NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TN Tribune)– Leading Middle Tennessee reentry program, Dismas House of Nashville, announces the addition of two new hires to support the marketing and development team. Seasoned marketing executive, Kenisha L. Rhone, joins Dismas House of Nashville as director of marketing, communications and special events and Jessica Guzman joins as development manager. These newly created roles are in response to the unprecedented growth the organization has experienced in the past year.
Kenisha L. Rhone has 20 years of marketing and public relations experience as a sports professional in communications and higher education. Most recently, Kenisha served for 16 years at Belmont University as director of digital media and social strategy for athletics and media relations director for women’s sports. She is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), where she earned CoSIDA’s 2019 Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award, becoming the first woman of color to receive the prestigious honor. She was also named the 2018 National Volunteer of the Year by Play Like a Girl, a national non-profit organization. Kenisha began her career in sports marketing and communications with the St. Louis Sports Commission and the St. Louis Gateway Classic and working with the media relations department of the NFL St. Louis Rams during their successful Super Bowl XXXIV run in 1999-2000. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Afro-American Studies and Sports Marketing and Management at Indiana University-Bloomington.
Jessica Guzman has extensive non-profit administrative experience spanning nearly 16 years in Tennessee and North Carolina. Most recently, she served as deputy administrator at the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, directly supporting the CEO, and implementing process improvements. Previously, she served as executive administrative assistant at the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina where she improved donor relations and fundraising efforts. Prior to that, she served as executive administrative assistant at the Buncombe County Health Center and PassAlong Networks. Jessica started her career as a senior sales and service assistant at Microsoft in Franklin, Tenn. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Aside from formal positions, Jessica’s has served as a Young Leaders Council Intern on the Friends of Warner Parks Board and continues to volunteer for the non-profit. Additionally, she has completed the Allstate Foundation’s Nonprofit Executive Leadership Program through Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
“We’re excited to welcome these two accomplished leaders who bring a wealth of experience and creativity to their respective roles at Dismas House,” says LoLita Toney, vice president of development, Dismas House of Nashville. “We have a bold vision to set the national standard for reentry success and Kenisha and Jessica are critical to help us achieve that goal by telling our story more effectively and attracting new donors.”
