NASHVILLE — Nashville businessman and former Metro Nashville Council member Jamie Isabel died Monday at the age of 61.
Isabel represented District 2 on the Metro Nashville Council from 2003 to 2007. In addition to his public service, he owned Nashville Threads, a retail shop at Nashville International Airport that featured gifts and apparel created by local and regional minority artists. He and his wife, Karen Anderson-Isabel, opened the business in 2021 after partnering with airport concession operators as part of the airport’s redevelopment of its retail program.
Isabel was born in Memphis and graduated from Memphis Central High School before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Tennessee State University in 1989.
His LinkedIn profile stated that his entrepreneurial spirit began at an early age. At 13, he asked his mother and great-aunts for a lawn mower so he could pay his tithes and offerings, earn money and create jobs for his friends.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Isabel founded Dalmatian Creative Agency Inc., a full-service promotional products company specializing in corporate apparel and uniforms, in 1996. He later established Dalmatian Public Affairs as a division of the company. The profile described Dalmatian Creative Agency as the world’s largest African American-owned promotional products company and uniform distributor.
During his four years on the Metro Council, Isabel chaired the Parks, Library and Entertainment Facility Committee from 2006 to 2007 and the Federal Grants Committee from 2003 to 2004, according to the profile.
Isabel was a founder and charter member of the Nashville City Council Black Caucus.
He also served in numerous community leadership roles. Those included serving as a trustee of Watkins College of Art & Design and the Better Business Bureau, a board member of the Northwest YMCA, a member of the Ecclesiastical Council at Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, a member of Temple Church in Nashville, an active member of the Tennessee State University Alumni Association and a member of the Nashville Kiwanis, along with other civic organizations, according to LinkedIn.
Funeral arrangements, which are being handled by Lewis & Wright Funeral Directors, have not yet been announced.
