Speaker Directory
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce has created a Speaker Directory to provide a list of Nashville area speakers who have expertise on business related topics. Speaker participation is limited to representatives of Engage level and above Chamber members and Partnership investors.
The Chamber reserves the right to refuse participation by any proposed speaker at its discretion. Please note that this is not a promotional or sales opportunity, but an opportunity to provide education to civic and other organizations that seek speakers for their professional meetings. If you would like to be listed on this page, click here to fill out our application.
Disclaimer: This Speaker Directory is provided as a source of information only. The goal is to help connect organizations with prospective speakers. All arrangements must be made directly between the organization and the speaker. The views and opinions expressed by speakers are not necessarily those of the Chamber. The Chamber is not responsible for any statements or actions of the speakers.
Business
Craig Paxson
Craig Paxson, Founder of Visionary Results, is an executive coach and consultant focusing on small business and emerging leaders. He has over twenty years of management experience, including being CEO of a small business. Click here to contact Craig.
Diversity & Inclusion
Beverly L Watts
Beverly L Watts, Executive Director of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, specializes in providing training on the TN Human Rights Act, and federal Title VII, Title VIII(Fair housing), and Title VI and an Understanding of Diversity and Inclusion as it relates to the above laws. Click here to contact Beverly.
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Candace Warner
CANDACE WARNER, PH.D. is a sociologist who is passionate about culture, diversity, demographic data, and inclusion strategies. Candace has served as a trainer, facilitator, organizational consultant, and curriculum developer for public and private organizations seeking diversity and inclusion solutions since 2010.
Dr. Candace Warner is the founder and CEO of people3, Inc. The mission of people3 is to provide organizations with diversity and inclusion-centered training, consulting, and research solutions for individuals and organizations. Some of people3's current/past clients include Sony Music Nashville, TechnologyAdvice, PathGroup, Pillsbury Law Firm, TPAC, Asurion, Showpad, Sony Provident Label Group, Center for Nonprofit Management, as well as other health care, non-profit, and technology organizations. Through her work as a diversity and inclusion consultant for the last decade, Candace has also worked with multiple organizations such as auto manufacturing firms, police departments, construction companies, and railroad providers, and health care organizations.
Dr. Warner is also certified as a Cultural Intelligence trainer and assessment specialist through the Cultural Intelligence Center. Candace completed her master’s degree in Sociology and Ph.D. in Public Policy. Dr. Warner’s dissertation research centered on understanding diversity and inclusive-centered services and initiatives throughout Tennessee communities and municipalities. Her major research interests focus on economic inequality, poverty, race, ethnicity, and gender.
Click here to contact Dr. Warner.
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Daynise Joseph
Daynise Joseph manages Government and Community Affairs for Google Fiber in Nashville, TN Atlanta GA, and Huntsville, AL working with nonprofits, government agencies, and community stakeholders to support efforts to make digital literacy, STEM, and minority entrepreneur programs more widely available to underrepresented communities. Before joining Google, she was a nonprofit management consultant and nonprofit Executive Director in Nashville and grassroots community organizer working on various quality of life and social justice issues like affordable housing, living wages, public transportation, and education. Contact Daynise here, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Entertainment
David Dombrowski
With over 40 years of service, David Dombrowski is recognized as one of the most successful executives in Major League Baseball. Under his leadership his clubs have amassed well over 2,000 wins, won four pennants and two World Series titles. He has served as President of Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox, President, CEO and General Manager of the Detroit Tigers, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Florida Marlins and General Manager of the Montreal Expos. Dombrowski is on the MCB Baseball Advisory team, and as a consultant he is sharing his experience and expertise with MCB in order to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville. Click here for more information on Nashville Stars Baseball. Click here to contact David.
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Drew Dedo
Whether performing, producing, or managing, Drew found himself immersed in the entertainment industry from a very young age. He was introduced to the event scene in Palm Beach, FL performing along side his mom, a concert pianist. During these early years, his passion for the entertainment industry grew as he took to the road touring - sometimes producing the very concert he was playing. For Drew, the different aspects of entertainment, logistics, and client relations are what keep Harbor Entertainment on the cutting of edge of today’s event’s industry.
When not on the event site, Drew continues to play his drums. Whether a pick-up band or a session with friends, music is where this all began. He is also a licensed pyrotechnician… after all you never know when that might come in handy.
“It is all about the team you build and the relationships that create a successful working environment. I am truly lucky to have that every day."
Click here to contact Drew.
Health Care
Dr. Imran Huda
During his internal medicine training, Dr. Imran Huda, Founder of Mobius Health, studied about the healthcare system, insurance, and experienced it first hand. He can say with full confidence that health care is just as frustrating for physicians and caregivers as it is for patients, which is why he adopted a completely different model in his own practice, one that cuts out all middlemen and third parties, leaving just the patient and physician. By emphasizing the patient-physician relationship, he can provide better care at a significantly higher value, with less wasted time and resources. Click here to contact Dr. Huda.
Human Resources
Janet Meek
Janet Meek is CEO and founder of JSMAssociates, an executive search and talent acquisition firm based in Nashville, TN. A tenacious business leader with expertise in Talent Acquisition and Development, Sales and Marketing, and Human Resources, Janet consults with healthcare and technology companies on building employer brands that attract and retain the industry’s most qualified job candidates. Before starting JSMAssociates, Janet led a team of recruiters at AppleOne, one of the nation’s largest recruiting and staffing companies.
Janet has a history of assembling strong teams and introducing innovative ideas. She co-founded Sales Executives, an executive recruitment firm specializing in sourcing top sales talent for Fortune 500 companies. She founded Sales Management Group, a niche sales and marketing consulting firm delivering solutions for small businesses in Middle Tennessee.
Janet, who attended Middle Tennessee State University, is a certified Integrity Selling Systems Facilitator and founding member of the Nashville Association of Sales Professions (NASP). Janet is on the board of Tennessee Youth Courts. She has also held leadership or committee positions with the Middle Tennessee Society of Human Resource Managers, the Healthcare Financial Managers Association, and the Nashville Area and Brentwood Chambers of Commerce.
Click here to contact Janet.
Leadership
Roberta Scott Pettis
As President and Cofounder of FocusWorks Consulting Group, Roberta Pettis leverages decades of experience in corporate training and development to the benefit of executives, their companies and their employees. She is a former Director of Education and Training for Hospital Corporation of American (HCA) who spent 15 years traveling from coast to coast guiding individuals and teams in leadership development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) service initiatives and coaching leaders. Roberta brings that deep-and-varied experience along with a powerful skill set to FocusWorks, where she has assembled, equipped and empowered an exceptional team of uniquely qualified trainers.
With FocusWorks, Roberta is able to deliver her one-of-a-kind training when and where it is needed most. As an African American woman and a successful executive who grew up in the South and came up in corporate boardrooms and C-suites, she brings a uniquely personal-and-powerful perspective to the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion conversation.
A Nashville native, Roberta graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration and Planning from a joint program with Meharry Medical College and Tennessee State University (TSU) before going on to earn her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from TSU. She is certified as a Master Facilitator with Ntrinsx, an innovative and highly interactive “social intelligence” tool that helps people understand and appreciate each other’s intrinsic value.
Click here to contact Roberta.
Motivational
Adam Lee
Adam Lee, Owner and Coach at 28:Tenn Fitness, LLC, helps busy men and women look, feel, and move better so they can be better, more productive, business owners, spouses, and parents. Click here to contact Adam.