are in the process of moving to their farm in Giles County, TN. Carol is Executive Director of the Tennessee Press Association and executive vice president of Tennessee Press Services. They are active in a variety of community activities. They have five children and eight grandchildren.