Dru Bredesen is a pediatric nurse practitioner with over 20 years of working in the public health and non-profit space. Currently serving as a nurse home visitor with Nurses for Newborns providing support to at-risk families, Dru has a passion for reducing maternal/ child morbidity and mortality, public health equality, and promoting early childhood development and mental health. Previous roles include Vanderbilt cardiopharmacology research and Quality Improvement for the TN Department of Health. As an enthusiastic reader, Dru also serves as Board Chair for Nashville Book Connection, a non-profit connecting kids with books they love, as well as volunteering with the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation. In her spare time, Dru enjoys running with her dogs, traveling, baking, and raising her school-aged children.

Shawanda Clay is a Nashville-based nurse practitioner who currently serves as vice president of the National Black Nurses Association. She completed her master’s degree in nursing at Vanderbilt University in 1999 and has since worked in post-operative nursing, medical-surgical nursing, oncology, surgical intensive care and cardiac transplant. Ms. Clay is a founding charter member, immediate past president and past treasurer of the Black Nurses Association, Nashville chapter. She is also a member of the American Nurses Association and Tennessee Nurses Association. Since 2022, Ms. Clay has volunteered as a mentor at one of the Metro Nashville Public Schools health science academies.

Drew is a financial advisor with a background in investment management and financial planning. Prior to joining Jefferson Bridge, he was a portfolio manager with Southeastern Trust Company serving HNW individuals and families. Over the course of his career, Drew has demonstrated his investment expertise by earning the Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designations.

Drew studied Mechanical Engineering at Grove City College. A native of Pennsylvania, he moved to Tennessee to be a member of the Chattanooga Fellows program before he began his career in finance. He and his wife now reside in Nashville, TN, where Drew coaches high school lacrosse and volunteers with several non-profit organizations.

Michael Jones is a native of Nashville where he attended Father Ryan High school and is a graduate of Tennessee State University where he received is B.A in Business Administration and Management.

He has been in the financial services business for 25 years in various roles such as Business and Commercial Banking and Private Client and Wealth Management. After spending nearly 20 years in the Chicago area Michael and his family decided to move back to Nashville to continue his banking career where he is now Financial Advisor with Pinnacle Financial Partners with a focus on Business and Commercial Banking.

He has recently served on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce, is in consideration for board membership with Nurses MC a new charter school, past board member of the YMCA Maryland Farms Brentwood TN, past alumni board member for Father Ryan High School, part of the Father Ryan Alumni Speaker series, Lifetime Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and has done various speaking engagements on financial literacy and growing your business. He has been a member of the Downtown Nashville Rotary for 9 years and is also a member of the Catholic Business League. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his family, cooking and grilling and watching his daughter play soccer. He has been married to his wife Colette for 16 years and has a 13-year-old daughter Addison and the newest addition is a 4 year old Cane Corso named Draco.

Brianna Powell is a healthcare law attorney who provides regulatory, compliance, and operational counsel to Tennessee-based and national healthcare clients. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and Spanish from Loyola University in New Orleans, and her law degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Brianna has lived in Nashville since 2017 during which time she has held various leadership, mentoring, pro bono, and community service roles in and around Nashville, including through the Junior League of Nashville and Young Leaders Council.

Lincoln Rico, RN, PMH – BC, is a Nurse Manager at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital with a passion for leadership and psychiatric health. Raised in Utah, he has lived in Nashville for the past four years. Rico’s family heritage is from Mexico. With six years of experience in nursing and board certification in psychiatric mental health, Rico has developed a strong set of leadership, communication, and organizational skills that have led to a proven track record of success. He finds joy in authentically leading, educating to promote change, and learning as a clinical expert in nursing. His love in life is being a husband and father. He enjoys playing soccer eating, Birria tacos, and doing leather work.

Tilita Shaw has been a registered nurse for 19 years in various clinical roles, including staff nurse, clinical education, talent acquisition and leadership. Currently, she serves as the assistant vice president for academic affairs and partnerships at HCA Healthcare TriStar Division. In that role, she oversees the development, implementation and evaluation of an infrastructure for a systems approach to academic partnerships and targeted programs to support the advancement of the nursing workforce. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mercer University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. She currently serves as a board member for Diabetic Social, a non-profit organization focused on educating communities about the prevention and management of diabetes. Ms. Shaw is also a member of Chi Eta Phi, a professional organization for registered professional and student nurses representing many cultures and diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Justin Testerman is an education professional with over 20 years of experience creating high quality education opportunities for at-risk youth. He currently serves as the executive director of partnerships at Instruction Partners, a national nonprofit that supports districts and charters to build the capacity of leaders to improve instruction. Most recently he helped co-found Project Renaissance, a nonprofit focused on doubling the number of Nashville children in high-quality schools where he supported the creation and launch of the Nashville Teacher Residency. Mr. Testerman also served as the COO of the Tennessee Charter School Center where he led school incubation efforts resulting in the development of 16 high-performing charter schools in Nashville and Memphis. He began his career as a middle school teacher in Newark, New Jersey through Teach for America.

Dr. Mamie Williams is a nationally recognized nursing leader and transformational advocate for workforce development, health equity, and professional well-being. She currently serves as Co-Director of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing Academy for Cultural Pioneering Aspiring and Emerging Nurse Leaders, which she co-founded to cultivate inclusive and mission-driven nursing professionals committed to cultural transformation.

Dr. Williams is the founding Board President of the Nurses Middle College–Nashville, a charter high school designed to bridge academic gaps and prepare students—especially those who may face educational challenges—for the rigors of nursing school and health careers. As the founder and executive sponsor of the Vanderbilt Nurse Community Engagement Health Task Force, she has championed community health partnerships that advance care and equity. She also co-chairs the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation Advisory Board, advocating for systemic solutions that support nurse wellness across the country.

Her career spans impactful roles in academia, clinical care, and strategic leadership, with a continued focus on building environments where belonging and diverse perspectives thrive. A published author and sought-after speaker, Dr. Williams recently served as lead author on the collaborative article “Defining a ‘Healthy Nurse’” (Nursing2025, Vol. 55, Issue 5). Co-authored with national nursing leaders, the piece presents a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for nurse wellness and is shaping national strategies to support the nursing workforce.

She holds a PhD in Nursing, a Master of Public Health (MPH), and is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).

Rick Zadd leads the finance and operations team at SCORE and serves on the organization’s leadership team. In this role he oversees efforts including finance, grant management, talent and information technology with a focus on ensuring best-in-class nonprofit infrastructure. He also provides operational support to the organization’s policy, advocacy and innovation efforts. Prior to joining SCORE in 2021, Mr. Zadd spent seven years in operations and procurement at the Tennessee Department of Education, and three years as a middle school and high school math teacher in Nashville and Cheatham County. He holds a master’s degree in education from Lipscomb University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a certified management accountant.

We are currently accepting applications for 9th and 10th grade students for next school year (26-27). We are also still enrolling 9th graders for this school year.