IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

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Massey Alumnus Stephen Bearden Named TriStar Hendersonville CFO

April Hefner
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Massey Alumnus Stephen Bearden Named TriStar Hendersonville CFO

TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center recently named Stephen Bearden, an alumnus of the Massey College of Business, as the hospital’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

“We are proud to have Stephen join our leadership team at TriStar Hendersonville as our new CFO,” said Regina Bartlett, chief executive officer of TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center. “We know that his prior experience and the numerous contributions that he has made in service to sister HCA facilities, as well as his commitment to our mission, will help to further enhance the care and services TriStar Hendersonville provides our patients and community.”

Prior to joining the staff at TriStar Hendersonville, Bearden served for two years as an associate chief financial offer at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, the 741-bed hospital in Nashville. Bearden’s career with HCA began in 2007 in the Internal Audit and Consulting department, based in Nashville, where he rose quickly from his position as a staff auditor to director by 2016.

Bearden is a Certified Public Accountant who earned a master’s degree in business administration with a major in healthcare management at Belmont’s Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business. He has been a member of the national Healthcare Financial Management Association since 2015. He is also a member of the Steering Committee at Gateway Community Church in Franklin and has been involved with various nonprofit organizations in Nashville, including Our Kids, Agape and CrossBridge ministries.

Belmont Alumni to be Featured at Prestigious Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale

Staff Writer
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Belmont Alumni to be Featured at Prestigious Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale

Profile by Emily Stembridge

Born and raised in a small farm town in Alabama, Todd Williamson has always had a keen interest in creating art. He attended Belmont University from 1984-1988 as a major in music and a minor in English; now an accomplished artist, he was recently asked to present an exhibition at the world-renowned Venice Biennale in 2019.

One of the largest art exhibitions in the world, Venice Biennale takes over the city of Venice as it brings more than half a million tourists thanks to its top features and galleries. Williamson was directly asked to exhibit, although typically the Biennale asks a foundation first to sponsor an artist before approaching the artist. At the Venice Biennale, Williamson, partnered with the MAK Center, will be presenting a collection of new, large pieces for display along with a sound room composed by Greg Walter, a 1987 Belmont graduate.

Thinking back to his time in school, Williamson has fond memories of his time on campus. “Belmont was and is a great support system,” he said. “I have called the Dean of the School of Music, Dr. Cynthia Curtis, to ask questions about music I wanted to use in one of my exhibitions. Within a short time, I had several responses with offers of help! I don’t think this happens in bigger schools where students do not know their professors on such an intimate level.”

Now, Williamson lives in Los Angeles where he works full time as an artist. He exclusively works with oil paints on canvas, and his studio is located in his own backyard. His works are abstract with a select few bold colors often making up the entire canvas.

“Everything is an inspiration,” he said. “It can be a billboard, a dream, a color combination or a conversation that inspires me to do something. As an artist, you should see beauty or inspiration in everything.”

Dedicated to the importance of the number three, Williamson is intentional with symmetry in his creations. Every three inches, viewers will find a raised parallel line. Bach used a similar idea in creating his music where he used the number three to represent the Spiritual–the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. For Williamson, it is an homage to the power and symbolism of the number three.

As an arts commissioner for the city of West Hollywood, he helps other artists in many ways including working directly with artists who are creating public art projects for the city. He also helps change policies that can pose challenges to artists. He is involved with the AIDS Monument in California, serving on the Board of Directors. This charity is “the first of its kind in Los Angeles,” and will memorialize people who have lost their lives to the disease, as well as the loved ones they left behind.

Through all of the acclaim and success Williamson has found as a contemporary artist, he still values the education and connections he received at Belmont. “I cannot emphasize how good a school Belmont is,” Williamson said.

An avid traveler, he encourages future and current Belmont students to, “travel, travel, travel.” Some of his favorite places in the world include everywhere in Italy, Tokyo, Germany, and, to this day, Nashville!

The Venice Biennale exhibition will be open from May 8 – November 28, 2019 at the Santa Maria della Pieta located just north of St. Marks Square on the Grand Canal.

Belmont Law Alumnus Completes White House Internship

April Hefner
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Belmont Law Alumnus Completes White House Internship

May 2018 Belmont Law graduate Ben Riggs wasted no time putting his legal degree to work at the highest echelons of U.S. government. A native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, alumnus Riggs recently completed an internship in the Office of the White House Counsel.

From September through early December 2018, Riggs did a variety of tasks in the Counsel’s office, including drafting memorandum concerning various issues in administrative, immigration and labor law and identifying and organizing thousands of documents related to oversight requests. He also analyzed and categorized Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, compiled executive agency Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) policies and researched constitutional and statutory authority for presidential and executive agency actions, among other duties.

