Mike Arrington - Member
Mike Arrington is Past President of The Operation Andrew Group and previously had a 15-year career with LifeWay Christian Resources, retiring in 2007 as Vice President of Corporate Affairs. Since relocating to Nashville in 1991, he has been active in local civic affairs, including serving as Chairman of the Board for the Nashville/Middle Tennessee Fellowship of Christian Athletes, membership in the Nashville Rotary Club, and serving as Chairman of the Tennessee Prayer Breakfast Citizens Committee. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University. Mike and his wife, Paula, reside in Tyler, Texas. They have two grown children and seven grandchildren. Mike and Paula attend Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler.
Butch Burns - Secretary
Butch Burns is an attorney who has spent over 30 years in several important positions with the state of Tennessee including State Election Coordinator of Elections in the office of the Tennessee Secretary of State as well as senior legal counsel for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. He and his wife Maribeth have been married for 38 years and have two adult daughters and five grandchildren. In addition to participating in numerous short-term missions opportunities both locally and internationally he and Maribeth relocated to New York City for several years to assist in church planting in conjunction with the North American Missions Board. Butch is a Colson Fellow of the Colson Center of Christian Worldview and has served on the board of various non-profits. He and Maribeth are active at The Village Chapel.
Melanie Crayton – Member
Melanie has served in various non-profit and for profit roles spanning mission outreach, medical missions, disaster relief, and fundraising. An MBA with a thesis in Non-Profit Management has aided in preparation for these roles. Her current focus is to equip teams for mission, to evangelize, and to encourage churches in countries throughout Asia. Melanie is married; they have two daughters and seven granddaughters.
Ellie Estes – Member
Ellie grew up in Franklin with her parents and three sisters. Upon high school graduation, she went to Malawi to help assist the Adziwa community and gain accreditation for the Adziwa school. She returned back to Franklin after receiving her Finance and Accounting degrees from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. Utilizing her Certified Financial Planner certification, she has a passion for education and financial literacy. She began serving on our board of trustees beginning in 2019.
Ron Gambill – Member
Ron Gambill is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Educational Funding of the South, Inc. (Edsouth). Prior to joining Edsouth, he was Executive Director of the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) for over 17 years and served as a financial aid director for Nashville State Technical Institute for over 11 years. Mr. Gambill serves on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Higher Education Resources. He serves on the Executive Board of the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators as Chair of the Legislative Relations Committee and as Chair of the Governmental Relations Committee on the Executive Board of the Tennessee Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Mr. Gambill serves on the Board of Trustees of Williamson College. Mr. Gambill serves on the Board of Visitors for the Education Department at Lipscomb University. He holds a B.A. from Lipscomb University and a Master’s Degree from Middle Tennessee State University. Mr. Gambill has worked in state and federal legislative relations for over 30 years.
Jay Harvill – Member
Jay began his career in the insurance industry in 1993 when he joined Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance, LLC, where he now serves as Owner and Principal. He has served on the insurance company advisory boards for carriers such as Hartford, Travelers, Central Mutual, Grange Insurance and others. He has been a part of starting several local and international non-profit organizations and uses his skills to help guide them to stability. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Board for Capstone Education Group as well as Chairman of the Elder Team at Fellowship Memphis, which is an economically and racially diverse church seeking to positively impact Memphis and the world. He recently relocated to Middle Tennessee to further L&P’s efforts in new business development and talent recruitment in the Nashville area. Jay has been married for the past 26 years to Amy and has three amazing children, two dogs and one horse.
Hope Hines – Member
Hope Hines is a retired 40 year television sports broadcaster. 33 of those years were with WTVF-TV in Nashville. Hope also was a football play-by-play broadcaster for the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Colts. During his career Hope won 6 broadcast Emmy Awards, was a recipient of the Silver Circle Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Distinguished Service to the industry, and in 2014 Hope was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012 he wrote and published a book about his career titled In Hines Sight. Hope and his late wife, Pat, have three children and seven grandchildren.
B.J. Howard – Chairman
B.J. Howard is the Managing Partner at Symphony Advice, a business consulting firm, headquartered in Franklin, TN. He has more than 30 years of coaching, consulting, and business leadership experience with a broad cross-section of industries, with specific expertise in Strategy, Finance, and Operations. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Better Business Bureau and holds 12 professional certifications. He and his wife, Christine, have five grown children and one grandson. They worship and serve at the Smyrna campus of LifePoint Church.
Matthew Martin – Member
With years of building experience in Middle Tennessee, Matthew Martin plays many roles within the home building community. He is the proud owner of Dalamar Homes, a local custom builder that was created between him and his mother, Dayla. Matthew has also been a long time member of the NAHBMT, the Board of Ethics for the Better Business Bureau, MTSU CIM Board of Advisors, and on the Board of Trustees for his alumni college WCC. He has partnered with local Non-Profits including the Nashville Rescue Mission, Mercy Multiplied, and more; even receiving the 2018 Volunteer of the Year award for the Nashville Rescue Mission. Mathew lives in a Dalamar Home with his wife, three children, and two dogs.
Ed Rose – Member
Ed has an extensive background in accounting and finance, including work with Federal and State agencies regarding tax, Medicare, and Medicaid accounting, reporting, and audit issues. Since 2006, he has served at Community Healthcare Systems as Senior Director in a hospital company with 100+ hospitals nationwide. He holds a B.A. in accounting from Kansas Wesleyan University and MBA from the University of Kansas. Since the late 1980’s, Mr. Rose has used his skillset by participating in numerous mission trips across the globe, conducting both relief and development work. He is an active member of Church of the City in Franklin, TN and has a passion for “being part of what God is doing,” whatever that looks like in each season.
JK Simms – Member
J.K. Simms is a partner with the law firm of Thompson Burton, PLLC and leads the firm’s employment law practice. He received his undergraduate degree from Lipscomb University and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law. For his nearly two decades of practicing law, he has been active in the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations. JK was recognized as “Best of the Bar” by the Nashville Business Journal in 2015 and 2016. He has also been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by the Super Lawyers Publication every year since 2014, and by Best Lawyers in America for his work in Employment Law every year since 2017. In 2019, JK was appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to serve on the Board of Appeals. In addition to serving on Williamson College’s Board of Trustees, JK serves as Board Chair of faith-based international nonprofit organization working on preventing human trafficking. JK and his wife, Suzanne Simms, have been married for over 25 years and have 3 amazing children who are growing up too quickly.
Dimeta Smith-Knight – Member
Dimeta has over 20 years of financial accounting, auditing, tax preparation and consulting experience, including C-suite level. Previous roles include Internal Auditor, Financial Systems Implementation Consultant and Chief Financial Officer. Dimeta is currently the Chief Executive Officer and President of Dimeta Smith, CPA, LLC, an accounting and consulting firm located in Nashville, TN while facilitating seminars and workshops for various organizations, including the Small Business Administration, Pathway Women’s Business Center and the National Association of Women Business Owners. Dimeta received her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree with a major in Accounting from Tennessee State University and Master of Accountancy Degree from Belmont University. Her current civic involvement includes serving on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Respite Coalition, West End Homes Foundation and New Leaders Council. She was selected a 2018 Woman of Influence by the Nashville Business Journal. She received the Rising Star Award presented by the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce and the Power Moves Award in Finance presented by PK Williams Enterprises. A native of Nashville, Dimeta enjoys volunteering in the community; mentoring young people; and spending time with her family.