The energy in the building was frenetic, the play was excellent and the crowd was engaged. Such was the environment when the Belmont Bruins hosted the Lipscomb Bisons in the second of their regular season clashes in an ESPN-network televised match on Dec. 4.
The battle between the two schools, called the Battle of the Boulevard, has been going on for a while and is a huge draw for both schools during basketball season. These type of Nashville neighborhood matchups are what Nashville wants to see, and with that being said, it is what we should have.
“There has been some discussion about that for years and years and years,” said Belmont coach Rick Byrd, when asked about the potential of a round-robin of Nashville teams. “That would all revolve around a Vanderbilt decision. And I am not saying they should or they shouldn’t, but we do have—if you count Middle Tennessee State—four different conferences you could get in that.
“It’s kind of tough because you have us and Tennessee State in the same conference and don’t want to play each other again (outside of our conference games), but it would be nice to have a doubleheader every year with those teams involved,” he continued.
Byrd would go on to talk more about how Vanderbilt and Tennessee have been good about playing teams in the area.
To expound on what he said at first, it would be some good basketball to see Nashville area teams Tennessee State, Belmont, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee State, and Vanderbilt all play each other in a style like Philadelphia does.
The only two questions would be where to play the games and what original name to give it. In Philadelphia, the Philly Five have the Palestra, which is the home gym of the Penn Quakers.
One option you could do in this one is to rotate home gyms to host these games. Outside of Tennessee State and Belmont, all the teams represent different conferences. By utilizing rotating gyms, it doesn’t provide a permanent homecourt advantage for anyone and it also allows everyone to be a host, in true round-robin style.
For the name, it can be a little challenging. The Philly Big Five has been going on for some time and is a known name there. Nashville could copy that and call the even the Nashville Big Five, but that would not be original.
One idea that could come fit would be the Battle of Nashville. Another name it could be is the Nashville Hardwood Battle. There could be plenty of names there on this one that would, sure enough, garner attention in Nashville.
Hopefully one day the powers that be will come together and get this idea rolling. It would not only be good to see these matchups, but it would help Nashville with having another big event in the city for everyone to come to.
And for the schools, the revenue it would bring in for all would be great. Nashville and the South, in general, may be a place where football is loved, but this basketball tournament would go a long way in bringing some basketball tradition to Nashville.
02 DEC 18 10:00 ET
By Matt Egan and Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business
(CNN) — 1. Crude reality: Cheap oil used to be a slam-dunk positive for the American economy.
Abrupt declines in oil prices would create huge savings for consumers and businesses alike. It was like a massive tax cut — and one that didn’t blow up the federal deficit.
But the shale oil boom has since changed that equation. The United States today is not only the largest guzzler of oil, it’s vaulted to the top of the production leaderboard as well. US output recently surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia for the first time since 1973.
“The US now responds to lower oil prices like an OPEC member,” Pantheon Macroeconomics chief economist Ian Shepherdson wrote to clients last week. “When the president calls for lower oil prices, he’s ignoring the new reality.”
Crude plummeted 22% in November, marking the worst month since October 2008. Despite that meltdown, Trump has repeatedly pressured OPEC and Saudi Arabia not to dial back production to balance the market. OPEC and Russia are nonetheless expected to seriously consider slashing output at Thursday’s highly-anticipated meeting in Vienna, Austria.
Of course, the recent plunge in oil prices is not nearly on the same level of the last downturn. And millions of Americans are enjoying a windfall caused by the slump. And that’s a huge plus because the United States is still a consumer-led economy.
A gallon of gasoline fetched $2.49 on Friday, down from $2.80 a month ago, according to AAA. Consumers could use that extra cash to splurge on Amazon (AMZN) this holiday season.
But many residents of Texas, North Dakota, Alaska and other oil-producing states are not celebrating. Crashing oil prices can threaten their livelihoods.
“The decline in oil prices is not an unalloyed good,” said PNC chief economist Gus Faucher. “The benefits are dispersed but the hits are geographically concentrated.”
Faucher said that he believes the impact of cheap oil is now neutral on the overall US economy.
