About Our 2026 Leadership Conference Speakers

Bailey Spaulding
Breakout Facilitator, “Lessons from Jackalope Brewing: Leveraging Creativity and Community”

Bailey Spaulding is the Co-Founder & Chief Beer Officer of Jackalope Brewing Company, one of Nashville’s first craft beer breweries. Bailey was born and raised in Montpelier, Vermont. She graduated from Harvard University before moving to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt Law School, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review. It was in law school that Bailey discovered the world of homebrewing and set her sights on opening her own brewery. Upon graduating, she began working on Jackalope and opened the brewery in 2011.

After outgrowing the original facility, Jackalope opened its current location in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood of Nashville in 2018. Bailey serves on the Metro Nashville Beer Permitting Board as well as the Executive Board of the Vanderbilt Women’s Volleyball Team. When not at the brewery, Bailey’s favorite thing is to be in the great outdoors with husband, Luke, daughter, Zephyr, and spotty dog, Ricky.

Darius McDonald, MSOL
Breakout Facilitator, “Leading in a Modern Era: The Six Dimensions of Holistic Leadership”

Darius McDonald is the Founder & CEO of Vanguard Strategy Partners.
 
With over a decade of experience as an Organizational Development and Leadership Executive, Darius specializes in helping leaders and businesses unlock their full potential. As the visionary behind Vanguard Strategy Partners, he brings a proven track record of transforming organizations through innovative strategies, practical solutions, and a passion for building impactful leadership.

Recognized as one of The Nashville Business Journal's 40 Under 40, a career Learning & Organizational Development Executive, and U.S. Army veteran, Darius McDonald also serves as the Chief Operating Officer for The Nashville Black Market, an organization which supports, develops, and amplifies black-owned businesses, and Director of Membership Services for Tennessee Health Care Association. He has led scalable & strategic operations for government, education, non-profit, technology, hospitality, and health care institutions spanning across four nations.

From serving in the United States Army Special Operations Command to corporate & community leadership, Darius has grown a passion to effectively lead/manage/develop people, organizations, curriculum, and culture with both excellence & empathy. He leads the American Health Care Association's Leadership Academy, while also serving locally as a Board Member of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association, and as a member of both The Black Leadership Collective for the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators, and the Executive Committee for The National Museum of African American Music’s Jefferson Club.

Darius is a native of Florida and a descendant of deep south community leaders & civil-rights activists, with a strong desire to amplify healthy business, leadership, and creativity across numerous industries.

Lindsey Paola
Breakout Facilitator, “Leadership Under the Lights: An Executive Q&A”

Lindsey Paola joined Nashville Soccer Club in 2017, and following two seasons as the club's Senior Director of Club Administration, was promoted to Chief of Staff in 2019 as the team graduated its operations from the USL Championship to Major League Soccer. As Chief of Staff, Lindsey oversaw the administrative, IT, human resources, private and major events sales teams. She was also responsible for bringing the first concert, Shania Twain, to GEODIS Park as well as a variety of other non-MLS programming.

In 2023, Lindsey was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, taking the reins of the day-to-day general business operations, leading inter-departmental projects, developing and implementing operating policies, and representing the club as a spokesperson. 

In 2025 Lindsey was promoted to Chief Business Officer of Nashville SC, joining an elite group of female executives acting in that capacity across MLS clubs. During her first year as CBO, Lindsey oversaw GEODIS Park’s hosting of the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup and continued growing the stadium into a premier music and entertainment destination when it held its first two-night concert with Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and musician Tyler Childers. Additionally, Nashville SC won its first-ever trophy and the state of Tennessee’s first major professional sports championship when it claimed the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and the club led all of Major League Soccer in home attendance among teams that play in soccer-specific stadiums. 

In 2026, Lindsey led the effort to bring the LA28 Olympic Games to Music City, ensuring Nashville SC's stadium will play host to Olympic Soccer Matches when the Summer Games return to U.S. Soil for the first time since 1996, and she was instrumental in securing commitment from the Japan Football Association to use Nashville SC's Training Center as its FIFA World Cup 26TM Team Base Camp and Training Site. Countries participating in the in FIFA World Cup 26TM will be headquartered at Base Camps throughout North America where they will train and administer team operations, and the Japanese Men’s Team will reside in Nashville when they aren’t traveling to FIFA World Cup host cities for matches. 

Before joining Nashville SC, Lindsey worked in the public sector and the federal government, including the United States Department of State, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and Frontier Communications. She started her career on the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign and from there worked on the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee. Lindsey then worked in the White House Office of Vice Presidential Advance and the White House Counsel’s Office during the Bush-Cheney Administration. 

Lindsey holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Communications from The George Washington University and a Master's degree in General Psychology from The Catholic University of America.

Janet Kurtz
Breakout Facilitator, “What Speaks to You: Nonprofits, Networking, and Your Brand”

Janet Kurtz moved to Nashville after graduating from the University of Evansville and enjoyed a career as a hospitality marketing executive with hotels like the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel and The Hermitage Hotel. In 2016, she founded Kurtz Hospitality Marketing, a communications and public relations consulting firm for the hospitality industry. After building a successful marketing and public relations business, she got the journalism bug and made the change to Editor in Chief of Nfocus Magazine. She lives in downtown Nashville with her husband Ron Gobbell.

Dr. Jamie Leddin
Breakout Facilitator, “Elevate Your Negotiation Skills”

As a seasoned negotiator and accomplished entrepreneur, Jamie Leddin brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to the fields of negotiation and leadership development. With a dynamic career spanning over three decades, Jamie has consistently demonstrated the ability to drive growth, foster innovation, and cultivate impactful partnerships across a diverse range of industries.

In 2001, Jamie embarked on her entrepreneurial journey by co-founding Wedgewood Group, a boutique management consulting firm. Under Jamie's leadership, the firm achieved consistent double-digit annual revenue growth and expanded its presence with three offices across the Southeastern United States. The firm earned a coveted spot on the Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in 2011. Jamie played a key role in negotiating the firm's successful acquisition in 2012. 

Currently, Jamie is a Professor at Vanderbilt University, where she teaches Negotiation and serves as the lead negotiation professor for her program. Over the years at Vanderbilt, Jamie has also taught Organizational Behavior, Introduction to Marketing, Fundamentals of Management, Talent Management, and Women in Leadership. Additionally, Jamie teaches Negotiation and Leadership to corporate clients through the Vanderbilt Executive Education program.

Jamie earned her doctorate in leadership development and is a certified negotiator from Harvard University. Originally from California, Jamie has lived in ten states and two countries. Her experience living in various locations has profoundly shaped her perspective and leadership style. Combined with a commitment to partnership both personally and professionally, Jamie has gained unique insights and a deep understanding of negotiation dynamics.

Jill Robinson
Breakout Facilitator, “How to Lead Before You Have the Title”

In 1995, Jill’s career started in Nashville with various nonprofits in marketing, outreach, and programs including Tennessee 200, the non-profit managing Tennessee’s 200th birthday, TACA, an organization supporting statewide artists, and LifeWay in the collegiate ministry office. Concurrently, she joined Charter Resource Group, a change management and CEO coaching consulting firm. 

In 1999, she managed TPAC’s first volunteer department, eventually moving to Director of Development supporting fundraising and event goals for their education programs.  

Finding a passion for organizational and leadership development, she obtained an M.A. in Organizational Management in 2002, and completed her M.B.A. in 2004.

February 2005, she joined Belmont University’s Office of the President focusing on presidential initiatives, donor relations, and cross-functional team management.  Summer 2007, she moved to Jack C. Massey College of Business Center for Executive Education as the Director of Executive Learning and Marketing combining her love for learning, leadership training, and marketing.  She moved to the Massey Dean’s Office as Director of External Relations in 2014 expanding her role to include strategic initiatives, community outreach, and leadership development, working with the Massey School’s 5 Centers of Learning, marketing, and community and business alliances. In summer of 2022, the business school named Jill the Assistant Dean of External Relations and Strategic Partnerships moving the Massey Career Development and Massey Alumni offices underneath her purview.

Jill has a passion for community engagement at all levels, works on external strategic initiatives for the college advancing the Massey College and embedding the community at all levels. 

In 2009, she received the inaugural NBJ 40 Under 40 award, in 2010 the Nashville Chamber Nashville Emerging Leader Education award, in 2016 the NBJ Women of Influence non-profit award, in 2021 was named Woman of the Year for School of the Arts at her alma matter Samford University, and in 2023 received the Diane Hayes Legacy of Leadership Award from Young Leaders Council. In 2017 she received her International Coaching Certification and launched her coaching business focusing on job transition, career visioning, leadership development and execution.  In 2022 pursued her undergraduate major and love of art launching two shows of abstract paintings.  Through her role at Belmont and her coaching company, she serves those that she connects with and enjoys encouraging them to be their best selves.  She believes deeply in the goodness in everyone she meets, and that kindness matters in creating lasting impact.  In her spare time, you can often find Jill serving through nonprofit boards of directors in Nashville, spoiling her nieces, painting, at Pilates class, or hiking in Percy Warner Parks.  The novice foodie can be found eating out with friends in Nashville at the latest restaurant opening, or in class learning about vino!  

Debbie Frank
Next in Nash Panelist

Debbie Frank serves as Deputy CEO for Growth & Development at WeGo Public Transit, where she oversees Planning, Engineering & Construction, Service Development, Customer Care & Community Outreach, and Government & Community Relations. She is instrumental in advances the “Choose How You Move” (CHYM) Program in collaboration with Metro departments, state and federal agencies, a 15-year, multi-billion-dollar investment that will deliver new All-Access Corridors, transit centers, operations facilities, and enhanced services to strengthen mobility across the Nashville region.

With a background in city planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) and real estate asset management, Debbie previously served as Director of TOD at MARTA in Atlanta, managing one of the largest public-sector real estate portfolios in the Southeast. At WeGo, she continues to advance TOD policy, negotiate joint-development projects, and pursue innovative funding strategies that leverage public and private investment.

Debbie is actively engaged in regional and national leadership networks, including APTA, ULI, Smart Growth America – LOCUS. She is widely recognized for building partnerships that align transit investment with community growth, equity, and opportunity.

Michael Briggs
Next in Nash Panelist

Michael Briggs is the Deputy Chief Program Officer for Choose How You Move in Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s office. He has over 20 years of experience in transportation and land use planning, mostly in Middle Tennessee. He led the development of Mayor O’Connell’s transportation improvement program in 2024, served as Director of Mobility at Vanderbilt University from 2019-2025, and spent nearly a decade with the Metro Nashville Planning Department, contributing to plans like NashvilleNext, the Major and Collector Street Plan, nMotion, and WalknBike. Michael is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. When possible, Michael takes the WeGo bus from Springfield in Robertson County and across the city.