MURFREESBORO,
Tenn. — MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business again honored a group
of business people with awards in recognition their contribution to business
and industry.
The five
honorees were formally recognized recently during the 21st Century:
Leaders That Matter awards ceremony leading up to the Jones College-hosted 21st
Century: Work That Matters conference at Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference
Center.
Tim Downey, founder and CEO of
Nashville-based Southern Land Co., was given the Joe M. Rodgers Spirit of
America Award, which is presented to an individual who has demonstrated the
highest ideals in keeping with the American spirit of innovation,
entrepreneurship, and commitment to others.
Downey
has a three-decade career in developing neighborhoods and vibrant commercial districts
that adhere to traditional design principles and generate community
interaction. Modeled
after Walt Disney Imagineering’s desire to inspire
creativity, innovation and interaction in
the company and across projects,
Downey’s business model enables direct communication between architecture,
horticulture, construction and planning professionals.
Retta Gardner, president and CEO of
Guaranty Trust Co., was given the Jones College Exemplar Award, which is
presented to a Jones College alumnus who has “walked in the shoes” of current
students and whose personal and professional accomplishments demonstrate that
future MTSU graduates can also achieve great things.
Gardner,
who earned her MBA at MTSU, joined Guaranty Trust in 1996 as information
technology manager before being promoted to senior management four years later
to help establish the company’s third-party division, also serving as IT, human
resources and marketing manager. She was promoted to executive vice president
in 2010 and to president and CEO in 2013. During her tenure, Guaranty Trust has
grown from $250 million in annual production to just over $1.3 billion. She is
vice president of the Tennessee Mortgage Bankers Association, board member for
Volunteer State Bank and United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties, and a
member of the Jones College Dean’s Advisory Council.
David and Ann Hoke, both real estate
professionals, were presented the Jennings A. Jones Champion of Free Enterprise
Award, which is presented to an individual whose achievements “are in keeping
with the highest traditions of the American system of free enterprise” and who
are role models in business, professional and personal achievements.
David
Hoke’s passion for residential real estate began over 30 years ago when he was
the Nashville partner in a regional land development company. His background
includes 12 years of domestic and international marketing experience with David
Weekley Homes, Proctor & Gamble and AMSCO International. Associated with
Ann Hoke & Associates, he is also the broker of HomeFront Properties, a
firm that manages investor-owned residential properties. He is treasurer of the
Nashville chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers
and past chairman of the board of the American Heart Association of Rutherford
County. He is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee.
Since
launching her real estate business with Keller Williams in 2005, Ann Hoke has
become a top producer who consistently ranks among the upper 1 percent of her
peers. She is listed on the REAL Trends Top 250, the industry-wide list
honoring the best real estate teams from across the U.S. Hoke began her career
as a retail fashion buyer and worked within the senior living and healthcare
fields before professional opportunities led her to real estate. She serves on
the board for the Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity.
Receiving
the Young Professional of the Year Award was Lorelei Samuelson, director
of business intelligence for SME Solutions Group, an analytics consultancy
company based in Nashville and in Tampa, Florida. This award recognizes someone
who, at a relatively young age, has already been a role model whose
accomplishments are outstanding and an inspiration to others — but who also has
the potential to rise to even greater heights in personal and professional
life.
An MTSU
alumna, Samuelson was instrumental in founding and serves as an adjunct
professor in the Business Intelligence and Analytics concentration at Jones
College. She has worked at organizations ranging in size from publicly traded
to private equity-owned to early startups. She served in analytics roles at the
VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Sony ATV Music Publishing, and HCA. Her
expertise includes project management, process improvement, executive dashboard
development, data architecture, data warehousing, master data management,
analytic reporting and predictive analytics. She works with the nonprofit Women
in Technology of Tennessee; chaired the 2016 Nashville Technology Council
Analytics Peer Group, organizing the Nashville Analytics Summit; and is
developing a STEM and coding program at Bellevue Middle School.
The
Jones College presented the awards in partnership with First Tennessee Bank.
Jones College Dean David Urban presented the awards.
The
Jones College of Business is made up of the departments
of Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Economics and
Finance, Management, and Marketing. For more information, visit www.mtsu.edu/business.
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