About Us

Purpose:

To create economic prosperity by facilitating community leadership.

Brand Promise:

Nashville is a thriving city filled with risk-takers. Positive energy and camaraderie fuel the spirit of the region. Every day, people find new ways to take advantage of opportunities offered, to make something from nothing, to make their mark, to realize their dreams. At the center of this spirit is the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

At the Chamber, you:

Belong – Collaborating with others, energized by common drive and passion;
Engage – Sharing a vision for the future and sharing the collective influence to make it happen;
Lead – Impacting our region and transforming our future;
Prosper – Realizing opportunities that grow your business and enrich our communities.

Nashville Chamber Values:

As a regional member organization that represents the business community in Nashville and Middle Tennessee, our mission is to create economic prosperity by facilitating community leaders. These are the values that guide our work and culture: 

Leadership

We focus on big opportunities and challenges for regional prosperity. Our members and staff are in the forefront of creating solutions.  

Team Integrity  

We collaborate with community organizations and partners on common goals. Teamwork is essential to success, and we avoid personal agendas.  As we work on difficult or controversial issues, we model respect, tolerance, truthfulness and candor. We strive to provide the highest level of customer service to our members and constituents. 

Accountability 

We measure our work and own our results. We work quickly, with an emphasis on quality and prioritization. We set clear goals and expectations, and we strive to exceed them.

Annual Reports

2019-2020 Board of Directors

Officers and Executive Committee

  • Chair – Robert A. McCabe, Jr., chairman, Pinnacle Financial Partners
  • Immediate Past Chair – Milton Johnson, Retired Chairman and CEO, HCA Healthcare
  • Vice Chair – Wanda Lyle, Managing Director, General Manager, UBS Business Solutions US LLC | Nashville
  • Secretary – James R. Schmitz, Market Leader, Elliott Davis LLC
  • President – Ralph Schulz, President & CEO, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
  • General Counsel – Todd Rolapp, Managing Partner, Bass Berry & Sims
  • Board Governance Committee Chair - Sidney McPhee, President, Middle Tennessee State University
  • Finance & Audit Committee Chair - Claire W. Tucker, Founding President and CEO, CapStar Financial Holdings Inc.

Board Members

  • Tim Adams, President and CEO, Ascension Saint Thomas
  • Kris Ahrend, CEO, The Mechanical Licensing Collective
  • Lee Blank, Middle Tennessee Market Executive, Regions Bank
  • Shannon Bowles, Consultant
  • Doug Brandon, Managing Principal, Cushman & Wakefield
  • Mary K. Cavarra, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ingram Industries Inc.
  • Beth Chase, Senior Managing Director, ankura 
  • Robert J. Dennis, Chairman, President and CEO, Genesco Inc.
  • Jorge Dominicis, CEO, Wellpath
  • John Eakin, CEO, Eakin Partners, LLC
  • Rod Essig, Co-head of Nashville office, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) 
  • Mark Fioravanti, President and Chief Financial Officer, Ryman Hospitality Partners
  • Darrell Freeman, Executive Managing Director, Zycron, a Division of BG Staffing, Inc.
  • Jim Gingrich, Chief Operating Officer, AllianceBernstein
  • Terry Hardesty, Managing Partner, Deloitte
  • Sean Henry, President, CEO and Alternate Governor, Nashville Predators
  • Robert Higgins, CEO, Barge Design Solutions
  • Chris Holmes, President and CEO, FirstBank
  • MaryAnne Howland, Founder, President and Chief Excitement Officer, ibis Communications; Founder and CEO, Global Diversity Leadership Exchange
  • John Gromos, Vice President and General Manager, Turner Construction Company
  • Decosta Jenkins, President and CEO, Nashville Electric Service
  • Christine Karbowiak, Chief Administrative Officer, Executive Vice President, Vice Chair of the Board, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. and Vice President and Senior Officer, Bridgestone Corporation
  • Stephen Kulinski, Managing Director, CBRE
  • Ken Levitan, Founder and Co-President, Vector Management
  • Randy Lowry, President, Lipscomb University
  • C. Wright Pinson, M.B.A., M.D., CEO, Vanderbilt Health System, Chairman, Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network, Deputy CEO, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • Alan J. Pramuk, P.E., Chairman and CEO, Gresham Smith
  • William B. Rutherford, Chief Financial Officer, HCA Healthcare
  • Saurabh Sinha, Founder and CEO, emids
  • Brad Southern, CEO, LP Building Products
  • James W. Spradley, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Standard Candy Co., Inc.
  • Flora Tydings, Chancellor, Tennessee Board of Regents
  • Barry Vandevier, Chief Operating Officer, Asurion
  • Kate Wood, Founder, K8 Co
  • Carol Yochem, Middle Tennessee President, First Tennessee


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