Shale is a gamechanger
Consider what happened during the 2014-2016 oil crash. Gasoline prices plummeted from $3.70 a gallon to just $1.72, according to federal government stats. That helped boost consumer spending.
And yet US GDP growth decelerated sharply from above 3% in early 2015 to sub 2% the next year. Capital spending in the mining sector, which is mostly oil, plunged by $149 billion, or 61%, from peak to trough, according to Shepherdson. He found that matched the pick-up in consumer spending over that span.
One big shift is that shale oil now makes up at least half of America’s oil output. And shale oil companies, unlike their larger rivals, quickly ramp up and down their activity based on price swings. And when that happens, other parts of the economy feel the impact. The pain from cheap oil can spill over into steel, manufacturing, real estate, transportation, logistics and banking.
All told, Shepherdson estimates that the oil crash wiped 0.3 percentage points off US GDP growth in 2014 and another 0.2 percentage points in 2015.
“In the shale new world, lower oil prices mean slower US growth,” Shepherdson wrote.
2. Trade truce: Presisdent Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping, the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the trade war between the United States and China.
After the two-and-a-half hour discussion at the G20 summit in Argentina, Trump agreed to maintain the 10% tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, and not raise them to 25% “at this time” ahead of a January 1 deadline, according to a White House statement from press secretary Sarah Sanders.
In exchange, China agreed it was willing to purchase a “very substantial” amount of agriculture, energy and other goods from the United States to help reduce the trade imbalance.
Calling the extended meeting “friendly and candid,” Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two leaders had agreed to open their markets to each other and to step up negotiations toward elimination of all additional tariffs.
Some analysts warn that the truce could be short-lived. “In short, this was not a breakthrough on substance, but a framework to continue talks. We have long warned of the risk that such a general agreement could break down,” Eurasia Group said.
3. Jobs numbers: Will November be another strong month for adding jobs? We’ll find out on Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases new numbers for last month.
In October, the US economy added 250,000 jobs in October, which significantly exceeded expectations. The unemployment rate remained at 3.7%, a 49-year low. Hispanic unemployment reached its lowest rate ever, at 4.4%.
5. Retail earnings: Some stores are reporting earnings this week including Dollar General (DG), Restoration Hardware (RH), and Ulta (ULTA).
It’s been a strong year for Dollar General: the stock is up nearly 19% for the year. CEO Todd Vasos said on its last earnings call that despite the strong economy, weak wage growth has attracted more shoppers that live paycheck-to-paycheck.
6. Coming this week:
Tuesday — Bank of Montreal (BMO), Dollar General (DG) and Restoration Hardware (RH) earnings
Wednesday — US financial markets closed for national day of mourning in honor of former President George H.W. Bush
Thursday — Kroger (KR), Ulta (ULTA) and Broadcom (AVGO) earnings; Trial for government’s appeal of AT&T-Time Warner deal begins; OPEC meeting
(CNN) — General Motors has earned tens of billions of dollars in profit over the past decade. But the automaker has paid essentially no federal income tax to Washington since it came out of bankruptcy.
And GM probably won’t have to pay much in federal taxes for at least the next five years.
GM isn’t evading Uncle Sam. Federal law allows companies to use past losses to shield future profits from taxes. The tax break, known by the wonky name “net operating loss carryforward,” is one the most common tax breaks in corporate America. Most businesses lose money at some point. The tax break is designed to help struggling companies get back on their feet.
GM is an extreme example. It suffered huge losses leading up to its 2009 bankruptcy. By 2010, it was again profitable, and it has essentially been very profitable ever since.
The company’s finances have been in the news again over the last week after it announced plans to close plants and cut thousands of jobs. President Donald Trump immediately attacked GM, arguing it should keep the plants open because of the taxpayer help it’s gotten in the past. He vowed to cut off any subsidies it is still receiving.
But for GM, its ability to effectively bank past losses to reduce present and future tax bills is more valuable than any of those government programs, including the net cost of the 2009 auto bailout and a federal tax credit for people who buy plug-in cars.
