Each year at Nfocus, we reveal our annual class of Model Behavior honorees. These women give generously and selflessly to lift up others. Each year, in the same spirit, our sister publication the Nashville Post spotlights four trailblazers in the community who have overcome adversity and carved a path for future female leaders.
Together, Nfocus and the Nashville Post honor these leaders at a celebratory luncheon and panel discussion where 2024’s Most Powerful Women share stories of growth and success. This year, the Nashville Post celebrates another powerhouse class: Danielle Barnes, Michelle Kennedy, Katina Beard and Candice McQueen.
We are honored to help shine a light on this elite group of leaders.
Danielle Barnes
CEO and president, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee
For Danielle Barnes, it’s all about empowering young women. Her organization, the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, serves 10,000 girls with the help of 6,000 volunteers.
One of her goals is to make things easier for those volunteers by giving them a direct line to make suggestions to improve the organization. “When you are so reliant on volunteers, it really causes you to sit back and continuously reevaluate your own operations,” Danielle says. “These people give so much of their time and their energy and their creativity day in and day out because they just love the organization.”
When Danielle served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services, it was often a conflict of interest for her to be involved in nonprofits. She’s excited to be back to volunteering, though she jokes the pendulum may have swung too far. She donates time to organizations including Jack and Jill of America Foundation, the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, The Adoption Project, the Tennessee State Museum and Think Tennessee.
“It’s called being overcommitted,” Danielle laughs.
“For me, it comes down to: Where can I make the most impact?” she adds. “What is most aligned with my own personal mission and vision? You’ll see me very active in issues that pertain specifically to women and girls.”
Michelle Kennedy
President and alternate governor, Nashville Predators
Michelle Kennedy began her career with the Nashville Predators in 2008 as the organization’s first in-house counsel after graduating from law school and working for Vanderbilt University Athletics. She soon became chief financial officer and in 2017 was named chief operating officer. She added the titles of president and alternate governor in 2023.
“At the end of the day, we sell hot dogs and hockey tickets,” Michelle says. “But we also know that we have a platform. We take that platform very seriously, and we believe that because we have the power to move that needle for our community, that’s our obligation.”
Michelle also chairs the Nashville Predators Foundation and serves on the boards of the Nashville Humane Society and the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. In May, the Predators Foundation made its highest single-month donation in history, with over $1 million going to nearly 200 Middle Tennessee nonprofits.
Michelle says giving back is a part of the fabric of the Predators. Any time the organization has a new hire, the leadership stresses the importance of community.
“People absolutely embrace it just as much as we do,” she says. “It’s a feel-good moment when we have a grant presentation once a year that has hundreds of community organizations in it, and just to see the smiles on their faces and the difference that we know that it’s making.”
Katina Beard
CEO, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center
As the CEO of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Katina Beard already serves more than 20,000 people per year who may not otherwise be able to afford health care.
In work and in volunteering, Katina tends to pick an organization and stay. She’s been with Matthew Walker since 1996, and she served as a Girl Scouts troop leader for 13 years. She felt it was important for her own children to be involved in the largely white tradition of scouting, and for the kids to see a Black leader like herself. She’s also held roles on the boards of the Tennessee Primary Care Association and the American Cancer Society.
When it comes to people wanting to help out the Matthew Walker center, Katina looks for partnerships that align with the community health center’s purpose — and that don’t distract or parachute in on a short-term basis. She thinks of the organization like a Lego tower, with its health care mission
being a big block at the bottom. She’s choosy about which blocks she’ll pile on top.
“When I choose the work that we do, or the partnership[s] that we do, what is it going to do to that big yellow Lego?” she says. “Is it just something that [is] just stuck on there? Or is it something that’s really building that up?”
Candice McQueen
President, Lipscomb University
Candice McQueen became the president of Lipscomb University in 2021, but she has more than 20 years of experience in education.
She’s served as a classroom teacher and higher education leader in roles with nonprofits and for state government. Previously, she was CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching and was also former Gov. Bill Haslam’s commissioner of education.
On top of her daily duties, Candice says she enjoys serving the university and Lipscomb Academy students. She mentors students who are considering their vocation and seeking career advice. Additionally, she volunteers as a board member for United Way and recently became a board member for Goodwill.
“Time is a limited commodity, so I try to use any time I have to serve worthy causes where I believe my strengths can best support the organization’s mission,” Candice says. “When your strengths are maximized for a worthy mission, you tend to want to invest more time and energy long-term.”
She says she also volunteers at her church and advises groups like The Joseph School in Haiti, which helps to ensure educational opportunities for Haiti’s future.
“Volunteering with nonprofits is rewarding in many ways, especially in opening the doors for new relationships,” Candice says. “I have met people I might have never otherwise interacted with if we had not first served together.”
Read more about these dynamic leaders in our sister publication the Nashville Post.
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