Riggs is greeted by President Donald J. Trump as he walks across the South Lawn of the White House to meet the White House interns Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, prior to boarding Marine One to begin his trip to Montana, Arizona and Nevada. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
Riggs is greeted by President Donald J. Trump as he walks across the South Lawn of the White House to meet the White House interns Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, prior to boarding Marine One to begin his trip to Montana, Arizona and Nevada. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

Active in Belmont Law’s National Moot Court team, Riggs also served as president of the Student Bar Association and chair of the Graduate Student Council during his time on campus. He credits his faculty members for providing the skills and opportunities to help him be successful. “Dean [Alberto] Gonzales, Professors Amy Moore, Jeffrey Usman and Tory Johnson are faculty members that were imperative to the development of my legal education. Professor Moore drilled in me a desire for academic excellence. From being cold-called in her Administrative law class to fielding rapid fire questions during moot court practice, Professor Moore demanded a thorough knowledge and understanding of the law.  Additionally, Dean Gonzales’s National Security law course provided me the desire to seek work in the field of law devoted to protecting American national security.”

Riggs has already passed the Tennessee Bar exam and is seeking admission to the Washington D.C. Bar, as his long-term goals revolve around the nation’s capital. “My hope is to practice law in Washington D.C. working in national security, campaign and election law. Beginning in January, I will be clerking for the Republican National Committee’s in house counsel. In the coming months my goal is to begin the application process for the Army JAG Reserve Corp.”

Belmont Wins Nashville Minority Business Center’s 2018 Corporate Award

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Wins Nashville Minority Business Center’s 2018 Corporate Award

In honor of its Supplier Diversity Program, an initiative created in 2015 under Director of Community Relations Joyce Searcy and Vice President and General Counsel Jason Rogers’s leadership, Belmont was recently awarded the 2018 Corporate Award from the Nashville Minority Business Center during the organization’s 36th annual Minority Enterprise Development Week.

The multi-phase program, aligned with the University’s commitment to becoming more diverse and broadly reflective of its local and global community, was created as a mutually beneficial opportunity for Belmont and minority businesses. In Phase 1, the University worked to build relationships with vendors and minority business leadership, communicating Belmont’s goals to increase supplier diversity. Phase II created opportunities for vendors to market their products to two key departments on campus – Auxiliary Services and Facilities Management.

In a letter sent to Belmont acknowledging receipt of the Corporate Award, Nashville MEDWeek Coordinator said, “The achievements made by [President Dr. Fisher and Joyce Searcy] and Belmont University are yet another fine example of minority entrepreneurship development in this community. We appreciate your efforts in raising the standard for excellence.”

Searcy, along with Vice President and General Counsel Jason Rogers, accepted the award on Friday, November 30 at the Minority Business Honors and Recognition Awards, held at the Nashville City Center.

 Photo provided by Anthony Beasley Photography

Student, Alumna Accept Peace Corps Positions in Moldova

April Hefner
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Student, Alumna Accept Peace Corps Positions in Moldova

From here to Moldova? That may be the perfect motto for senior Sean Grossnickle and 2017 alumna Maxine Bouldin, both of whom will be heading to the Eastern European nation in fall 2019 with the Peace Corps.

Grossnickle, an international business major set to graduate in May, was first inspired to learn more about the Peace Corps by his friend Maxine’s interest. “Since God has not yet given me an overwhelming passion for a certain type of work, I thought about what job might utilize the skills and experiences I have gained at Belmont to their fullest.”

Grossnickle is a Kansas native who came to Tennessee to attend Belmont, but his travels since being on campus have been much more extensive. In fact, he has studied abroad in Canada and France, received a Lumos Travel Award to do microfinance work in Senegal and will lead a mission trip in March to the Dominican Republic. “The Peace Corps seemed like an extension of these experiences, which taught me that I could do the work and do it well. To top it off, I have a strong desire to learn a third language, and the Peace Corps provides me with this opportunity. I am trusting God will use me to work in the lives of the people I am going to serve.”

Bouldin, on the other hand, is a Tennessee native who grew up in McMinnville. A religion and the arts major with a music business minor, she is drawn to the opportunity to experience new cultures. “When will I get a better time to move to an entirely new place and serve people for two years? Also, I hope to work full-time for a nonprofit or social enterprise in the future, and the Peace Corps offers experiences that will help me in those fields and make me a competitive candidate for hire.”

