PENCIL Welcomes New Class of Board Leaders

NASHVILLE, TN, July 12, 2022 – PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement and Leadership), the boots-on-the-ground community resource recruiter to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), is pleased to announce its new class of board members as well as a new slate of board officers for the 2022-23 program year.

Building on continued growth at PENCIL, the new cohort of board members complements their fellow industry leaders in delivering PENCIL’s vision to create a world in which MNPS students and teachers have equitable access to resources and opportunities.

“We are thrilled to welcome such dynamic, forward-thinking industry experts to PENCIL. Our work is always stronger when we add input from our board members, especially as our strategic plan continues to push us into new ways of recruiting resources for MNPS,” shares PENCIL CEO Angie Adams. “Ultimately, our students and teachers benefit from the talents of this diverse and connected group of board and community leaders.”

Effective July 1, the new governing board members will serve a three-year term. They are:
Kfir Alexandroni, Audit Manager, Elliott Davis
Herbert Brown, Community & Citizenship Director, Turner Construction
Brittany Cline, Vice President and Wealth Advisor, Regions Bank
Kason Davis, North America Marketing Strategy Manager, Caterpillar Financial Services
Kirsten Dodson, Associate Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering, Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, Lipscomb University
Flynne Dowdy, Associate Attorney, Waller Law
Jose R. Ferreira, Finance Director, JLL
Jacqueline Hayes, Principal and Chief Marketing Strategist, Crayons & Marketers
Nicole Keefe, Attorney, Burr & Forman LLP
Nicole Robinson-Hamilton, Lead Content Manager of Merchandising, Ingram Content Group
Jennifer N. Wade, Magistrate Judge, Davidson County Juvenile Court
Ex Officio: Mary Lindsay Krebs, Intern, Young Leaders Council

The new slate of board officers as of July 1 includes:
Board Chair, Wes Payne, Senior Vice President, Pinnacle Financial Partners
Immediate Past Chair, Norman Merrifield, Principal Thought Leader, 808 Education
Vice Chair, Hasina Mohyuddin, Assistant Dean of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Vanderbilt Peabody College
Secretary, Meredith Jones-Long, Music Agent, Creative Artists Agency
Treasurer, Kenny Crapse, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Fifth Third Bank

PENCIL’s young professional Emerging Leaders Board welcomes the following members as of July 1:
David Banks, Program Manager, Global Mile, Amazon
Tarryn Bell, Program Director, B.R.I.D.G.E. to Success, Meharry Medical College
Melissa Cornejo, Community Achieves Program Specialist, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Shohreh Daraei, Talent Development Manager, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Tanner Hamilton, Associate, Bradley
La’Kishia Harris, FUSE Executive Fellow, Mayor’s Office
Sara Horton, HR Project Coordinator, HCA Healthcare
Martha H. Ingram, Community Relations Coordinator, Ingram Industries
Falon Keith, Grants Associate, CMA Foundation
Edward McFeders, Gray Line Tennessee
Tyler Pruitt, Sr. Procurement Operations Analyst, LP Building Solutions
Sebastian Roman, Director of Finance and Operations, MAYA Consulting
John Royster, Credit Analyst, Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation
Michelle Tribue, Senior Accountant, Global Reporting, Asurion
Hannah Wishart, Analyst, Blackstone

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About PENCIL 
Founded in 1982 by a collective of Nashville business leaders, PENCIL (www.pencilforschools.org) links community resources to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to help young people achieve academic success and prepare for life. Our work is guided by the needs of MNPS, is student-centric, and is achieved through partnerships and tangible engagements. PENCIL envisions a world where all students have equitable access to opportunities and resources. 

Media Contact: 
Kelly Rolf, Chief Philanthropy Officer
KRolf@PENCIL615.org 
www.pencilforschools.org