According to corporate filings, GM paid $18 million in federal taxes last year, its largest tax bill since the bankruptcy. Despite the federal tax break, the company paid millions in other kinds of taxes: $83 million in state and local, and $552 million in foreign, taxes last year, for example.
GM paid federal income tax in just three other years since 2010, totaling another $18 million.In most years it posted even larger credits, not an expense, for federal income taxes.
Along the way, GM posted total net income of $50 billion from 2010 through 2016, setting company profit records in several periods.
In fact, GM’s only reported loss since 2009 was last year. And that was because it had to write down the future value of the tax break it gets from past losses. The Republican tax cut plan, which reduced GM’s future tax obligations, means GM can’t count on saving as much money going forward.
Building up a storehouse of losses
GM’s profitability in recent years is very different from its financial performance leading up to its bankruptcy.The company posted total net losses of $82 billion between 2005 and 2008, and its operating loss in 2009 came to more than $23 billion. That gave it an enormous buffer against its future tax bills.
In February, Charles Stevens, who was then GM’s chief financial officer, assured investors that he expected the company to continue in “a very low cash taxpaying position … for the foreseeable future,” into 2022 or 2023. GM declined to comment for this story, other than to confirm that Stevens’ outlook is still accurate.
At the end of last year, GM still had $8.6 billion in future domestic tax breaks on the books.
Allowing companies to reduce their tax bills after losing money is good policy, said Tax Policy Center senior fellow Steve Rosenthal. Among other things, it helps them to borrow money at better interest rates and helps them raise money from the stock markets, since investors know the value of the tax break going forward. GM raised a then-record $20 billion from investors in 2010.
“Businesses report their net income annually, which is somewhat arbitrary,” Rosenthal said. “In order to tax net income over a business’ life cycle, we need to allow losses to carry forward.”
But the savings are huge. At the end of 2011, GM estimated it would end up saving $11.2 billion from the tax break from past losses.
By comparison, the federal government gave GM a $49.5 billion bailout to fund its turnaround. The Treasury Department got most of that back when it sold stock in GM that it held after the bankruptcy. Still, taxpayers took a $10.6 billion loss on the bailout.
In terms of other government assistance, GM is among the companies that benefit from a $7,500 tax credit that buyers get for purchasing plug-in cars. That tax break helps GM sell cars for a higher price. GM has sold nearly 200,000 of them, meaning the buyers’ tax bills have been reduced by a total of $1.5 billion.
The company also does get some research grants from government departments, such as the department of energy. But those grants are no where near as valuable, totaling tens of millions of dollars, not billions.
(CNN) — The truce between the United States and China means that Corporate America has dodged a massive bullet — for now at least.
Executives are breathing a sigh of relief after the trade war between the world’s two largest economies cooled significantly over the weekend. A tariff hike on $200 billion of Chinese goods was supposed to go into effect on January 1 but has been punted for three months.
The US-China ceasefire is not a breakthrough that ends the trade war entirely. The tariffs already imposed remain and new ones could still be imposed. Washington and Beijing have simply agreed to take a timeout to talk.
But for businesses squeezed by the rising costs and deep uncertainty caused by tariffs, it’s a welcomed development nonetheless.
“Détente for three months,” Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group, wrote to clients on Monday. “We’ll take it.”
The trade war between the United States and China has been a major concern for executives and investors alike. Both countries’ stock markets have tumbled. Companies have faced higher costs. Americans farmers are hurting badly from China’s retaliatory tariffs on US soybeans.
The pain was set to get much worse. Prior to the truce, the Trump administration was scheduled to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10% to 25%. And President Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on additional $267 billion of Chinese goods. The next tranche of tariffs would have directly raised costs on consumer goods, including potentially Apple’s (AAPL) iPhones.
The US-China ceasefire “creates an off-ramp for de-escalation of the trade war,” Chris Krueger, analyst at Cowen Washington Research Group, wrote to clients on Monday. He said it recalls an adage in Washington: “When on the edge of a cliff, build more land.”
Outside of trade, Corporate America is already grappling with other challenges as the economic recovery from the Great Recession ages.
