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Howard Gentry, Jr. named CEO of Nashville Area Chamber Public Benefit Foundation
Former Metro vice mayor becomes Foundation's first-ever CEO
For Immediate Release
September 7, 2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Former Metro Vice Mayor and mayoral candidate Howard Gentry, Jr. has been named chief executive officer of the Nashville Chamber Public Benefit Foundation, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce president Ralph Schulz announced today.
The Chamber Foundation was created in 1995 and has operated under the direction of a seven-member board of directors. Gentry, who will also gain the title of vice president of community action for the Nashville Chamber, will be the Foundation's first CEO.
"I've always considered it an honor to serve the people of Nashville, and this opportunity offers an intriguing new way to make a difference," said Gentry. "I'm eager to begin working with the Chamber and the Foundation board; I know there is a lot we can accomplish together."
The Foundation is self-funded and is charged with coordinating a variety of initiatives of interest to the Chamber that fall outside its day-to-day programming, including facilitating joint public-private efforts to improve public education in Nashville; developing alternative approaches to urban revitalization and redevelopment; promoting cultural and artistic endeavors and the preservation of historic structures; coordinating public and private initiatives to benefit the poor, elderly, unemployed and other disadvantaged residents of Middle Tennessee; encouraging youth participation in sports and recreation; and stimulating business and private foundation investment in community and charitable projects.
"Gaining a leader of Howard's stature is a significant achievement for the Chamber and will mean great things for the Foundation," said Schulz. "Howard's deep understanding of the issues that face this city and his connections throughout the entire community make him the ideal person to lead this Foundation to a new level of relevance and accomplishment."
The Foundation's board of directors is led by chairman Jack Bovender, president and CEO of HCA. Other Foundation board members include Bob Fisher, president of Belmont University; Darrell Freeman, president and CEO of Zycron, Inc.; Ron Samuels, CEO of Avenue Bank; Terry Crutcher, Chamber controller; Gordon Nichols, Chamber general counsel; and Schulz.
"This announcement is great news for the Chamber Foundation and for the people of Nashville," said Bovender. "There is no one more qualified for this position than Howard, and I know that he will assist this Foundation to accomplish objectives that make a real difference in the lives of people within our community."
Gentry served as vice mayor and president of the Metro Council from 2002 to 2007. He was first elected as an at-large councilman in 1999. He has worked in a wide variety of positions throughout the Nashville business, education, media and nonprofit communities, including CEO of the nonprofit organization Backfield in Motion, director of athletics, director of development, and executive director of the TSU Foundation at Tennessee State University, longtime radio voice of the TSU Tigers, and host of the Howard Gentry, Jr. Sports Talk Show on WNSR-AM. He began his professional career in banking with positions at First American Bank and Citizens Bank before serving as a court officer and law clerk with the Metro Criminal Court Division I from 1987 to 1990.
Gentry earned his undergraduate (1974) and master's (1999) degrees from TSU. He has held volunteer positions with the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Alliance for Public Education, 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Frist Center for the Visual Arts and many others and was a mayoral appointee to the Mayor's Taskforce To End Chronic Homelessness. He serves as president of the board of directors of the State of Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
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