 |
Presenting Sponsor:
Media Partner:
Associate Sponsor:
Supporting Sponsor:
In this section:
The NELAs
YP Event Photos
View photos from past YP events.
|
|
 |
2009 NELA Winners
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville are proud to announce the winners of the 2009 Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards (NELAs) program.
Click here to view the winners' announcement in The Tennessean.
View a list of 2008 NELAs winners.
View a list of 2007 NELAs winners.
|
Architecture, Engineering & Construction
|
Hospitality & Tourism
|
 Robert Ramsey
Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, Director, Design
Robert Ramsey's primary responsibility at the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority is the overall management of the design division of the planning, design and construction department. Prior to his career with the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, he served as a project engineer, electrical design and design manager. Ramsey was previously employed with Corning Cable Systems and worked on various projects for the U.S. Air Force. He is an active community leader, with involvement in the Leadership Donelson/Hermitage Class of 2008, Project Pencil for Hermitage Elementary School, Mt. Juliet/West Wilson County Chamber of Commerce and the West Wilson County Exchange Club.
|
 Diane Skrabec
Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Catering Manager
Diane Skrabec is catering manager at Gaylord Opryland, where she specializes in custom, creative menu designs and extraordinary events. She works with clients on 12 to 18 conventions a year, and she is solely responsible for food and beverage programs. Skrabec regularly works with a budget of more than $1 million to arrange all details of food and beverage events, from setup to teardown. Skrabec will be featured in an article on "Flawless Execution" in Food and Beverage magazine for her work as catering manager with Rockwell Automation's 11,000-guest convention. She was also a finalist for the President's Award for Citizenship, given by Gaylord Hotels. In addition, Skrabec chaired Williamson County's 95th Girl Scout Anniversary event.
|
|
|
|
|
Arts, Entertainment & Music Business
|
Human Resources
|
 Jessica Myers
Bluewater Music Services Corporation, Manager, Administrative Services
Nashville native Jessica Myers is an eight-year veteran of the Nashville music industry. With Bluewater Music, Myers is responsible for more than 100 catalogs and overseeing the registration of songs in more than 50 countries around the world. She recently completed the planning and development of an in-house software program which will execute online song registration. Myers is active in Society of Leaders in Development, where she chaired the University Outreach Committee and currently serves as secretary. She has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Conexion Americas as an English-language mentor for Hispanic immigrants.
|
 Kellie Conn
Paradigm Group, Director of Human Resources
Kellie Conn is certified by the Human Resource Certification Institute as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. She currently serves as Middle Tennessee district director for the Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management State Council, and is past president for the Middle Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management. She is a member of the HR Executive Forum for Middle Tennessee, and currently co-chairs the HR Excellence Award Committee. She is also a board member of the Davidson County Court Appointed Special Advocates. Conn is a founder and facilitator of HR Leadership Group, a local roundtable organization for senior executives of small companies. She received the HR Management Excellence Award for the State of Tennessee in 2004.
|
|
|
|
|
Business Services
|
Legal Services
|
 Rachael Qualls
Angel Capital Group, Founder and CEO
Rachael Qualls is founder and CEO of the Angel Capital Group (ACG), which aims to help entrepreneurs realize their dreams of business ownership. Since its inception in January 2007, ACG has grown to two locations in Nashville and Knoxville, reached 43 members, reviewed more than 500 business plans, and funded three companies last year. Qualls has used her previous experience to launch and operate several profitable companies, including BugleMe, FastPitch, Qualls Properties, Katalyst, and Qualls Management Group. She has also served on the boards of the Sumner County Humane Society, Optimist Club of Hendersonville and TRAC House Inc, and she is currently the publicity chair for the Hendersonville Rotary Club.
|
 Tonya Mitchem Grindon
Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, Shareholder / Co-Chair of Securities Practice Group
Tonya Mitchem Grindon was selected as a shareholder a year ahead of schedule, the only woman among more than 500 attorneys in the law firm to have that distinction. Grindon is secretary of the board of the Nashville Bar Association and is a past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Nashville Bar Association. Since 2004, she has served on the Nashville Bar Association Pro Bono Program Board of Directors. She was named the Baker Donelson Nashville Pro Bono Attorney for 2008, and chaired the Charitable Contributions Committee for five years. She is immediate past president of the Nashville Humane Association, having served two terms, and she actively volunteers with St. Luke's Community House, the Legal Aid Society and Empowering Endless Possibilities, a summer camp for moderately to severely disabled children.
|
|
|
|
|
Community Service & Nonprofit
|
Medical & Health Care Services
|
 Audra Davis
Sexual Assault Center, Vice President of Development & Marketing
Throughout Audra Davis's career, she has been committed to finding resources for nonprofits that serve the needy and improve communities. She has used her skills to raise money and awareness through special events such as NFL Charity Golf Tournaments, 5K and 10K runs, celebrity concerts and fundraising dinners. She has also implemented corporate sponsorship programs involving companies such as Willis Corroon, NationsBank, Purity Dairies, Coca-Cola, Journeys and Cricket. At Rocketown, she served on the Leadership Team, overseeing all aspects of fundraising, community awareness, board development and financial management, and doubling the number of foundations giving to Rocketown. She recently accepted the position of vice president of development and marketing with the Sexual Assault Center.