Borrowing costs are rising because of the series of interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve. Higher wage and transportation expenses threaten record-high profit margins. And economic growth is projected to slow next year. Some economists are already warning of a potential 2020 recession. New tariffs are the last thing companies need.
“Setting aside the imposition of tariffs is the right course of action for US workers, job creators and the economy,” Myron Brilliant, head of international affairs at the Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a statement on Sunday.
American farmers, who have been caught in the crossfire of the trade war, could enjoy an immediate benefit. China agreed to increase its imports of various US products, with an early focus on agriculture.
Farmers will be a “very BIG and FAST beneficiary of our deal with China,” President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday.
However, the 25% tariff on soybean imports into China remains, for now at least.
Krueger expressed frustration with what he called Trump’s “arsonist firefighter trade approach” to agriculture.
“China will now purchase the rotting soybeans they would have bought earlier before the tariffs went into place,” he wrote.
Will a breakthrough happen in time?
Bigger picture, Trump has succeeded in getting China to come to the bargaining table to talk about reforms to practices that have long angered American businesses. Those practices include alleged theft of American intellectual property, forced technology transfers and high barriers limiting the ability of US companies to access the vast Chinese market.
“We are hopeful this will lead to both important reforms in China and a de-escalation in trade tensions between the US and China,” the Business Roundtable wrote in a statement on Sunday. The organization represents large US companies that employ nearly 15 million people.
But analysts are warning that such a breakthrough between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be very difficult to achieve under the limited negotiating window.
“90 days is not much time to tackle issues that have bedeviled Beijing and Washington for years,” Eurasia Group wrote in a report.
Goldman Sachs economists are similarly skeptical. The firm said that the chances of a comprehensive agreement has increased to about 20% over the next three months, but the most likely outcomes are for the truce to be extended when the deadline is reached or for an escalation in tariffs.
“It seems more likely (just over 50% probability) that the talks will falter when they reach more difficult issues,” Goldman Sachs chief US political economist Alec Phillips wrote to clients on Monday.
In other words, while the ceasefire is a significant step in the right direction, it’s far from a guarantee that the trade war is over. Until then, trade uncertainty will continue.
03 DEC 18 16:45 ET
By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business
(CNN) — Stocks were up Monday on the news of a US-China trade truce. But it may be tough for this aging bull market to keep powering ahead for much longer — even if China and the US reach an actual agreement.
Earnings growth north of 20% for the S&P 500 has helped power the market in 2018. But profit growth is expected to slow to less than 10% in 2019.
The series of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve could begin to slow down the economy as well, especially as the stimulative impact from tax cuts begins to fade. That’s why the big jump in profits this year may be unsustainable, according to JPM Asset Management chief global strategist David Kelly.
“With both wage growth and interest rates expected to rise further next year, margins should begin to come under pressure,” Kelly and his team wrote in a recent report.
Trade could also hurt stocks next year. US President Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping are not guaranteed to reach a deal before higher tariffs go into effect. And it’s not as if the United States is only fighting a trade war with China: It’s also involved in several trade spats with other nations. The impact of all this trade tension could lead to more volatility.
“Unresolved trade issues remain an uncertainty,” wrote Jason Pride, chief investment officer of private client for Glenmede, in a report.
The global economy may slow next year too, and that could put pressure on earnings for big American multinational companies, noted Matt Peden, chief investment officer at GuideStone Capital Management.
Have investors already factored in a sluggish 2019?
Each of those factors suggests the market choppiness of this year will continue into 2019 — and it may be tough for stocks to climb much further from current levels for the foreseeable future.
Still, not everyone thinks 2019 is destined to be a tough year for stocks.
Some think that the trade truce between the US and China will ultimately lead to a deal, as both sides will come to realize that neither of them will win an actual trade war.
“The strain from having the two largest global economies at loggerheads is being felt,” said Dec Mullarkey, managing director of investment strategy with Sun Life Investment Management. “In the US, the farming community is feeling the pinch.”
“And on recent earnings calls many S&P 500 companies commented on trade effects and the uncertain outlook. In China, the economy has slowed and the government has been forced to stimulate with tax cuts,” Mullarkey added.
