The Belmont University Board of Trustees added five new individuals for the start of the 2022-23 academic year: Dr. Agenia Clark, Rusty Gaston, Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, Rev. Dr. Clay Stauffer and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
Board of Trustees Chair Milton Johnson, a Belmont alumnus and retired CEO/Chairman of HCA Healthcare, said, “Each of our new Trustees brings unique perspective and insight to the work of Belmont University, and I’m grateful for their willingness to serve. These new members join a strong group of individuals who are fully committed to supporting Belmont’s vision, mission and Strategic Trajectory.”
“I am honored to have these influential leaders join Belmont’s Board of Trustees,” Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones said. “Each one of them clearly serves as an agent of hope for their communities, and I’m delighted to have them contributing their passion, ideas and energy to our Board.”
Dr. Agenia Clark, named Nashvillian of the year in 2021, is the president and CEO of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Clark is highly recognized in Music City, making the list of Nashville’s 100 Most Powerful People in the Nashville Business Journal for 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015.
Belmont alumnus Rusty Gaston (‘98) is the CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville. Driven by his love of country music, Gaston went from the small town of Van, TX and rose through the country music ranks first as an amusement park performer, to a music production intern, to co-founding the highly successful THiS Music publishing company, all before receiving the call in 2019 to serve in his role at Sony.
Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero is the president and founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) and pastor of The Gathering Place, a Latino-led, multi-ethnic church in Orlando, Fl. Salguero has been named as one of the nation’s most prominent Latino evangelical leaders and has written extensively on Latino evangelicalism, immigration, racism and multicultural congregations. Salguero also spoke on campus last fall during the inauguration celebration for Dr. Jones.
Rev. Dr. Clay Stauffer is senior minister at Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville and a regular columnist for the Faith and Values section of The Tennessean. Stauffer’s primary research interests include the intersection of faith and politics within American culture, moral foundations of liberals and conservatives, polarization and the formation of character.
A well-known actress and New York Times best-selling author, Kimberly Williams-Paisley co-founded with her husband Brad Paisley (a Belmont alumnus) The Store, a free, referral-based grocery store with the aim of empowering low-income individuals and families in the Nashville area. The Paisleys partnered with Belmont on The Store’s campus location, and through a “2-Gen Grant,” the University provides services at the center to eligible families. Williams-Paisley is a long-standing supporter of Belmont, having set up an endowed scholarship for its students in 2012 with her husband. Belmont dedicated a ballroom in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts as the Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley Ballroom in 2021.
