Lauren Kilgore, an attorney and shareholder at Buchalter, has been named senior vice president, legal and business affairs, at Sony Music Nashville.

Kilgore has more than a decade of experience as an entertainment attorney in both transactional and dispute resolution matters representing Grammy-award winning clients. While at Buchalter, she handled a wide variety of transactional entertainment matters on behalf of artists, songwriters, managers, content creators, entertainment companies and corporate entities.

Kilgore has been named by Billboard as one of the country’s “Top Music Lawyers” for the last five years and has been recognized numerous times as “In Charge” in the entertainment business by MusicRow Magazine.

She is also a member of the Recording Academy, the Academy of Country Music, The Country Music Association, NSAI and the Copyright Society of the South. She also is a regular guest speaker for conferences throughout the United States on matters pertaining to the music industry and intellectual property.

She earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Bradley partner Miller elected ABF fellow

Casey Miller, a partner in Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Nashville office, has been elected as a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

ABF Fellows are a global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession. Almost 40 Bradley attorneys across all the firm’s offices have been inducted as ABF fellows. Membership in the Fellows is limited to 1% of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction.

A member of Bradley’s litigation practice group, Miller represents clients in a variety of commercial litigation and dispute resolution matters.

She recently was elected to the board of directors of the Nashville Bar Association and was named a recipient of the President’s Award at the NBA Annual Meeting & Banquet for her service and dedication to the organization. She has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch in various practice areas, including Litigation – Real Estate, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law and Intellectual Property Law. Ms. Miller also has been listed in Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” since 2022.

Republic Bank adds Payne to senior leadership

Grady Payne has joined Republic Bank & Trust Company as vice president, business development manager III at the Murfreesboro banking center, bringing decades of experience and expertise in banking and financial services to the Bank’s Tennessee market.

With more than 25 years of financial experience, Payne joins Republic from F&M Bank, where he served as the assistant vice president, branch manager and as a lender. Before that, Payne held leadership roles at First Tennessee Bank and Country Financial in Murfreesboro and positions at other banking and financial institutions throughout the Nashville market.

Agriculture Dept. names assistant commissioners

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has named Matthew Wade assistant commissioner for business development and Adam Travis, Ph.D., assistant commissioner for consumer and industry services.

Wade has served as assistant commissioner for consumer and industry services since July and, before that, was a business consultant for the livestock sector. Before joining TDA, Wade was with Middle Tennessee State University for nearly 30 years, where he served as the director of the university’s farm laboratories.

Wade will oversee advancement activities including opportunities, incentives and promotions for Tennessee farmers, foresters and agribusinesses to boost rural economies and increase operation income. He and his staff are charged with engaging new industries and growing existing agricultural and forestry businesses.

Wade earned a degree in agribusiness and an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University.

Travis will transition from his current role as administrator of technical services to oversee the CIS Division.

Travis will supervise a wide range of products and services to ensure quality, consumer protection, public safety and a fair marketplace.

He joined the department in 2017 as a chemist and was promoted to laboratory administrator in May 2020. He holds a degree from The University of Tennessee at Martin and a doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University, where he was a University Graduate Fellow and a member of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology.

In 2021, he was honored with a Governor’s Excellence in Service Award for his customer-focused service, implementation of cost-saving measures, and efficient operation of TDA laboratories.

Williamses honored by American Heart Association

Herman Williams, M.D., and Jeannie Williams received the William T. Coakley Award in tribute to their decades of leadership and service to the Middle Tennessee community at the American Heart Association’s 51st annual Middle Tennessee Heart Gala.

The award is presented annually and honors those who have made a significant impact on the American Heart Association’s mission through volunteerism, selfless giving and creating lasting impact across Middle Tennessee.

For decades, the Williamses have been tireless advocates for the American Heart Association.

Nashville Natives launch Bright Hour Strategies

Two Nashville natives, Sara Jo Houghland Walker and Carol Fite Lynn, are launching Bright Hour Strategies, a communications, public relations and strategic marketing firm dedicated to empowering brands throughout Tennessee and the Southeast.

Having cultivated their professional journeys in tandem with Nashville’s evolution, Walker and Lynn bring more than 30 years of combined experience to their venture.

After a tenure with the State of Tennessee, Houghland was with Comcast for more than 12 years.

Lynn adds over 15 years of experience in communications and marketing, particularly within the health care sector. Her background includes developing and executing integrated marketing plans that align with clients’ business objectives, focusing on collaboration with executives and community leaders.

Luke named director of Nashville Public Library

Nashville Public Library’s board of directors has named Terri Luke library director. Luke has 50 years of library experience, including nearly three years as NPL’s interim director.

As assistant director for branch services, Luke led NPL’s 20 branches to offer curbside service and launch virtual programming, Book A Librarian and Library Concierge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before NPL, Luke served for 31 years at Wake County Public Libraries in North Carolina, first as a regional manager and then as a senior leader for facilities and security.

NPL’s director manages more than 400 employees at 21 locations and a $46 million budget funded by Metro Nashville Government, with additional private dollars given through the Nashville Public Library Foundation.

Some of Luke’s immediate priorities include moving forward with a first-ever strategic continuous improvement plan for NPL and a citywide customer service effort to improve library services — both initiatives she began as interim director — as well as continuing the design and development of new branches at Hadley Park and Richland Park.

Luke holds a Master of Science in Library Services from North Texas State University and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Youngstown State University in Ohio.

Home to a free collection of more than 2 million books and materials, NPL also offers award-winning programs in early literacy, adult literacy, school library engagement, out-of-school learning, health and wellness, digital literacy and inclusion, 21st-century workforce training and literacy-based puppetry performing arts – all at no charge to residents and families.

Nashville General Hospital welcomes new doctors

Nashville General Hospital, Middle Tennessee’s public safety-net hospital serving Nashville and Davidson County, has added Neha Patel, D.O., internal medicine, to Nashville Healthcare Center Midtown and Millard Collins, M.D., FAAFP, family medicine to NHC Bordeaux.

Patel is a board-certified doctor of internal medicine who completed her residency at Corpus Christi Medical Center in Texas. Patel previously served as a hospitalist for Texas Health Harris Methodist Southwest in Fort Worth and Texas Health Physicians Group, as well as Tristar Summit Medical Center in Hermitage.

Collins is board certified in family medicine and completed his residency at Meharry Medical College. Collins previously held several academic positions, including associate dean for clinical affairs at Meharry and medical director of Knowles Home Assisted Living.