Both described a selective application process for the Peace Corps, one that involved a written application, interview and extensive medical clearance. Bouldin and Grossnickle will each be serving as organizational development facilitators, but they don’t know yet their exact town or project assignments. Generally speaking, their positions will involve working with community institutions and nonprofit organizations to help develop their leadership and organizational capacity to better serve their communities.

Departing this summer, their positions require three months of training that will involve language, job skill and safety education along with the other Moldova volunteers. Then Bouldin and Grossnickle will move to their assigned locations for a two-year service commitment. The positions can then be extended each year after the initial two for a maximum commitment of five years.

“Belmont has given me all of the tools I need to be successful where I am going,” Grossnickle said. “I learned the power of serving others and using my gifts and talents to do so. My studies have opened my eyes to the vastness of what there is to know and allowed me to look with a more compassionate eye upon others, particularly those different than I am.”

Bouldin agrees, noting her experiences as a Spiritual Life Assistant and a lead of Chadasha Gospel Choir as well as her Belmont-affiliated community service, internship and study abroad programs all prepared her to take this next step. “Being part of the College of Theology and Christian Ministry taught me, challenged me and encouraged me in ways that have been deeply formative of the person I am today. It was truly my time at Belmont that most prepared me to join the Peace Corps!”

Belmont Graduates Create Joint Fashion Venture

Staff Writer
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Belmont Graduates Create Joint Fashion Venture

Profile by Shelby Vandenbergh 

Senni Bloom and Olivia Sweitzer, May 2017 graduates, recently launched Alina&Rose, a fashion blog. The brand encompasses authentic fashion inspiration, street style, creative styling advice, weekly content and more.

Bloom and Sweitzer met at Belmont and formed a bond over their love for fashion. After interning remotely with College Fashionista, the duo strengthened their love for blogging. Shortly after, they gained more experience working in fashion. Sweitzer worked under a celebrity stylist and started her own small personal shopping business, while Bloom worked in various fashion retail positions learning how to start and grow an online store through Shopify and social media strategy. Thanks to these experiences and the networking skills Bloom and Sweitzer developed while on campus, they have been able to grow their endeavor in a short period of time.

“Joining forces has allowed us to use both of our strengths to create one unique platform,” Bloom said. “We also felt that we could develop a niche market to really stand out within the Nashville fashion scene. By being authentic to our own personal styles, we created a platform that showcases a street style look with a touch of our New York fashion inspired roots,” added Sweitzer.

To keep up with the fashion blog, the pair attends weekly events, typically depending on the Nashville creative community. Their schedule usually includes two to three events per week ranging from restaurant, store and retail openings, as well as Nash Gals events.

Since their launch, the platform has worked with many national brands including Dior, Frye, Kate Spade and 3X1, among others. They’ve also partnered with local, Nashville retail including Shop Amelia Styles, Emerson Grace and Outdoor Voices flagship store.

The duo recently launched their t-shirt line for Alina&Rose, where they donate a percentage of profits to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. They sell online & in person with monthly events throughout Nashville. “We wanted to find a way to expand our brand with incorporating fashion and philanthropy, especially with an organization we are so passionate about,” Bloom said. The shirts can be purchased here.

As for the future of Alina&Rose, the co-founders see the fashion blog as only continuing to gain momentum. “Our passion behind Alina&Rose will only allow us to grow,” Bloom said. “We will continue to strengthen brand relations and partnerships, provide the best fashion inspiration, and always bring something new to the table.”

Follow along with Alina&Rose’s journey here and here.

Digital Humanities Class Pilots Music Row Walking Tour

April Hefner
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Digital Humanities Class Pilots Music Row Walking Tour

Thanks to a special project from Honors Professor of Practice Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Belmont students were able to engage with an exciting and emerging new field during the fall semester, digital humanities. Pethel recently completed a post-doctorate certification in digital public humanities, an academic field which applies technology and digital resources to traditional humanities disciplines such as literature, history and philosophy.

Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel introduces the Music Row tour.

Pethel said, “Digital Humanities is transforming the ways in which we learn and teach within the humanities and social sciences. Course offerings and project opportunities related to digital methods, skills, and scholarship places Belmont on the leading edge in this field. Digital Humanities at Belmont allows students to pursue a project that results in scholarship that lives online and allows individuals and groups to participate as both producers and consumers.”

For Pethel’s final project for her certification program, she decided to create a historical, digital walking tour of several historic sites in downtown Nashville. With funding and support from many community stakeholders, including Belmont, Pethel saw an opportunity to include her students in her research. Called Nashville Sites, the mobile-friendly website is expected to launch in fall 2019 with approximately 20 walking or driving tours of Nashville including “Civic and Public Spaces,” “Food for Thought” (based on historic restaurants and buildings), “Architecture” and “Gulch History (1860-1900).”