The market has already plunged on worries about a global slowdown. That may be a sign that 2019 won’t be as bad as feared. Investors have already sold stocks on worries about the future.
John Augustine, chief investment officer with Huntington Private Bank, said that the market sell-off in October and November was a sign that investors are not overly bullish. They are preparing for a pullback in profits.
“The market has already adjusted for slower growth next year,” Augustine said. “Stock valuations have come down much quicker and more than we thought.”
The five individuals who comprise our “Ones to Watch” list have already made a significant impact in their respective fields but are brimming with so much potential that they could one day possibly surpass the type of power many of their contemporaries enjoy today.
We opted to highlight these rising stars in an appropriate context that rightly honors their contributions among the work of their peer group.
Marcus Whitney
Marcus Whitney: CEO, The Unlikely Company; Founding Partner, Jumpstart Foundry; CEO, Jumpstart Capital; President / Co-Founder, Briovation; CEO / Founder, Health:Further; Co-owner / Board Member, Nashville Soccer Club Part venture capitalist, part angel fund investor, part serial entrepreneur, part professional soccer team owner, part media strategist, Marcus Whitney is a self-made transplant from Brooklyn who has strategically positioned himself to be a part of the many industries that will be of significant importance to Metro Nashville’s future growth as a major U.S. city
John Faison
The Rev. John Faison: Senior Pastor, Watson Grove Baptist Church
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LaDonna Boyd
LaDonna Boyd: CEO, R. H. Boyd Publishing Group; Board member, Citizens Savings Bank and Trust
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Tequila Johnson
Tequila Johnson: Co-founder / Vice President, The Equity Alliance
As Metropolitan Nashville continues to evolve into one of America’s largest urban centers, leadership in our community is of the highest importance.
Some leaders may be elected by the people they represent, some leaders rise to prominence through the sacrifice and success of their careers and some leaders are granted opportunities to hold spaces. All leaders, however, must possess a vision that puts the best interests of the community as top priority.
But first, they must possess the power to bring that vision into fruition. Without power, they are just a person with a bunch of ideas. Powerful people have the ability to get things done, efficiently and quickly. They can make a call, show up or speak up, and then things start to happen.
In a celebration of those who we believe have acquired immense influence and high esteem throughout Metro Davidson County and beyond, Nashville Voice is excited to present our ranking of the 10 Most Powerful Blacks in Nashville to introduce the men and women who are helping to ensure that our community continues to prosper. This process was not a popularity contest. The fact is, many people who possess tremendous power, you would never know.
In a 2015 interview with Business Insider, the acclaimed author Robert Greene — who has been studying power for more than 20 years — once said:
“Power is the measure of the degree of control you have over circumstances in your life and the actions of the people around you. It is a skill that is developed by a deep understanding of human nature, of what truly motivates people, and of the manipulations necessary for advancement and protection. Power works best when it is indirect — never coercing people; instead, getting them to voluntarily align with your interests.”
To put it more simply, Nashville Voice defines power as an effortless ability to move the needle. It is undoubtedly having an incredible amount of influence over one’s environment and the people around them.
So what were the criteria we considered when selecting our top 10?
CAPACITY: They have the capacity to move the needle or make a change.
RESPONSIBILITY: They use their power to or are responsible for making big decisions to make lasting changes that impact the lives of Nashville residents.
SINGULARITY: If you needed something done, you would call this person. They don’t have to call anyone else to get things done.
RESPECTABILITY: They possess superior character and are deeply respected by their peers in the community.
CONSISTENCY: They have made a career out of using their power and influence for the greater good of the urban community in Nashville.
Our list of the 10 most powerful Blacks in Nashville spans over many industries, from local government and banking to faith-based leadership and in education.* It is comprised of four women and six men who exceeded in many of the criteria listed above.
*Unfortunately, African Americans do not possess significant power in corporate Nashville.
