Jordan
“Making sure that we’re giving those who don’t feel like they have a voice an opportunity to speak about the things that they need is really important to the community leaders and specifically to the Chamber and myself.” Jordan is a Jill of all trades. While she leads...
Melissa
“There are so many outside reasons as to why a family is struggling. It’s not just child care. It could be that they are displaced; it could be that their lights went out. There are so many pieces to this puzzle.” Melissa moved to Nashville from Los Angeles a few...
Mike
“Things have changed so much and for the better in many ways, but we have an opportunity to do even more. And we want to make sure that everyone is considered with every decision we make.” Mike lives for Sundays at Nissan Stadium. As the official voice of the...
Avi
“Our biggest challenge is how to transition from that climate where people left their doors open and took care of each other and fed each other … to a rapidly growing urban center that is an economic dynamo but brings with that growth even more dramatic challenges for...
Gatluak
“That’s one of the things that we wanted to make sure that our clients have: accessibility to language. The greatest gift this country offers to refugees and immigrants is that of agency: the ability to make decisions about their own lives.” Gatluak came to the U.S....
Dianne
“My counselor taught me how to love me. And how to appreciate that I did have a job and that I could get out.” As a young girl from Tallahatchie County, Miss., Dianne knew she would become a homeowner one day. On Nov. 30, 2018, at 57 years old, she and her husband...
Brian
“A lot of people end up in difficult circumstances and don’t always know where to turn. There are some really terrific organizations in our community that are set up to help people with all kinds of needs in different stages of their life.” Brian grew up in a tough...
David
“We know that children in poverty do better when they’re not concentrated in poverty.” David began his newspaper career nearly 20 years ago in a coastal Florida town covering stories from local politics to hurricanes and tropical storms to health care. Education...
Yashinique
“We all have a checkered past, and some are worse than others. It’s just about how you’re trying to move forward.” Yashinique says she’s desperate for peace. For several months, she and her daughter were living in a domestic violence shelter while seeking refuge...
Kendrick
“I always tell my friends … if you want to feel like a superhero, take 30 minutes out of your day and go read to preschool kids.” As a human resources lead at Bridgestone, Kendrick is determined to grow and support our community’s pipeline of young leaders. He...