Executive Committee Members

Carol Berz, L.C.S.W., J.D., Ph.D., Chair, of Chattanooga, owns Private Dispute Resolution Services, LLC, a mediation services and conflict management system design organization. Dr. Berz is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Listed mediator and a national trainer in both general civil and family mediation. The Council's Southeast Development District representative, she organized the Council's statewide forums on the Economic Impact of Domestic Violence and co-authored subsequent Council publications on that topic. She leads the Council’s strategic planning component and chairs its Economic Impact Committee. cberz@4pdrs.com

Rep. Janis Sontany, Vice-Chair,is in her third term in the Tennessee General Assembly and was previously a member of Metro Council for 8 years. She recently retired from DuPont with 21 years of service in government affairs and customer service. She is a past president of the Nashville Women's Political Caucus and was their 2002 Athena Nominee. She served as a board member of Outlook Nashville and was awarded the CMRA Public Leader of the Year in 1998. Rep. Sontany is a Representative of the Tennessee House on the Council. rep.janis.sontany@legislature.state.tn.us

Rep. Nathan Vaughn, B.S., represents House District 2, which includes part of Sullivan County. He is an insurance agent who is an Alderman and former Vice Mayor. He is a member of the Children and Family Affairs, Finance Ways and Means and Transportation Committees. He is also a member of the House Domestic Relations Subcommittee. Representative Vaughn is the former president of Girls Inc. He represents the Black Legislative Caucus on the Council and is the East Tennessee Representative on the Executive Committee. rep.nathan.vaughn@legislature.state.tn.us

Gwendolyn Sims Davis, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of General Services, represents the Governor’s Cabinet on the Council and serves as the Middle Tennessee Representative on the Executive Committee. Prior to her role as Commissioner, she was President and Chief Consultant of Sims Associates, a Nashville-based consulting firm specializing in human resources management, government compliance and corporate diversity programs. Gwendolyn.S.Davis@state.tn.us

Carol Danehower, of Memphis , is Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at The University of Memphis. She received her doctorate in Management from the University of Kentucky. As Associate Dean, Dr. Danehower is responsible for all academic programs (undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D.) in the College, including recruiting, admissions, advising, curriculum, and scheduling. Dr. Danehower represents the Tennessee Board of Regents on the Council and is the West Tennessee Representative on the Executive Committee. vdanehwr@memphis.edu

Ellen Bronaugh Vergos represents the Memphis Area Development District and serves as Secretary of the Council. She is a partner in the Memphis office of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, where she practices in the areas of creditors' rights, business bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Ms. Vergos is a certified as a specialist in business bankruptcy law and is listed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Rule 31 general civil mediator. She received her B.A. from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law. Her career includes public service in the U.S. Department of Justice as United States Trustee for Region 8 (Tennessee and Kentucky)by the appointment of former Attorney General Janet Reno, from 1995 to 2003; private law practice in Memphis and Nashville, and a judicial clerkship in the U.S. District Court for the Honorable Harry W. Wellford (retired Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals judge.) She is a member of the boards of directors of the Tennessee Justice Center, the Shelby County Health Care Board, and the Memphis Convention Center. evergos@wyattfirm.com

Margaret Jane Powers, J.D., Immediate Past Chair, of Crossville, serves as Upper Cumberland Development District Representative to the Economic Council on Women and chairs its Legislation and Policy Committee. Founder of the successful Powers Law Firm focusing on litigation of gender employment fairness issues, bankruptcy, criminal defense and workers compensation, Ms. Powers also serves as the President of the Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women and as Speaker of the Tennessee Bar Association’s House of Delegates. She is also a Member of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. mjp@margaretjanepowers.com

Council Members

Sandra Bennett is the Managing Administrator for Spherion Human Resource Consulting Group in Brentwood, TN. Her professional experiences range from that of a Regional Office Coordinator for CertainTeed Corporation, to a Fleet Administrator for Siemens Corporation in Atlanta and a Facilities Manager for a realty company in Michigan. Sandra has been a member of Business & Professional Women since 1997. She served two terms as President of Greater Nashville Business & Professional Women. As a member of Greater Nashville BPW, she also held positions as First Vice-President, Secretary, Legislative Chair, Programs Chair, and Public Relations Chairs. Sandra held the office of 2004/2005 Region II, District IV Director for the Tennessee Federation of Business & Professional Women, and is currently a member of the Heart of Tennessee BPW and an Individual Development Workshop Facilitator for TNBPW. During her tenure as President of Greater Nashville BPW, Sandra began lobbying for the passage of the Equal Pay Remedies & Enforcement Act. As a result of her efforts in helping to see this legislation passed, Sandra was presented with State Resolution #955, recognizing her work on behalf of the women of Tennessee. Sandra is currently serving her second year on the Board of the Nashville Women's Political Caucus as the Vice President of Legislation. Sandra is the mother of award winning garden designer, David McMullin of Atlanta, GA, and the proud grandmother of a granddaughter, Rachel, who just entered college and two new grandchildren, Elliott, 2 and Emma, 1. Sandra was raised in Michigan but has strong family ties to Tennessee and currently resides in Nashville.

Shawn Francisco was appointed in 2001 to serve as the Weakley County Director of Finance. She has twice received the nationally-recognized Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, making Weakley County one of only five Tennessee counties to receive this award. She also serves on the Everett-Stewart Regional Airport Board, is active in numerous political and professional organizations and is an alumni of the Tennessee Local Government Leadership Program & Leadership Weakley County. franciscos@k12tn.net

Arlene A. Garrison, Ph.D., of Knoxville, is Assistant Vice President for Research at The University of Tennessee. Prior to her current role, she held a number of different positions with UT, including Director of MCEC, an Industry/University Collaborative Research Center and Licensing Executive with the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, the organization that markets faculty inventions. She is Alternate Councilor for the East Tennessee Section of the American Chemical Society and is a member of the ACS Women’s Chemist Committee and served on the ACS Presidential Task Force on Women in the Chemical Profession. Dr. Garrison is on the Board of the Public Building Authority and the Board of the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair. In recognition of her volunteer work in science outreach to pre-college students, Arlene was one of the 10,000 Olympic Torch Bearers as the torch moved to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. garrison@tennessee.edu

Rep. Sherry Jones, of Nashville, has been a House member of the 99th through 105th General Assemblies. She is the Vice-Chair of the House Children and Family Affairs Committee. Rep. Jones is a member of the Nashville Women’s Political Caucus and Davidson County Democratic Women. She also volunteers for Court Appointed Special Advocates. Prior to her work in the General Assembly, Rep. Jones was a member of the Metro Nashville Council for the 30th District from 1987 to 1995. She has received leadership awards from the Mid-Cumberland Council on Children and Youth, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, Tennessee AFL-CIO, Tennessee Citizen Action, Tennessee March of Dimes, and Vanderbilt Law School, among others. She was appointed by the Speaker of the House to serve on the Economic Council. rep.sherry.jones@legislature.state.tn.us

Dr. Linda Manning became the Director of the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center in November of 1997. She teaches “Gender and Violence” for the Women and Gender Studies Program and “Trauma: Impact and Intervention” for the Human Development Counseling Program. Prior to coming to Vanderbilt, she was the Director of Psychological Services at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. Linda completed her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, with a concentration in the Psychology of Women, at the University of Texas at Austin in 1988. She has conducted programming and training activities related to gender equity and diversity issues for over twenty years. She is a licensed psychologist and specializes in working with survivors of trauma.  She also teaches practices that focus on contemplation and spiritual growth and trains therapists to work with the mind, body, spirit connection (www.yogafortheemotionalbody.com). She loves reading poetry and listening to live music. linda.g.manning@vanderbilt.edu

Elliott Moore, M.S.S.W., of Bristol, is the Director of Community and Government Relations for Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA), a hospital healthcare system based in Johnson City. She previously served as President/CEO of the Hospital Alliance of Tennessee and is past President of both the Nashville and the Tennessee Women’s Political Caucus. She has represented the East Tennessee Grand Division for two years on the Council’s Executive Committee, and serves as the First Development District representative on the Council. mooreeg@msha.com

Tommie Morton-Young, Ph.D., of Nashville, currently owns and operates AfrAgenda Literary Management and Publishing and Authentic Tours of Historic Nashville and Middle Tennessee and serves as Chair of the Education Committee for the NAACP. Dr. Morton-Young has previously been a professor and administrator, worked for the Library of Congress and for the YWCA. She has served on the National Institute of Health Advisory Council, as Chair of the North Carolina Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission, as President of Davidson County Democratic Women and on the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Dr. Morton-Young has broad service experience, is a Past-president of the Southeast branch of the Association of American University Women and has worked with the Commission on the Status of Women. aagen1@msn.com