|
 Jennifer LeMieux
Passport Health Communications, Inc., Vice President of Marketing and Sales Administration
With 13 years of experience in three multi-national firms, Jennifer LeMieux is responsible for the sales support functions, including marketing, product pricing, legal/contracting, training and enrollment, for Passport Health's 5,300 health care providers. She finalized eight new business development opportunities in 2008 and launched and directed nine new communications tools in the past two years. Previously, LeMieux was director of sales and marketing for HCA, where she led and facilitated strategic planning, managed prospect development and developed the overall communication efforts. LeMieux has served on the marketing committee for Leadership Health Care, the membership committee for the Nashville Health Care Council, the marketing committee for CAQH's CORE initiative in the health care IT industry, and as a certified therapeutic foster parent with Youth Villages.
|
|
|
|
|
Education
|
Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing
|
 Jackie Morgan
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta-Nashville Branch, Economic and Financial Education Specialist
At the Nashville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Jackie Morgan is responsible for building a comprehensive educational program and coordinating educational activities, among other responsibilities. Prior to joining the Reserve, Morgan worked for the University of Tennessee conducting educational programs for urban youth. She serves as president and board member of Tennessee Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education, played an integral role in the addition of personal finance as a required course in the Tennessee high school curriculum. Morgan is past president of Greater Nashville Business and Professional Women, and she is actively involved with Toastmasters International and United Way, for whom she has helped raise nearly $180,000.
|
 Tresa Halbrooks
Tennessee Titans, Manager of Community Relations
Entering her ninth season with the Titans, Tresa Halbrooks is responsible for working with the players on their community appearances, special events and foundations, as well as serving as the team's nonprofit and community liaison. She also manages the Tennessee Titans Women's Association. She is a member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Sports Council. At the age of 26, Halbrooks led a yearlong campaign for her employer, Service Merchandise Corporate Headquarters, to raise $1.7 million to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Halbrooks serves on the advisory committees for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee and the Dinner of Champions with the Nashville Sports Council. She is also involved as an event advisory and keynote speaker for the YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
|
|
|
|
|
Financial Services
|
Real Estate Services
|
 Brock Kidd
Pinnacle Asset Management, Senior Vice President, Investment Executive
With nearly 15 years of financial experience and series 7, 63 and 66 licensures, Brock Kidd is Pinnacle Asset Management's youngest senior vice president and was also their number-one producer in 2007. Kidd was recognized by Bank Investment Consultant magazine as No. 11 of the top 50 Investment Consultants in the United States in 2008. For the past three years, Kidd has been named in the Nashville Scene as a "Best Community Role Model." He supports and speaks on behalf of Village of Hope in Zimbabwe, a home to 18 orphans with AIDS and a feeding program for hundreds of people each week. He has been involved as a Junior Achievement teacher, Hillsboro Presbyterian Church Elder of Session, and has served as a board member for the Martha O’Bryan Center, CommunityNashville and the Salvation Army Adult Rehab Center.
|
 Keri Kidd Cannon
Fridrich & Clark Realty, LLC, Affiliate Broker
In her first two full years as a Realtor, Keri Kidd Cannon was awarded the Silver Award of Excellence from the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, and in 2007, she was one of 10 honorees to win the Good Neighbor Award from the National Association of Realtors. Cannon serves on the board of directors for the Children of Zimbabwe Fund. She co-founded Village of Hope and Home of Hope, a rescue organization for Zimbabwe children. Through her contributions, she has provided a safe home for 20 children and has given various levels of support for hundreds in Zimbabwe, raising in excess of $250,000. She also volunteers with the Room and the Inn, and she co-chaired the 2007 Hillsboro Alternative Gift Market.
|
|
Government and Public Affairs
|
Technology
|
|
 Jason Holleman
City of Mt. Juliet, City Attorney
Jason Holleman represents all boards and commissions within the Mt. Juliet government and manages all litigation on behalf of the city of Mt. Juliet. Holleman also serves as a district councilman on the Metropolitan Council for Nashville and Davidson County, where he is chair of the Charter Revision Committee and a member of the Greenways and Homelessness Commissions. Holleman serves on the board of directors for Historic Nashville, Inc., and is chair of the Nashville City Cemetery Association. He is past chair of the Environmental Law Committee of the Nashville Bar Association, and is a member of the Environmental Section of the Tennessee Bar Association. He is a past member of the executive board of the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the board of directors of Nashville's Table.
|
 Mike LaLonde
Sirius Computer Solutions, Senior Account Executive
In 2005, Mike LaLonde joined Sirius Computer Solutions and built a new market in Tennessee for IBM’s top North American partner and the largest worldwide reseller. For the past three years, LaLonde has established Sirius as one of the top IBM resellers and overall IT consulting firms in Tennessee. His focuses are in IT business efficiencies, data storage and management, data center design, disaster recovers solutions and infrastructure security solutions. LaLonde serves on the boards of the Catholic Business League, Camp Marymount and the Tennessee InfoSec Conference Planning Committee. He is a member of the Nashville Technology Council, the Middle Tennessee Information Systems Security Association, and he served three years as a program director for the Nashville Cathedral of Knights of Columbus.
|
Thanks to our Sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor:
Media Partner:
Associate Sponsor:
|
|