Richard Manson
10: Richard Manson: Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Citizens Savings Bank & Trust Citizens Savings Bank & Trust appointed healthcare executive and attorney Richard Manson as chairman of the board following the retirement of esteemed Chairman Dr. T.B. Boyd III in early 2018. In his role as chairman of the board, Manson provides leadership for the effective governance of the bank and provides guidance for the accountability to shareholders, regulators, and other stakeholders. Citizens Bank is the oldest black-owned bank in the nation and African Americans have historically relied on Citizens to finance small businesses, homes, education and/or religious institutions.
Tanaka Vercher
9: Councilwoman Tanaka Vercher: Two-term chairwoman of Metro Council Budget & Finance Committee Tanaka Vercher is a member of the Nashville Metro Council in Tennessee, representing District 28. She was elected in the general election on August 6, 2015. Elected by her peers to serve as chairwoman of the Metro Council’s Budget & Finance committee, she is arguably the most powerful person on the Council, overseeing the City’s $2.2 billion budget. The Metro Nashville-Davidson County budget affects every citizen, visitor, and business in our city, for schools to healthcare, neighborhoods to industrial complexes, public safety to sports and entertainment. No woman has ever served for two terms as Budget and Finance chairperson.
Rosetta Miller Perry
8: Rosetta Miller-Perry: Owner of the Tennessee Tribune Following a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy and as a lawyer, Rosetta Miller-Perry founded the Tennessee Tribune in 1991. Denied funds from local banks, Miller-Perry invested $70,000 from her personal savings into the Tribune. Under Miller-Perry’s regime, The Tribune has become the most effective African-American weekly in Middle Tennessee. For more than 21 years, the paper has championed the cause of civil rights and leadership of African-Americans. Miller-Perry remains at the helm of the publication and wields her pen of power like a mighty sword. When Rosetta speaks, the Earth moves.
Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III
7. Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III: Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Tennessee State University, the only public HBCU in Tennessee; the Presiding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International. Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III serves as the Senior Pastor of the historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, which he has grown to a congregation of 30,000+ with three campuses in Metropolitan Nashville and a massive virtual following through live stream and other digital platforms. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Meharry Medical College and Citizens Savings Bank; in October 2016, he was appointed by TN Governor Bill Haslam to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Tennessee State University. While several faith leaders belong on this list, Walker is the only Nashvillian serving as the presiding bishop of a religious denomination.
Darrell Freeman
6. Darrell Freeman: Founder of Zycron; the first two-term chairman of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Darrell S. Freeman is the founder of Zycron Inc., a company he founded more than 25 years ago and sold last spring to Texas-based IT Staffing for $20 Million. It is also one of the largest information technology companies in Nashville, Tennessee. Beyond Zycron, Freeman’s other business ventures include being co-owner of Pinnacle Construction Partners and a co-founder of Franklin-based Reliant Bank. He’s also lead director on the board of Brentwood-based substance abuse treatment services provider American Addiction Centers Inc. Freeman is also the chairman of S3 Asset Management, a technology and medical equipment recycling company in which he owns a 30 percent stake. While chairman of the Chamber, Freeman changed the culture and the face of the Nashville-Area Chamber of Commerce by bringing people of color to its table of power and championing minority-owned businesses.
Talia Lomax-O’dneal
5. Talia Lomax-O’dneal: Finance director for Metro Government Talia Lomax-O’dneal serves as Metro Nashville’s Director of Finance, overseeing a roughly $2 billion budget and protecting the interests of taxpayers through sound fiscal management practices. She was appointed to the position in fall 2015 by then-Mayor Megan Barry, after a month of serving as Acting Director of Finance. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Finance Director, where her primary responsibilities included preparation and monitoring of Metro’s operating and capital budgets. She has worked extensively in the field of finance in the public and private sector for more than 25 years, 15 of which have been in the Metro Finance Department.
Glenda Baskin-Glover
4. Glenda Baskin Glover: President of Tennessee State University, Tennessee’s only public HBCU; International president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Glenda Baskin-Glover has served as president of Tennessee State University since 2013. Because education is the singlemost determinant for an individual’s success and prosperity, there is no Tennessee institution more critical to the success of the African-American community than Tennessee State, which has produced more black college graduates than any other university in the state of Tennessee. Glover also became the 30th International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the nation’s oldest Greek-letter organization established by African-American college women, on July 12. Glover kicked off her role by donating $50,000 to the sorority’s Educational Advancement Foundation, specifically for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Glover also led a 24-hour giving campaign in September in which the sorority broke its one-day fundraising records, raising nearly $1.1 million dollars for the support of HBCUs.
