Freddie O’Connell

Mayor
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County

Freddie O’Connell is the tenth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Mayor O’Connell’s administration is focused on two priorities: making the city more affordable and improving quality of life for everyone who lives in Nashville. In his first year, the O’Connell Administration secured overwhelming voter approval of dedicated funding for transportation for the first time in the history of Nashville and the State of Tennessee, delivered an East Bank developer agreement that achieved historic commitments to affordable housing, and worked with the Metro Council to pass a Capital Spending Plan and Operating Budget that prioritized investments in Nashville’s best asset: it’s people.

O’Connell served on the Metro Council from 2015 to 2023 where he worked to limit the impact of poverty, strengthen neighborhoods, and ensuring everyone participates as Nashville’s economy grows.

Daniel Diermeier

Chancellor
Vanderbilt University

An internationally renowned political scientist and management scholar, Daniel Diermeier is the ninth chancellor of Vanderbilt University.

Since joining Vanderbilt in 2020, Chancellor Diermeier has led an ambitious program of growth and advancement. Under his visionary leadership, the university has risen in stature, successfully launched a record $3.2 Billion capital campaign, topped the $1 billion mark in research funding for the first time in the university’s history and reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to free expression and civil discourse. He has driven efforts to become the destination for leading faculty and the most promising students, to create a culture of radical collaboration and personal growth for Vanderbilt’s faculty, students and staff and to expand Vanderbilt’s global presence. Under his leadership, Vanderbilt was one of a very small number of the nation’s universities to safely and successfully bring students back to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before arriving at Vanderbilt, Chancellor Diermeier served in leadership and faculty roles at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and at the University of Chicago, where he served as dean of the Harris School of Public Policy and subsequently as provost.

Sam Davidson

CEO
Nashville Entrepreneur Center

Sam Davidson is CEO of Nashville Entrepreneur Center (The EC). Prior to that, he has been a four-time entrepreneur and believes that the height of one’s success is directly related to the depth of their community.

Davidson has twice been named a “Most Admired CEO” by the Nashville Business Journal. Both Davidson and his companies have appeared in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, Southern Living, The Boston Globe, NPR, and USA Today. In 2020, Davidson founded SmallBusinessPledge.org to raise awareness about the positive impact small businesses have on communities all across America, especially as so many closed permanently due to COVID-19.

The EC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is working to make Nashville the best place to start and grow a business by increasing the likelihood of success for entrepreneurs. Sam became its CEO in July 2022 and is leading a passionate team as they develop and oversee world-class programming and a rich membership community. To date, the EC has worked with 14,000 entrepreneurs who have raised $300M in capital and generated over $400M in revenue and over $100M in exits.

Stuart McWhorter

Commissioner
Department of Economic and Community Development, State of Tennessee

Stuart C. McWhorter has served as TNECD commissioner since July 2022. During his tenure, TNECD has supported 250 projects, which represent more than 33,800 job commitments and $19.5 billion in capital investment. Of those projects, more than 28 percent were the result of foreign direct investment.

McWhorter has a diverse background in entrepreneurship, corporate finance and strategic planning. He served as co-founder and chairman of Clayton Associates with over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship and early-stage investing.

McWhorter stepped away from Clayton Associates in 2019 to join Governor Lee’s administration as commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration. He led the drafting of two fiscal year state budgets, co-chaired the Governor’s Healthcare Modernization Task Force and was appointed director of the Tennessee Unified Command Group to coordinate the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, McWhorter previously served as the CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and chairman of the Board of Directors of Nashville-based FirstBank Financial Corporation (NYSE: FBK).

Sally Parker

Interim Executive Director
Nashville Innovation Alliance

Sally Parker is the interim executive director for the Nashville Innovation Alliance. Sally connects partners from across the Nashville community to support the city’s intentional growth as a hub for tech innovation. She has been a driving force for the Alliance since its inception, championing the city’s innovation ecosystem and leading collaborative efforts among key partners.

Sally is also the associate vice chancellor for strategy and operations in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Government and Community Relations at Vanderbilt University. She oversees the division’s operations and manages strategic projects requiring cross-team collaboration. She serves as a member of the vice chancellor’s core leadership team and works closely with other members of the university leadership to provide meaningful synergy for external community activities.  

Prior to joining the university, she worked in strategic communications, public affairs, and economic development in Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C. and Tampa, Florida. She earned her Ph.D. in political science from Florida State University and her bachelor’s degree in political science and French from Belmont University.