LOCAL

New Leadership Tennessee Class XII announced

Nashville Tennessean

Fifty Tennesseans from across the state have been selected for Leadership Tennessee's Signature Program Class XII, a cohort that brings together accomplished professionals from a diverse range of experience in an array of sectors and industries.

Leadership Tennessee seeks to serve the state by fostering "a nonpartisan dialogue on issues of state importance, connecting and deploying a network of diverse leaders and engaged citizens."

This year's members come from 14 counties across all three Grand Divisions. Nashville and Davidson County is represented by 13 class members, including Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Stephanie Coleman, Tennessee Titans Chief of Staff Haley Davidson and Urban League of Middle Tennessee CEO Clifton Harris, among others.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell speaks during a dedication to the Nashville Downtown Arboretum held at Nashville Public Library in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The dedication originally was suppose to take place at Church Street Park but due to thunderstorms was moved to the Library.

Over the course of the 10-month program, the members will travel across the state to learn about the challenges Tennessee faces and work to propose solutions. They will create concrete plans to address issues.

“We take great pride in challenging our cohorts to think deeply and act boldly in advancing Tennessee,” said Dr. Alfred Degrafinreid II, president and CEO of Leadership Tennessee. “The 2025 class brings together a remarkable group of leaders, selected for their proven leadership and potential to influence the future of our state. Through this program, they gain the tools, relationships and perspective needed to drive meaningful change — and this group is sure to harness that power to make a lasting impact across Tennessee.”

Leadership Tennessee was founded in 2013 as an initiative of the College of Leadership and Public Service at Lipscomb University. In 2021, the organization launched as an independent nonprofit.

Class members are selected by an anonymous committee that evaluates leadership experience, a history of addressing statewide issues in their personal and professional lives and their understanding of the challenges facing Tennessee today.

Crockett County

  • Shannon Haynes, Chief Prosperity Officer, Ayers Foundation Trust

Davidson County

  • Stephanie Coleman, President and CEO, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Haley Davidson, Chief of Staff, Tennessee Titans
  • Terrance Gibson, Executive Director, Tennessee Education Association
  • Clifton Harris, President and CEO, Urban League of Middle Tennessee
  • Ashley Howell, Executive Director, Tennessee State Museum
  • Jim Jamison, President, Tennessee, AT&T
  • Dale Mitchell, Community Development Coordinator, Pinnacle Financial Partners
  • Stephen Nash, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, Southern Pediatrics
  • Freddie O’Connell, Mayor, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
  • C. Wright Pinson, President, Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network
  • Cathy Spencer, Chief People Officer, AllianceBernstein
  • David Whelan, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development, HCA Healthcare – TriStar Division
  • Juan Williams, Commissioner, Department of Human Resources, State of Tennessee

Greene County

  • Jeff Taylor, President and CEO, Greene County Partnership

Hamilton County

  • David Criswell, Chief Financial Officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
  • Tiffanie Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, Aslan Holdings

Hardeman County

  • Julian McTizic, Mayor, City of Bolivar

Haywood County

  • Sheronda Green, Senior Community Engagement Specialist, Blue Oval SK, LLC

Knox County

  • Mona Blanton-Kitts, Chief Executive Officer, Helen Ross McNabb Center
  • Kim Bumpas, President, Visit Knoxville
  • Benjamin M. Cunningham Jr., Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, University of Tennessee Medical Center
  • Kyle Hixson, Judge, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
  • Markus Jackson Sr., Chief Operating Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley
  • Jordan Mollenhour, Co-CEO, Mollenhour Gross, LLC
  • Bert Robinson, Senior State Director, Tennessee Valley Authority

Montgomery County

  • Jean Luna-Vedder, Superintendent, Clarksville Montgomery County School System
  • Paul Turner, President, Ajax Distributing Company

Obion County

  • Hadley Malone, Manager, Obion County Farm Bureau Insurance, Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee

Putnam County

  • Robert Owens, Senior Executive for Access and Community Outreach, Tennessee Tech University
  • Lisa Uhrik, CEO and Executive Director, Franklin Enterprises (Mfg.) and Plenty Downtown Bookshop

Shelby County

  • Shante Avant, President and CEO, Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis; Commissioner, Shelby County
  • Corbin Carpenter, Managing Member, Carpenter Law, PLLC
  • Harold Collins, Chief Administrative Officer, Shelby County Government
  • Christopher Davis, President, LeMoyne-Owen College
  • Sheronda Green, Senior Community Engagement Specialist, Blue Oval SK, LLC
  • Mike Palazzolo, Mayor, City of Germantown
  • Troy Parkes, Senior Vice President, Global Business Development, Greater Memphis Chamber
  • Mark Russell, Vice President, The Commercial Appeal/USA Today Network
  • Tomeka Hart Wigginton, President and CEO, United Way of the Mid-South

Sullivan County

  • Paul Montgomery, Mayor, City of Kingsport

Washington County

  • Will Barrett, Chief Executive Officer and President, Bank of Tennessee
  • Kristie Hammonds, President and CEO, Frontier Health
  • Jodi Jones, Professor and Director, ETSU College of Medicine; Commissioner, Washington County

Williamson County

  • Josh Brown, President and CEO, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Marcya Carter-Sheats, Director, Market and Consumer Development, Cummins
  • Jeff Dale, Executive Director, Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Training Academy
  • John R. Faison Sr., Senior Pastor, Watson Grove Baptist Church
  • Ryan King, Vice President, Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association
  • Stacey Nickens, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Nashville International Airport (BNA)
  • Brian Solsbee, Executive Director, Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association