Our Board of Directors
tom negri, board chairman
Tom worked with Loews Hotels for 35 years, most recently as the Managing Director of Loews Vanderbilt Hotel from 1997-2013. Later that year, he began serving as interim director of the Metro Human Relations Committee, a position he held until early 2015. He has served on nearly 20 boards and action committees, including Habitat for Humanity, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the YWCA, Conexión Americas and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as taking a leading role on Nashville for All of Us, the initiative to defeat the "English Only" bill.
Kimi abernathy
Kimi Abernathy is an independent educational consultant. She has worked over 35 years in both public and private schools, as a teacher, administrator and counselor. As a consultant, Kimi works with high school students to design a plan that helps them discern how to search for the right college, as well as supporting the application process and advising on scholarship and financial aid. Her volunteer work includes service on the Foster Care Review Board and counseling first-generation college-bound students. She grew up in Murfreesboro and got her BS degree from MTSU.
Terry Jo Bichell
Terry Jo is a mom and a scientist. She and her husband have five children; their youngest son, Lou, is a young adult with Angelman syndrome, caused by a missing gene, and without that gene, his neurons are unable to respond to change easily. Terry Jo worked as a nurse-midwife until 2006, but in 2009, she went back to school to get a Ph.D. in neuroscience to contribute to finding a cure for Angelman syndrome. She served as director and scientific officer of the Angelman Biomarkers and Outcome Measures (ABOM) Alliance and is now the Founding Director of COMBINEDBrain, an organization devoted to fast-tracking treatments for rare genetic non-verbal neurodevelopmental disorders. She also serves as Tennessee’s volunteer ambassador for the Rare Action Network, a project of the National Organization for Rare Disorders. She served on the Metropolitan Nashville Planning Commission in 2017-2018 and was a candidate for Nashville Metro Council District 34 in August 2019.
Maria De Varenne
Maria De Varenne is a senior partner with FINN Partners, a leading global public relations agency. She is responsible for overseeing earned media strategy and content across print and digital channels for the company’s clients throughout the Southeast. She previously worked more than 30 years in the news industry, most recently as Executive Editor of The Tennessean. She is a graduate of Leadership Nashville and serves on the boards of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and the Nashville Predators Foundation. Maria is a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville.
Kevin Doherty
Kevin is a partner at Dickinson Wright. He practices in the area of insurance and serves as President of the Tennessee Captive Insurance Association. He also practices music and entertainment law and represents recording artists, songwriters and record and music publishing companies in connection with music agreements. Kevin went to Princeton University and Vanderbilt Law School. He is a member of the State Bars of Tennessee, Georgia and New York. He’s served on the Boards of the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee and Catholic Charities of Tennessee and is a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville.
GLENN FUNK
Glenn Funk is District Attorney General for Tennessee’s 20th Judicial District. He also is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University Law School. General Funk is a veteran trial attorney with 29 years of courtroom experience. His legal career began as an assistant public defender in Shelby County and then served as an assistant district attorney in Davidson County before starting his own law practice. He was sworn in as Davidson County’s 36th District Attorney in 2014. He has served on the boards of the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee, Rochelle Center, The Arc Davidson County, Room in the Inn, and many more. He and his wife have three adult children; one, son Rob, has Down syndrome.
CYNTHIA GADSDEN
Cynthia Gadsden is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Tennessee State University. She designs, teaches, and manages lecture/web-enhanced and online courses in Art History, African American Art and African American Film. Cynthia earned a B.S. degree in Art from Tennessee State University and an M.A. in Art History from Ohio University, as well as a B.A. in Business Administration from Talladega College and an M.B.A. in Management from TSU. She earned her Ph.D. in Transformative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Prior to a career in academia, Professor Gadsden spent 10 years in the publishing industry, in the areas of product management, sales, and editorial. During her tenure with Abingdon Press, she managed all stages of the book development process, including the editing of more than 70 books.
Jaco Hamman, Co-Founder and FORMER Board Chairman
Jaco is Associate Professor of Religion, Psychology and Culture and the Director of the Program in Theology and Practice at Vanderbilt Divinity School. A native of South Africa, where the seeds for our Friendship Houses were planted, he completed his academic studies and clinical training at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Stellenbosch University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and at the Blanton-Peale Graduate Institute (New York City). He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Jaco has authored five books, most recently Growing Down: Theology and Human Nature in the Virtual Age (Baylor University Press, 2017), Becoming a Pastor: Forming Self and Soul for Ministry (The Pilgrim Press, 2014) and A Play-full Life: Slowing Down and Seeking Peace (The Pilgrim Press, 2011). His research interests include vitality within Christian communities, the formation and wellness of religious leaders, play studies, contemporary masculinities, and humanity’s deepening relationship with technology. His hobbies include long-distance motorcycle travel and hosting a braai.
ELISE MCMILLAN
Elise McMillan retired as director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) in summer 2023. She has more than 20 years of experience in leading programs and projects that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and their communities. She has held leadership roles in numerous national, state, and community disabilities organizations, including The Arc U.S., the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability Law and Advocacy Center of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Disability Coalition. At the Kennedy Center, she provided oversight of daily operations and assisted area coordinators and directors of core functions in planning and implementation.
Bryan Mochizuki
Bryan Mochizuki is the Vice President of Global Brand Marketing for r.e.m. beauty, and has led marketing, branding, and storytelling for purpose-driven, founder-led organizations for nearly 15 years. He previously served as Director of Marketing for the Clinton Global Initiative, where he produced the Emmy-nominated "Inside Impact: East Africa," a cinematic virtual reality experience with President Clinton. As Creative Director and Vice President of Marketing for ONA, Bryan partnered with Women Photograph to create a first-of-its-kind series of grants for emerging female documentary photographers as well as a 2-day workshop. He earned a B.A. in English from Columbia University and graduated with honors from the Creative Writing Program. Bryan lives with his wife, Hannah, and their family in Nashville.
Carolyn Naifeh, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Carolyn has nearly 15 years of experience in international broadcasting and 20 years in non-profit management. With the exception of one year at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School and one in South Carolina with Best Doctors International, her home base was in Washington, DC. She worked there primarily with Voice of America, at Ford’s Theatre, and as a consultant with arts and education organizations, including the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, the NEA Foundation and the Pearson Foundation. She moved to Nashville in April 2013 to open a regional office for the Pujols Family Foundation. After two years, she and Jaco spun their passion to provide affordable housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities into a 501c3 non-profit organization. Carolyn grew up overseas, the daughter of a U.S. diplomat. She holds a BA in English and an MA in Latin American Studies, both from Vanderbilt University.
Robert Zarabi
Robert has spent much of his career with the Eaton Corporation, serving most recently as the Utility and Power Generation Business Development Manager. Eaton is a multinational power management company with 2021 sales of nearly $20B; it was named to Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies for a fifth consecutive year in 2022. Robert earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.