Rotaract of Nashville

We began 2025 with an inspiring first meeting, featuring a remarkable panel of Rotarians who embody our mission of “Service Above Self.” Special thanks to Leisa Gill, MSM Ronald Roberts, Lisa Hicks Ferrelli, Kelly O'Connor, CFRE and Charles Sueing! These esteemed speakers shared diverse perspectives, experiences, and lessons from their dedication to Rotary’s values and meaningful service initiatives.

Thank you, Mayor Freddie O’Connell for inspiring the next generation of leaders at our Rotaract of Nashville meeting this month! Your insights and commitment to our community motivate us to make a positive impact in our city. Check out moments from this week. Freddie O'Connell

Thank you to James Crumlin, Co-Founder of the Capitol Steps Workout & Partner at Spencer Fane for speaking at our September luncheon! With a career marked by dedication and excellence, James is a well-known employment lawyer committed to providing excellent legal representation for his clients. James also co-founded the Capitol Steps Workout in Nashville, which improves strength, balance, agility and endurance while challenging and inspiring participants. James discussed the impact he hopes to make through his work: “I want to give back to the community, pave the way and make things easier for someone else. I’ve had a core group of people that have encouraged me and made sure I’m on the right track. The impact I want to leave is to inspire someone to be better the way people inspire me to be better.” He also shared advice for building professional relationships: “The key word I like to use is ‘intentionality.’ Figure out what area you’re interested in, find people in your age range in those areas and be friends with them. Identify and befriend key leaders in those areas and seek out a mentor."

What a great summer it’s been already! We celebrated our first year of Rotaract by hosting Burke Nihill, President and CEO of the Tennessee Titans, and Johari Matthews, Vice President and Executive Director of ONE Community and Tennessee Titans Foundation, at our June monthly meeting. Thank you again for sharing your valuable insights with us!

Thank you Burke Nihill, CEO of Tennessee Titans and Vice President of One Community Johari Matthews for your insights and time yesterday with Rotaract!

What a great afternoon spent with Courtney Ross! Thank you for sharing your valuable insights, experiences, advice, and for your dedication to our Nashville community! As Amazon's Senior Manager of Community Engagement, Courtney leads the effort of supporting and driving engagement with local stakeholders, business organizations, and civic associations. She works closely with local leaders and policymakers to understand what their citizens need, how Amazon can be a good neighbor, and how to create sustainable growth, both for the larger community and for Amazon. In addition to her role, Courtney currently serves on the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee board, Nashville Downtown Partnership board, and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center board.

We enjoyed learning from David Briggs, Tennessee Regional President for Fifth Third Bank this week! Thank you for sharing your thoughtful insights and empowering us to be more active, engaged leaders in our community. As Tennessee Regional President for Fifth Third Bank, Dave?is responsible for delivering distinctive value for our customers and community and for driving the growth and strategic alignment of our Business, Commercial, Capital Markets, Wealth & Asset Management and Consumer businesses. In addition to his role, David is committed to the community and a member of several civic boards of directors here in Middle Tennessee!

We celebrated our One Year Anniversary this week! Thank you to Andy Garmezy and his service dog Cooper with the National Crisis Response Canines for joining us at our monthly meeting, and thank you for the ways you serve communities after tragedies. Andy has taken Cooper to many tragedies across the country to help victims cope, including the Uvalde and Covenant school shootings and the Kentucky tornadoes. In 2023, Cooper was inducted into the Tennessee Animal Hall of Fame by the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association.