Shawn Joseph
3. Shawn Joseph: Director, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Shawn Joseph, the Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools, is an experienced educator who has fought for excellence and equity for every student he has served in his more than 20-year career. Before moving to Nashville, he was the head of teaching and learning in Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland. Prior to that, he was the superintendent of the Seaford County District in Seaford, Delaware. Joseph’s work has garnered national recognition, and his expertise has been sought by other districts during transitional periods. Cities live or die based on the quality of their public school systems. MNPS is the 46th largest school district in the nation with nearly 100,000 students and a budget of $700 million.
David Williams
2. David Williams: Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Relations, Vanderbilt University When David Williams arrived at Vanderbilt University in 2000, serving initially as vice chancellor and general counsel, he quickly became one of the architects who transformed Vanderbilt University into the incredibly diverse and inclusive campus it has become. Stepping into the history books as the first African American athletic director in SEC history, Williams used his power to empower others in hiring the University’s first African American head coach of any of its programs. But his power and influence have extended well beyond West End Avenue, as he has used his platform as a champion of diversity and inclusion to bring effective change to the city of Nashville and has emerged as one of the most powerful individuals in the state of Tennessee. Though Williams announced that he plans to step down from his leadership role at the helm of the Commodores, Williams’ legacy will be felt by several generations to come. He plans to transition full-time to his role as a tenured professor of law at the Vanderbilt Law School, a position he has held along with his university leadership responsibilities since he first joined the university faculty.
Decosta Jenkins
1. DeCosta Jenkins: CEO of Nashville Electric Services, one of the largest utility companies in the country Decosta Jenkins was appointed the president and CEO of Nashville Electric Services—one of the 12 largest public electric utilities in the nation, distributing energy to more than 385,000 customers in Middle Tennessee—in September 2004, after 13 years with the company. Prior to that, Jenkins spent 11 years with Deloitte and Touche. Jenkins is a member and past treasurer of the Nashville Downtown Exchange Club and is board chairman of Samaritan Ministries/Project S.E.E. Jenkins serves on the boards of TN Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction, Goodwill Industries, Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, Nashville Bank & Trust, YMCA of Middle Tennessee, Salvation Army, American Public Power Association and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. We selected Jenkins at the top of our list not only because of his professional power helming the largest utility company in middle Tennessee, but also his expansive commitment to use his personal influence, energy, resources, and compassion to serve the least of these in our community.
The following five individuals represent people who possess major power in Metro Nashville and beyond, but we had to make tough decisions for only 10 spots.
Of course, each of these individuals met our criteria and/or exceeded them in one or another category. We’ve decided to highlight the top honorable mention.
Ronald Roberts
1. Ronald Roberts: Managing Partner, DVL Seigenthaler
Ronald Roberts oversees the day-to-day management of the agency and directs the firm’s short-and-long-range plans.
Roberts has managed corporate and crisis communications, media relations, message strategy and development, event management and executive image management for many of DVL Seigenthaler’s clients. He also leads DVL Siegenthaler’s media and message training practice group.
Further, Roberts is also certified by the Institute for Crisis Management and has participated in extensive crisis management for clients throughout the country.
Dexter Samuels
2. Dr. Dexter Samuels: Senior Vice President for Student Affairs & Executive Director, Center for Health Policy at Meharry Medical College, Chair for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board of Directors
Howard Gentry
3. Howard Gentry: Criminal Court Clerk of Metro Nashville-Davidson County, former Vice-Mayor
Michelle Hernandez-Lane
4. Michelle Lane: Chief Procurement Officer, Metro Nashville-Davidson County Government
Brenda Gilmore
5. Brenda Gilmore: Tennessee State Senate District 19 (elected Nov. 6)
