The Nashville Ledger

The law firm Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC brought Mr. Clark Spoden into the firm as a partner in the litigation department of the firm.

His practice focuses on representing companies in matters of contracts, employment, environment, administrative law, construction, commercial liability, non-competition, intellectual property, wrongful death and bodily injuries.

Clark is an administrative law judge for the Nashville Electric Service. He has taught remedies at the Nashville School of Law since 2003 and civil procedure since 2019. In addition, Clark frequently lectures on trial practice and employment law.

Clark was previously a partner at Burr & Forman LLP. He graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South and earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee Law School.

Baker Donelson adds Ray as attorney

Attorney Lindsay Ray has joined Baker Donelson as a member of the firm’s Government Investigation and Enforcement Group.

Ray represents clients in litigation, with a focus on white-collar defense, complex commercial litigation, securities litigation, labor and employment disputes, and government investigations.

Additionally, Ray has devoted considerable time to pro bono cases, including successfully negotiating a settlement on behalf of an artist regarding the misuse of his copyrighted photographs and other works. . She also represented a New York City Department of Corrections and Community Supervision inmate in his 1983 section prisoner rights case involving Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment violations caused by his four and a half years in solitary confinement.

A graduate of Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Ray is a member of the McInerny Inn of Court Association of New York County Lawyers.

FINN Partners Hires 7 People for Nashville Office

FINN Partners has added seven senior PR and marketing experts to its growing Southeast team. They are:

Joseph Harkins, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing, who brings over 25 years of marketing, advertising and communications experience. His extensive experience includes senior positions in global agencies and large independent agencies and representing clients in manufacturing, banking, education and building products.

Valerie Beesley, Vice President, Healthcare, who has over 15 years of PR agency experience in the healthcare, nonprofit and technology industries. She began her career in healthcare and pharmaceutical communications representing clients such as GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly. She earned a master’s degree in public relations from Syracuse University.

Christina Chu, Vice President, Health, who has nearly two decades of PR and marketing experience for agencies and in-house and has worked with several notable health brands, such as Atrium Health , and boutique organizations such as Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart Foundation.

Amanda Gilchrist, Vice President, Community Impact, whose public relations experience spans over 20 years in government and corporate communications.

Nate West, Vice President, Health, who brings more than a decade of public relations experience and specializes in integrating health and environmental communications. He previously led communications for the Tennessee Wildlife Federation and is a member of Nashville’s Emerging Leaders Class of 2022.

Benjamin Zhang, Vice President, Business and Consumer, who leads national and international customer campaigns for major transportation brands. Prior to joining FINN, he was a member of the corporate communications team at Mercedes-Benz USA. He received his Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School.

Kimberly Nichols, Account Director, Integrated Marketing, who brings over 25 years of experience orchestrating, facilitating and driving integrated omnichannel marketing programs for clients in a myriad of industries.

LP Building Solutions appoints Mason EVP

LP Building Solutions has named Jimmy Mason executive vice president, general manager of OSB.

Mason succeeds Jason Ringblom, who was recently named executive vice president, general manager of coatings.

Mason brings more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing operations to this position. He joined LP in 2006, most recently serving as Vice President, Siding Manufacturing, where he was instrumental in leading the siding business’s exceptional safety performance, strong overall efficiency results equipment and conversions from LP Dawson Creek and LP Houlton to siding mills. . Previously, he served as Regional Operations Manager and Regional Coating Operations Manager, as well as Plant Operations Superintendent at LP Roxboro and LP Roaring River, and Plant Manager at LP Roaring River.

Mason earned a degree in business administration with a professional option in operations management from Auburn University.

Meharry welcomes Woods as senior vice president

Meharry Medical College has named Walter D. Woods Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement. Woods will provide comprehensive advancement and development initiatives, efforts to innovate with the healthcare sector, and further develop the college’s strategic community initiatives.

Woods most recently served as the Humana Foundation’s Strategic Advisor, advising on operational, policy, and programmatic issues critical to advancing the foundation’s mission. He also served the American Association of Retired Persons, the American Gas Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

Woods holds a business administration degree in finance from Howard University, an MBA in marketing, management economics, and decision sciences from Northwestern University, and participated in an executive education program for nonprofit leaders at Stanford University.

Mayor Cooper announces changes to senior staff

Mayor John Cooper has appointed Sam Wilcox as Deputy Mayor for Policy and Innovation and Jennifer Rasmussen-Sagan as Chief of Staff.

Bill Phillips, who has served as deputy mayor and chief of staff since 2020, will continue with the Cooper administration on a part-time basis as special adviser to the mayor.

Wilcox — who joins the administration Feb. 28 — will lead the mayor’s policy, communications and special projects teams to advance Mayor Cooper’s priorities of affordable housing, transportation, education, community safety and of durability.

Wilcox joins the Cooper administration from DA Davidson, where he served as vice president of technology investment banking. Prior to that, he was a partner in a family investment office and a business analyst at Oak Street Health.

Wilcox is a Harry S. Truman Scholar, an Auburn University alumnus, and a native of Middle Tennessee.

Rasmussen-Sagan — having served as Senior Assistant to Mayor Cooper since 2020 — will lead day-to-day operations in the Mayor’s Office and manage the Mayor’s staff.

She was previously director of marketing, brand management and public relations for D&JR Holdings and before that, deputy chief of staff to then-mayor Mike Fahey of Omaha, Nebraska. She has consulted, managed or worked for more than 10 campaigns for community, municipal and federal candidates.

She is an alumnus of the University of Nebraska.

Connico appoints president and expands 2 management positions

Connico, a national construction consultancy firm, today announced that it has appointed long-serving senior team member Sri Kumar as majority owner and chairman.

Kumar joined Connico in 2011. Since then he has risen through the management ranks to become a member of the management team and most recently held the position of Senior Project Specialist. Sri is also known for his leadership in the industry and sits on the board of the Airport Consultants Council. He is also president of the Northern Kentucky Chapter of the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers.

Connico also announced that David Hunley would expand his role from vice president to chief development officer. Bryan Hafertepe has also joined the ownership team as COO and will lead Connico’s recruitment and retention initiatives.

Hunley has been with Connico since 1992 and has 39 years of experience in cost estimating, planning, construction supervision and administration, resident project representation, design support and fee review. ‘engineering.

Hafertepe is a licensed professional engineer. He focuses on assisting in the development of cost estimates, value integration, project management and construction observation, and has worked on projects at nearly 55 airports over the past five years. .

Hafertepe will also lead the company’s retention and recruiting efforts, including training and mentoring.

Nashville CARES announces 2 hires

Nashville CARES has hired Dakerri Rhone as Community Engagement and Volunteer Manager and Karen Gregg as Special Events and Strategic Partnerships Coordinator.

For the past several years, Rhone has coordinated volunteers and empowered Nashvillians to serve citywide while serving on the board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign, Nashville Pride, the Tennessee Equality Project, and as a founder. of the STAND Movement.

Gregg is a recent transplant from Pennsylvania and has 10 years of experience in the nonprofit world. She has coordinated and organized nearly 400 annual events.