High Hopes Development Center has introduced six additions and named its new President
to the Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 academic year. They join a distinguished group of community advocates and parents to assist the organization with providing high level guidance for strategic planning, fundraising and other organizational support roles.
Monna Mayhall, Board President | Associate Rector, St. Paul Episcopal Church
Monna Mayhall was named Board President. Mayhall has been associated with High Hopes for the past 18 years, initially as a parent of a child receiving services, later as a member on the Advisory Board and currently in her second term as a member on the Board of Directors. Mayhall succeeds 2021-2022 Board President Tim Nichols, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and fellow long-time High Hopes supporter.
“Monna is a natural fit for Board President, and we are extremely grateful for her service,” said Allen Long, High Hopes Executive Director. “It is a privilege to work alongside our Board to further the High Hopes mission and plan for our future.”
“I am honored to serve as Board President for an organization as empowering and compassionate as High Hopes,” said Mayhall. “As we usher in our newest members and celebrate those who previously served, we remain committed to ensuring High Hopes can meet the needs of each and every family it serves for years to come.”
The newest members serving on the 2022-2023 Board of Directors include:
Tom Atema, Jr. | Owner & President, Atema Partners Family of Companies (AP Live and OCD Labs)
After moving into Williamson County in 2001, Tom met his wife, Angie, while helping to start Rolling Hills Community Church, where he continues to serve. Angie and Tom have 2 kids – JT, a senior at Ravenwood High School in the gifted program, and Lily, a 6th grader at Woodland Middle School.
Lily has Down Syndrome, which has given the Atemas a firsthand experience with High Hopes for nine years. The entire Atema family is involved with the special needs community by serving in various ways with High Hopes, Best Buddies Tennessee, Gigi’s Playhouse, and BrightStone.
Tom has served on several nonprofit boards including as treasurer and secretary for both
locally- and internationally-facing organizations. He currently serves on the Williamson Inc.
Board of Directors and has been involved with the construction and opening of the Franklin
Innovation Center in addition to serving on the selection committee for the entrepreneurs who rent space there.
Tom founded ATEMA Partners in 2008 with a vision of offering Audio Visual and production
services in a new and better way. Since then, ATEMA Partners has done exactly that, expanding into a boutique brand that operates AP-Live, AP Presents, and OCD Labs. All three companies have become premier providers to hundreds of clients in dozens of industries all over the world, including multiple Fortune 500 companies and some of the biggest musical acts in the world today. Tom believes that being the best in your field is better than being the biggest, a belief that plays out daily in each of his companies. In his 2018 book, “The Failure Myth,” Tom describes how he took ATEMA Partners from a local start-up to a $10+ million-dollar company in 10 years, revealing how being intentional can make all the difference.
Tom is excited to join the board of High Hopes as it has done so much to make his family better.
Maria Donnell | Vice President of Finance, Citizens Savings Bank & Trust Co.
Maria is currently the Vice President of Finance at Citizens Savings Bank & Trust in Nashville. She is a Certified Public Accountant with over 18 years of combined Accounting, Financial Planning Analysis and Reporting experience.
Maria is a graduate of Howard University and has spent much of her career as a financial leader in Nashville’s healthcare community focusing on corporate budgeting, financial reporting, data trending and financial modeling. She believes in community and is passionate about using innovation, financial literacy, and education to move the underserved community forward.
John Ordus | Executive Vice President, Chief Stores Officer, Tractor Supply Company
John has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Stores Officer of Tractor Supply Company since February 2020 and is a member of the Company’s Executive Committee. In this role, he oversees Store Operations, Customer Solutions Centers, Loss Prevention, Store Productivity, Store Administration, Real Estate and Construction. With over two decades of experience in Farm and Ranch retail, John joined Tractor Supply as a Store Manager in 2002 and has exceeded in every operations position. Prior to joining Tractor Supply, John was with Quality Stores Inc. from 1998–2002.
