Tennessee Arts Academy Foundation
Board Chair
| Board Chair | Mr. Stephen Coleman President |
|---|---|
| Company Affiliation | Retired from Cumberland University |
| Term | September 2012 to August 2024 |
Board Co-Chair
| Board Co-Chair | Mr. William Watkins President |
|---|---|
| Company Affiliation | Retired Accountant and Co-Founder of Watkins Uiberall Acounting Firm |
| Term | October 2014 to August 2024 |
Board of Directors
Board Members| Name | Affiliation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bud Akers | Corporate, Securities, and Entertainment Attorney; Founder and Managing Director of Data Routers, Inc. | Voting |
| Joey Beckford | Retired Community Volunteer and Patron of the Arts | Voting |
| Chuck Blackburn | Strategic Sales Tactics | Voting |
| Madeline Bridges | Retired | Voting |
| Cavit Cheshier Ed.D | Retired Executive Director of Tennessee Education Association | Voting |
| Stephen Coleman | Retired from Cumberland University | Voting |
| Rena Ellzy | Retired educator and currently a Realtor | Voting |
| Solie Fott Ph.D | Retired, Austin Peay State University Dept. of Music Chairman (22 years) and Director of Orchestra (40 years) | Voting |
| Bobby Frost | Retired | Voting |
| Brandon Herrenbruck | VP; Steinway Piano Gallery, Nashville and Knoxville | Voting |
| James Holcomb | Retired | Voting |
| Patricia Hudson | Retired | Voting |
| Kami Lunsford | Karns Middle School, Knoxville TN choral music educator | Exofficio |
| Michael McBride | Voting | |
| Flowerree McDonough | Bearden High School Fine Arts Dept. Chair; Visual Art Instructor; Artist | Voting |
| Ron Meers | Retired Educator and former TMEA Exec. Dir. | Voting |
| Michael Meise | Attorney, Michael Meise Law | Voting |
| Jeff Myrick | Parallon, subsidiary of HCA | Voting |
| Diana Poe | Tennessee State University Music Educator | Voting |
| Wayne Qualls | Education Consultant; Former TN Commissioner of Ed. | Voting |
| Jim Rieniets | INSBANK | Voting |
| Patricia Smith | Retired Educator and Arts Advocate | Voting |
| Thane Smith | Real Estate Developer and Businessman | Voting |
| J. Stamper | Resident Emeritus and KHS Global Advisor | Voting |
| Todd Tressler | Voting | |
| William Watkins Jr., CPA | Watkins Uiberall Accounting Firm Co-Founder | Voting |
| Talmage Watts | Assistant Tennessee State Attorney General | Voting |
| Mr. Joe West | Producer and Songwriter | Voting |
| Andre Yovanovitch | Voting |
Advisory Board Members
| Name | Affiliation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Block | Broadway Musical Theatre Actress and Vocalist | NonVoting |
| Chris Brubeck | Professional Musician and Composer | NonVoting |
| George Clinton | Hollywood Film Composer | NonVoting |
| Jason Danieley | Broadway singer and actor | NonVoting |
| Joe DePietro | Tony Award Winning Broadway Writer and Lyricist | NonVoting |
| Audrey Flack | Photorealist, Sculptor and Painter | NonVoting |
| Luke Frazier | NonVoting | |
| Giancarlo Guerrero | Conductor of the Nashville Symphony | NonVoting |
| Kem Hinton FAIA | Tuck Hinton Architects PLC Co-Founder | NonVoting |
| Rupert Holmes | Writer, Composer and Lyricist | NonVoting |
| Cherry Jones | Tony and Emmy Award winning Actress; Founding member of the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA | NonVoting |
| Libby Larsen | Composer | NonVoting |
| Dan Lawson | NonVoting | |
| Aaron Lazar | Broadway Musical Theatre Performer and Television actor | NonVoting |
| David Leong | Virginia Commonwealth University Theatre Chair | NonVoting |
| Andrew Lippa | Composer, Lyricist, Performer, Producer and Writer | NonVoting |
| Richard Maltby Jr. | Director, Lyracist, Producer and Writer | NonVoting |
| Dean Pitchford | Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Golden Globe Winning Broadway and Hollywood Lyricist and Writer; Award winning Children's Books Author | NonVoting |
| Jay Russell | Hollywood Film Director | NonVoting |
| Odessa Settles | Professional Musician, Songwriter, Singer; former President of Nashville Symphony Chorus | NonVoting |
| Doc Severinsen | Musician and Bandleader | NonVoting |
| Richard Sherman | Oscar and Grammy Award Winning Walt Disney Composer and Lyricist | NonVoting |
| Linda Soloman | Award Winning Photojournalist, Author, Photographer for the Academy Awards; National 'Pictures of Hope' Student Photography Project Founder | NonVoting |
| Steve Spiegel | Theatrical Rights Worldwide CEO and President | NonVoting |
| Susan Stauter | Director of the San Francisco School for the Performing Arts | NonVoting |
| Michael Stern | Music Director and Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony; Founding Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the IRIS Orchestra, Germantown TN | NonVoting |
| Hope Stringer | Community Volunteer | NonVoting |
| Charles Strouse | Oscar, Grammy and Tony Award Winning Composer | NonVoting |
| Bennett Tarleton | Retired; Patron of the Arts | NonVoting |
| Jordan Urbach | Musician/Philanthropist | NonVoting |
| Mr. Alton White | Broadway actor | NonVoting |
Governance
| Board Term Lengths | 3.00 years |
|---|---|
| Board Term Limits | 2 |
| Board Meeting Attendance % | 88% |
| Does the organization have written Board Selection Criteria? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a written Conflict of Interest Policy? | Yes |
| Percentage Making Monetary Contributions | 100% |
| Percentage of Board Members making In-Kind Contributions | 100% |
| Does the Board include Client Representation? | Info Not Provided |
| Number of Full Board Meetings Annually | 4 |
Standing Committees
| Board Development / Board Orientation |
| Communications / Promotion / Publicity / Public Relations |
| Development / Fund Development / Fund Raising / Grant Writing / Major Gifts |
| Education |
| Endowment |
| Executive |
| Finance |
| Fiscal Affairs |
| Legislative |
| Nominating |
| Special Events (Golf Tournament, Walk / Run, Silent Auction, Dinner / Gala) |
| Strategic Planning / Strategic Direction |
| Vendor Fair |
Risk Management Provisions
| Crime Coverage |
| Directors and Officers Policy |
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| There are two primary challenges for the TAAF Board of Directors: 1) The Board needs to work harder to diversify and to have more representation from all areas of the state and work with the TAA Alumni Association officers to establish effective goals for the coming two-year term. 2) The Board needs to work out a plan to ensure that all Board members can attend or minimally participate in the four yearly meetings. Both issues are being addressed. The executive committee will meet and identify potential members who have an interest in the arts who will help bring more diversity to the Board. Additionally, current Board members from under-represented areas of the state will be asked to form a committee to identify potential members from their area of the state. Finally, every two years, TAA alumni officers are appointed. A current alumni member is serving as president, a set of Bylaws was created, regional representatives are recruited, and policies were adopted to ensure that an alumni member will have a permanent seat on the TAAF Board of Directors. The executive committee will consider proposals to streamline decision making, create more flexible policies, and to make participation in meetings more convenient for current board members. |
