NASHVILLE, TN- Nearly 100 Black Executives were hosted on Tuesday evening for a night of networking and learning at the new offices of Spencer Fane Bone McAllester.
The event was the vision of Studio Bank Co-Founder and community leader, Harry Allen, and Studio Bank Founders’ Advisory Board member and author of Own Your Phenomenal Self: A guide on Character, Success and Leadership and Spoken Art: Too Brave to Back Down Rita P. Mitchell.
“I first reached out to Rita several months ago. After a few conversations with Black executives new to town, I recognized that many of them wanted opportunities to connect with other folks. And so, in a conversation with Rita, I asked, ‘What if the two of us worked to try and better connect Black Executives in this city…new and “established”?’ And so, we gathered some friends, brainstormed a bit and here we are.”
The group hopes that the interest grows for companies to partner and host similar events like this in the future. We know Nashville is rich in diversity and Black executives are highly engaged in community and civic organizations throughout the city, a perfect combination for greater impact for all of Nashville.
The Host Committee for the event included the following:
Harry Allen, Studio Bank
Terry Deas, Healthcare Corporation of America
Michelle Gaskin Brown, Amazon
Tizgel High, LifePoint Healthcare
Monchiere’ Holmes Jones, MOJO Marketing + PR
Winston Justice, Alliance Berstein
Rita P. Mitchell, Rita P. Mitchell, LLC
Andrea Perry, Spencer Fane Bone McAllister
D. Billye Sanders, Attorney-At-Law
Cynthia Whitfield Story, Inspire1, LLC
Charles Story, ECS Group Inc.
Tuesday’s event was co-sponsored by Studio Bank and Spencer Fane Bone McAllester. Rita P. Mitchell moderated a panel discussion with Michael Carter, Owner and Managing Partner of Pinnacle Construction Partners, Eddie Hamilton, Board Member of Music City Baseball, and Adolpho A. Birch, III, SVP of Business Affairs & Chief Legal Officer of the Tennessee Titans.
Rita P. Mitchell stated, “I’m so excited that so many local executives accepted our invitation to join us for an informal opportunity to connect. As Nashville grows and becomes more diverse, it is important that our leaders find a sense of home here and that we leverage this talent for more community impact.”