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 and delivered an East Bank developer agreement that achieved historic commitments to affordable housing. With a focus on affordability and quality of life, Mayor O’Connell has implemented improvements to key city services that Nashvillians rely on every day.

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

Daniel Diermeier

Chancellor
Vanderbilt University

An internationally renowned political scientist, management scholar and visionary leader, Diermeier is Vanderbilt’s ninth chancellor.

Since 2020, Chancellor Diermeier has led a number of ambitious initiatives to increase Vanderbilt’s impact and reach and to expand its global presence and reputation. During his tenure, Vanderbilt has become a destination for the most promising students and faculty, topped $1 billion annually in external research funding, ushered in a new era in athletics through Vandy United, set fundraising records and launched the largest capital campaign in the university’s history, and begun establishing the College of Connected Computing—its first new college since 1981. During a time of unprecedented criticism of higher education, and with society facing urgent and even existential challenges, Chancellor Diermeier is a nationally recognized leader in free expression and civil discourse and has eloquently made the case for the social value of universities and their unique role as engines of innovation, exemplars of civil discourse and educators of tomorrow’s leaders.

Before arriving at Vanderbilt, Chancellor Diermeier served in leadership 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 later as provost.

Dr. Eloisa Klementich, CEcD

President & CEO
Invest Atlanta

As President and CEO of Invest Atlanta, Dr. Eloisa Klementich is transforming economic development in the city of Atlanta through strategic initiatives to increase equity and prosperity for all Atlantans. She leads a nationally recognized economic development agency accredited by the International Economic Development Council and has shaped the Invest Atlanta organization around equity to ensure all Invest Atlanta programs focus on this fundamental outcome.

Since being named CEO of Invest Atlanta in 2016, the agency has had many notable accomplishments under Eloisa’s leadership. She commissioned Atlanta’s first economic development strategy driven by e24bconomic mobility, fostered an internal culture at Invest Atlanta focused on equity, and led the integration of Atlanta’s workforce development agency and Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative programs into Invest Atlanta to create a more comprehensive economic development solution for the city.

Sean C. Luther, MRED

President & CEO
InnovatePGH Partnership

Sean Luther spent the past decade integrating advanced economic development, real estate fundamentals, sustainability, and entrepreneurship ecosystem development into urban place management. He currently serves as the founding President and CEO of the InnovatePGH Partnership – a public/private partnership advancing Pittsburgh’s position as a global innovation city. InnovatePGH works at a neighborhood scale, driving tech-based economic development outcomes focused in Pittsburgh’s naturally occurring innovation district in the Oakland neighborhood. It supports early-stage companies by creating the conditions they need to start, grow, and stay in the district. That work includes connecting founders to resources, coordinating local support systems, and improving the physical and operational environment companies rely on in their earliest stages.

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.

Kate Wittels

Partner
HR&A Advisors

Kate Wittels is a Partner at HR&A Advisors, a real estate and economic development consulting firm, and Special Advisor to the Nashville Innovation Alliance. Kate works at the intersection of technology and urban development, helping clients build places that spark innovation, foster resilient workforces, and deliver infrastructure that positions today’s cities for tomorrow’s opportunities. She guides local governments, developers, and businesses in building tech ecosystems through strategic real estate development, workforce programs, and infrastructure investment — with work spanning Nashville, Pittsburgh, Houston, Providence, Cincinnati, and New York. Prior to HR&A, Kate served as Director of Corporate Real Estate at Sony, managing a 20-million-square-foot global portfolio. For nearly a decade, she has taught graduate students at Columbia University on tech public policy and urban disruption. She holds a master’s in real estate development from MIT and a bachelor’s in urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania.