Stephanie Coleman was appointed chief talent development officer at the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce in July 2021 where she leads the development of talent supply solutions to ensure the region’s employers have access to a skilled workforce. In this role, she co-leads New Skills Ready, a $7 million, 5-year investment by JPMorgan Chase to create equitable career pathways and seamless postsecondary transitions. Since 2015, Coleman has served as a member of the Chamber’s executive leadership team responsible for the overall financial health, strategic management and day-to-day operations and well-being of the organization.  

Coleman has served in a variety of roles at the Chamber, most recently as chief growth officer where she led member and investor relations, member value, sponsorship, marketing and communications, finance and administration functions. Coleman also oversaw the Chamber’s $25 million investment campaign to support the organization’s five-year economic prosperity strategies, known as the Partnership. Prior to her role as chief growth officer, she served in a variety of positions including vice president of member value and strategic alliances, vice president of policy, and vice president of marketing and communications. Coleman joined the Chamber in 2008 after leaving a congressional staff position in Washington, D.C. 

Originally from Lexington, Ky., Coleman moved to Nashville, Tenn. to attend Vanderbilt University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and French. She earned a master’s degree in international economic development and diplomacy at the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, and she completed a Master of Business Administration from Lipscomb University’s College of Business. She is a member of the 2020 class of Leadership Nashville and serves as chair of the Downtown YMCA Advisory Board, serves as a member of the Vanderbilt Health Employer Advisory Council, and is a member of The Table and the Rotary Club of Nashville. In addition, Coleman is an elder of Downtown Presbyterian Church (DPC), where she serves on the Pastor Nominating Committee, the Business Management Committee and the Missions Committee. She was appointed to the DPC Corporation Board of Directors in 2014 where she is immediate past president. She also serves on the Nominating Task Force of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee. Coleman is a volunteer coordinator for DPC’s Saturday breakfast for individuals experiencing homelessness. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, reading and spending time with her husband, Dave.

L. Gregory Jones is President of Belmont University, a position he has held since June 1, 2021. He was educated at the University of Denver (B.A. and M.P.A.) and Duke University (M.Div. and Ph.D.). He holds honorary doctorates from Lycoming College and North Carolina Wesleyan University. He is committed to serving in the Nashville and middle Tennessee region to strengthen partnerships and cultivate flourishing across the region. 

Greg previously served as Dean of Duke Divinity School (1997-2010 and 2018-2021). Between 2010 and 2018, Greg served in a variety of roles, including Vice President and Vice Provost for Global Strategy and Programs at Duke University, and also as Provost and Executive Vice President of Baylor University. He has also served in strategic advisory roles with several foundations. He is the author or editor of 19 books, and has authored more than 200 essays/articles. He is known for books on forgiveness (Embodying Forgiveness and the co-authored Forgiving as We’ve Been Forgiven), Christian leadership (the co-authored Resurrecting Excellence) and social innovation (Christian Social Innovation). His most recent book is the co-authored Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas (2021). 

In Nashville, Greg serves on the boards of The United Way, the Nashville Public Education Foundation, the Nashville Health Care Council, and on the Steering Committee for Nashville’s Agenda. He is a member of the Leadership Nashville Class of 2022. More broadly, he serves on the Boards of the John Templeton Foundation, the McDonald Agape Foundation, and the India Collective.

Peggy Valentine serves as Vice President of Allied Health Education where she has direct oversight of all allied health education programs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). She joined Vanderbilt in September 2021 and served previously as dean of Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences from January 2006 to August 2021. Additionally, she served as interim chancellor at Fayetteville State University from August 2019 to March 2021. As the inaugural Vice President of Allied Health Education, she collaborates with various higher educational institutions, high schools and community partners to establish educational programs to meet the allied healthcare needs of VUMC and the region. 

Valentine is the former associate dean in the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Division of Allied Health Sciences, at Howard University, a position she held from 1998 to 2005. 

She received her Doctor of Education degree from Virginia Tech and Master of Arts degree and Bachelor of Science degree from Howard University. She began her career as a physician associate (PA) following a short career as a registered nurse. She was recruited to join the PA faculty at Howard University and became department chair in 1983, serving in that role for six years.  

She has conducted research on homeless and minority issues. She has lectured extensively on minority HIV/AIDS issues to professional and lay groups nationally and internationally. Valentine has published in refereed journals, textbooks and HIV/AIDS training manuals and served as editor-in-chief for the Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity Journal until 2023, a journal that she founded in 2007. Valentine was elected Fellow to the National Academy of Public Administrators in 2021 and Fellow to the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professionals in 2003. She has been an active member of the Consortium for International Management Policy and Development, and presently serves as president and general chair.

Tim Hingtgen has served as Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Systems since January 1, 2021. As CEO, Hingtgen is responsible for strategic and operational priorities of the Company and he provides oversight and direction to the senior corporate and regional operations leaders who directly support our affiliated hospitals. Hingtgen also serves on the company’s Board of Directors. Prior to being appointed CEO, Hingtgen served as President and Chief Operating Officer from September 2016 through December 2020. Hingtgen is a highly accomplished hospital operator with a track record of successfully optimizing hospital operations and developing regional healthcare networks. Hingtgen joined Community Health Systems in 2008 as a Vice President of Operations, was promoted to President of Division IV Operations in January 2014, and in May 2016, he was promoted again to Executive Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Community Health Systems, Hingtgen served as a chief executive officer or chief operating officer of hospital facilities affiliated with other hospital systems. Hingtgen serves on the Boards of Directors of the Federation of American Hospitals, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Nashville Health Care Council. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.