Anita St. Pierre | Chief Operating Officer, Guaranty Home Mortgage Corp
Anita St. Pierre has accumulated 30 years’ experience in the mortgage industry. She is
responsible for the management and direction of credit and operational risk within the
organization. She also has Compliance and Audit experience and manages vendor relationships for the company. Previously, she held the role of EVP, National Operations Manager for Guaranty Home Mortgage and has enjoyed being a part of the growth that GHMC has experienced.
Anita began her career in the mortgage industry and has held positions as an underwriter and later an Operations Manager for a top 10 lender. She is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. She is currently a member of the National Mortgage Bankers’ Association as well as several local state affiliations and holds 30 NMLS state licenses. Anita recently relocated to Nashville, Tenn., after spending the majority of her career living in the Boston area.
Katherine Stark | Manager, Regional Ambulatory Services, Vanderbilt Health
Katherine Stark has 15 years of experience in healthcare administration and currently serves as Manager of Regional Ambulatory Services at Vanderbilt Health. Prior to this role, Katherine was a stay-at-home mom for two years while her daughter attended both therapy and preschool at High Hopes.
Katherine has held leadership roles at several academic medical centers in pediatrics, fetal
medicine, solid organ transplant, hematology/oncology and cardiology. She received her Master of Health Services Administration from The George Washington University and Bachelor of Arts in Organizational and Corporate Communication from the University of Houston.
Katherine is a winner of the Houston Business Journal’s Health Care Heroes Administrator award as well as a two-time recipient of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Organ Donation Medal of Honor for national leadership roles in organ donation. Katherine resides in Brentwood, TN, with her husband Ryan – a pediatric critical care physician at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt – and three children Luke (11), Logan (8) and Leighton (6).
Tyler White | Vice President of Hospital Services, ConnectRN
Tyler White is a healthcare executive with 28 years’ experience who recently joined ConnectRN as the Vice President of Hospital Services. In this role, he will lead the organization’s efforts to support the staffing needs of our nation’s hospitals and health systems. Prior to joining ConnectRN, Tyler served in many facility, division, and corporate roles with HCA Healthcare, most recently serving as HCA’s corporate AVP of Transfer Centers, facilitating the movement of patients to appropriate facilities to receive definitive care. Preceding roles included Vice President of Emergency and Trauma Services for HCA’s TriStar Division, supporting HCA’s facilities in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. Prior to his move to Tennessee, Tyler served as the Director of Emergency Services for Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, Florida.
A serial volunteer who models a servant leader approach, he has served as a member of the Suncoast Workforce Board in Sarasota, Florida, President of the Emergency Nurses Association, and co-chaired the Manatee County sexual assault task force, which led to the community’s first sexual assault nurse examiner center. He currently serves on the Board of the Grenfell Association of America, supporting healthcare, education, and community development. In addition, he is currently in his 3rd term as the representative hospital administrator on Tennessee’s Emergency Medical Services Board (initially appointed by Governor Bill Haslam in 2013). This represents Tyler’s second run on the board of High Hopes, after serving two previous terms from 2014 – 2020.
Tyler is a resident of Franklin, TN, where he lives with his wife Kim, a clinical educator at Monroe Carroll Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Kim and Tyler are the proud parents of three children, Taylor (22), Caleb (20), and Sophie (17).
Members of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors who recently completed their terms include:
- Tim Nichols
- Milton Bartley
- Ryan Gallagher
- Katie Neal
- Christi Speer
For a complete list of Board members and additional information on High Hopes, please visit www.highhopesforkids.org.
About High Hopes Development Center
High Hopes Development Center is a 37-year-old non-profit organization that loves, nurtures and educates children with two integrated programs helping each child reach their maximum potential. Children ages 6 weeks to kindergarten, with and without special needs, are educated together in inclusive preschool classrooms by a team of experienced teachers supporting the individual needs of each child. High Hopes also offers an on-site pediatric therapy clinic, allowing children to receive therapy services during their preschool day. The outpatient pediatric therapy clinic provides occupational, speech, physical and feeding therapies to children from birth to 21 years. High Hopes gives children of all intellectual, physical and mental abilities the opportunity to learn and grow together in an
environment that provides a strong foundation for future academic and social success.