“The goal,” she said, “is to attract and engage a wide audience to learn more about Nashville’s historically and culturally significant sites through images, text, navigation, audio narration, and credible information.”

A Nashville history expert and author of the recently released book “Athens of the New South,” Pethel sought two primary learning outcomes for her Digital Humanities Honors course: “to explore the history and significance of Nashville in the context of cities in the human experience and to develop analytical and technical skills related to the field of Digital Humanities.” The four students in the pilot course were challenged to create a walking tour of Music Row for their final exam. Though their work will eventually be added to the Nashville Sites website, the infrastructure for that site is still in development so the students led the tour in person in early December.

Biology major Grace Hurley took the course for her Honors seminar because she was interested in finding out more about the meaning of “digital humanities.” “The most challenging aspect was finding all the specific information about the building, like what it used to be or who built it. I had to contact many of the businesses and go into city records. In this class I gained many research skills and learned a great deal about Nashville through the process.”

The course will be offered again in the spring with more students participating in producing additional tour content. In addition, current audio engineering faculty and students are doing narrations and offering help with recording, editing and exporting files for the tours, which will be available in audio or text versions on the website.

Music Row Walking Tour in Nashville, Tennessee, December 6, 2018.

But Belmont isn’t the only local organization assisting with the project. The Metro Historical Commission Foundation and the Convention & Visitors Corporation along with several individual donors are all supporting the creation of Nashville Sites. Other universities are involved as well, with an intern from Vanderbilt and narrators from Tennessee State contributing.

When complete, physical medallions will be placed on signs throughout the city, providing QR codes to connect to the tour website. Pethel believes Nashville Sites will offer the city’s natives and tourists alike engaging, self-directed, historically accurate tours of Nashville that are scholarly and ad free.

“From Honky Tonk Row to our very own Parthenon, the Nashville story will be in the palm of your hand. Locals and tourists alike can visit our historic and cultural landmarks or explore a world hidden in plain sight. Nashville Sites will offer informative and adventure-style walking tours that allow users to see and experience Music City in a whole new way.”

Dishman’s Band, Sister Sadie, Nominated for Grammy Award

April Hefner
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Dishman’s Band, Sister Sadie, Nominated for Grammy Award

The nominations for the 61st Grammy Awards have been announced, and critically-acclaimed female group Sister Sadie are finalists in the category for “Best Bluegrass Album.” Tina Adair Dishman, director of Curb College Academic Advising, is a member of the group.

The recognition comes for the all-star vocalists project, Sister Sadie II, released via Pinecastle Records and marks Sister Sadie’s first Grammy nomination collectively as a group. The winners will be revealed on February 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, airing on CBS.

“All my life I have dreamed of being nominated for a Grammy and to be nominated with four best friends and sisters is even better,” exclaimed Adair.

Sister Sadie II has been hailed as one of the premiere projects released this year prior to the nomination, with publications like Rolling Stone saying, “these bluegrass chart-toppers are finished with heartbreak, ready to embrace a future filled with brighter horizons and more fulfilling relationships.” Other publications like NPR agree, saying “Sister Sadie is at ease with hard-driving tunes and soft, sophisticated ballads alike,” while Parade calls it “a finger picking time.”

The nominated album was released in August, and upon its launch debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s “Top Bluegrass Albums” chart. Fans were treated to the lead single, “Losing You Blues,” which in addition to hitting the top spot on the Roots Music Report “Top 50 Contemporary Bluegrass Songs” chart, was also named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 Best Country and Americana Songs.”

2018: Belmont’s Year in Review

April Hefner
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2018: Belmont’s Year in Review

Life is never slow on the campus of Belmont University, but 2018 was particularly exciting and eventful. As students, faculty and staff steadfastly pursued rigorous academics and transformative educational experiences, the entire campus was able to celebrate a number of proud highlights, including:

It’s been an incredible year, and 2019 promises to be even better!

Belmont Celebrates Winter Commencement December 14

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Celebrates Winter Commencement December 14

Belmont University hosted its winter commencement ceremony for graduate and undergraduate students at 5 p.m. Friday, December 14, in the Curb Event Center. The University celebrated the graduation of a total of 472 students. During the ceremony, 395 bachelor’s degrees and 77 master’s degrees were conferred.

Dr. Robert C. Fisher, president of the University, presided over the event.

The commencement ceremony can be viewed online, here.

Belmont University 2018 Winter Commencement

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