Rep. Mary Pruitt, of Nashville, is a retired educator and has served in the 94th through the 105th Tennessee General Assemblies.  She serves as the Vice-Chair of the House Health and Human Resources Committee.  Rep. Pruitt is a member of 100 Black Women of Nashville and an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho.  She is Past President of the Nashville Club-Nashville Association of Negro Business and Professional Woman's Clubs, Inc. and the Tennessee Middle District Civil Liberties League.  Rep. Pruitt is a board member of Meharry Medical College, the Rochelle Center, and the Bethlehem Centers of Nashville.  On the Economic Council, she represents the Women’s Caucus of the state legislature.  rep.mary.pruitt@legislature.state.tn.us

Wendy Pitts Reeves, L.C.S.W., of Maryville , is a sought
after speaker, consultant and psychotherapist who specializes in issues
impacting Tennessee women and teens. In addition to building and running an
active psychotherapy practice, she has initiated and led several coalitions
in Blount County to raise awareness and improve opportunities for women and girls in the area. Among those, the annual AAUW Sister to Sister Summits have been offering empowerment and mentoring to girls since 2001. Ms. Reeves has served on numerous boards and community groups, and was a member of the Leadership Blount Class of 2006. Recently, she entered her first political race, running successfully as an underdog to represent the 4th District on the Blount County Commission. She represents the East Tennessee Development district on the Tennessee Economic Council on Women and has served on that Executive Committee as well. You are encouraged to email her at WendyPittsReeves@yahoo.com, or call her at 865-207-4305.

Brenda S. Speer BS, CFP, ChFC, Immediate Past Chair, of Pulaski, is a partner in Professional Benefit Solutions, an employee benefits, insurance and investment firm. The Council’s South Central Development District Representative, she also serves on the Women’s Economic Council Foundation Board. She chaired the Council’s 2002 Legislative Committee and served as Council Vice Chair from 2001 to 2002 and Council Chair from 2003 to 2004. She is a community activist who is a graduate of Tennessee Leadership and Leadership America. brendaspeer@pbsllc.biz

Sandra Silverstein is currently working as for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Previously she served as Executive Director of the Brownsville-Haywood County Chamber of Commerce for nine years, and before that she served as an educator in high-need school systems for twenty years. She served two terms on the Madison County Commission and has owned and managed an insurance company for six years. She represents the Southwest Development District on the Council and serves as the West Tennessee Development District Representative to the Executive Committee. Sandra.Silverstein@state.tn.us

Senator Mike Williams of Maynardville, has been a Senate member of the 100th through 105th General Assemblies.  Prior to serving in the Tennessee Senate, Williams served as a state representative in the 97th through 99th General Assemblies.  Williams is Secretary of the Senate Education Committee.  Senator Williams is a board member of the East Tennessee Development District, Union County Little League, and East Tennessee Veterans Museum.  He represents the Senate on the Economic Council on Women.  sen.mike.williams@legislature.state.tn.us

Yvonne Wood, M.Ed., Represents the Greater Nashville Development District on the Council, and is the Council’s Middle Tennessee Development District representative on the Executive Committee. She also serves as Chair of the Boards & Commissions Initiative. She owns Wood Consultants, a conference and event planning company. She is Chair of the ATHENA Foundation, International, honoring and advancing women in leadership around the world. ycwood@aol.com

Senator Jamie Woodson has represented the 6th Senatorial District since her election to the 104th Tennessee General Assembly.  In the 101st through the 103rd General Assemblies she was a member of the State House.  Jamie serves as Secretary of the Senate Republican Caucus, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Co-Chair of the Education Oversight Committee, and as a member of the Senate Judiciary and Senate Transportation Committees.  She earned her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and still resides in East Tennessee with her husband and three children.  Jamie serves on numerous boards, such as the East Tennessee Development District, the Hillcrest-Beverly Foundation, the YMCA, the Epilepsy Foundation East Tennessee, and the John Sevier Foundation.  She is a member of the Knoxville Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Horizon Network, South Knoxville Rotary, and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.  sen.jamie.woodson@legislature.state.tn.us

Staff

Jennifer Rawls is the Executive Director of the Economic Council on Women. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and practiced law for fifteen years. For ten years, she represented the State of Tennessee and its citizens in the consumer protection and bankruptcy areas as a member of the Tennessee Attorney General's Office. She has also worked in products liability arena, juvenile courts, and the insurance defense field. Jennifer is also a writer and enjoys public speaking. She is a member of ToastMasters International and has written speeches for various events. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Middle Tennessee State University. She has also been involved in mentoring projects for law students and youth. Jennifer.L.Rawls@state.tn.us

Julia Reynolds, Research Analyst. Julia.Reynolds@state.tn.us

Tracey Roberts, Executive Assistant tracey.roberts@state.tn.us