Our Leadership

President and Principal
Stones River Group

Mark Cate is a seasoned executive and public policy/political strategist with extensive experience in strategic planning, economic and community development, issue advocacy and project management. With strong ties to Tennessee business leaders and government officials, a broad network of state and national policymaker relationships, and a wealth of issue expertise, Mark helps clients navigate political risks, launch compelling advocacy campaigns, capitalize on business and engagement opportunities, and strengthen comprehensive public affairs efforts.

Mark formerly served as Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s chief of staff, where he was his top advisor, strategist and negotiator. He has an extensive network of relationships in Tennessee with business and political leaders, and a network of national relationships through involvement with organizations such as the Republican Governors Association and the National Governors Association.

During his tenure with the Haslam Administration, Mark led several legislative policy initiatives, including K-12 education reform, workers’ compensation reform, civil service reform, an alternative approach to Medicaid expansion, and post-secondary education reform, including the nationally acclaimed Tennessee Promise program. He was also one of the governor’s key liaisons with the Department of Education and the Department of Economic and Community Development, where he worked closely on Governor Haslam’s major education initiatives and helped guide business expansions and relocations.

Prior to serving in state government, Mark successfully managed Governor Haslam’s first gubernatorial campaign in 2010, which led to a record-setting general election victory. He previously worked in real estate management and development and served for 16 years as an executive in higher education. Over the course of his career, Mark has served as a chief development officer, chief planning officer, chief marketing officer, and as a chief financial officer—working on budgets ranging from $10 million to $30 billion.

Mark received his B.S. from Carson-Newman College and his M.S. from the University of Tennessee; he also attended Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management. Mark was an elected school board member and has served on numerous other boards, including current service on the boards of the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation and Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee.

Mark and his wife Cathy live in Brentwood, Tennessee, and have two daughters, Bailey and Abbie. Cathy serves as the executive director of Leadership Tennessee, an initiative of the College of Leadership and Public Service at Lipscomb University.

James Pond has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. As President of Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, he develops long-term strategies for strengthening early literacy in Tennessee, partnering with the Imagination Library and other outreach initiatives. His leadership role unites the efforts of GBBF team; more than 700 statewide volunteers; corporate partners; municipal and state government; and other public and private organizations.

“By putting books in the hands of thousands of children each month, we are opening their minds and helping them become lifelong learners,” said Pond. “This work is a privilege, an honor and a great deal of fun.”

A native of Antioch, Calif., Pond previously served as Executive Director of Veteran’s PATH, which helps combat veterans find health and healing. He also spent 12 years working with organizations combatting sex trafficking in Southeast Asia. After serving eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Pond worked 10 years in corporate America before beginning his nonprofit career.

James earned a master’s degree in 2004 at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.  He and his wife Athena have three adult children and live in Nashville. He welcomed his first grandson — the family’s first Imagination Library book recipient — in 2018.

Contact James:
james.pond@tn.gov

Dean Dorsey Hoskins joined the GBBF as Vice President in the summer of 2012. She does a little bit of everything, from overseeing strategic planning and the foundation’s financial management to assisting the president in fundraising and county program support. Having spent much of the past decade as a motivational speaker and consultant to non-profits and financial services firms on matters of operations and internal communications, Hoskins also has over 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur. In 1998 she purchased a fabric and sewing shop in Nashville while simultaneously launching a wholesale fabric import company. Originally from Macon, Ga., she graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia with a B.B.A. in risk management and insurance.

Contact Dean:
dean.hoskins@tn.gov
615-253-6036
 

Linda Kirkpatrick joined the GBBF team in May of 2014 as Executive Assistant for Administration and Outreach. Her job responsibilities include cultivating relationships with program leaders, donors, enrolled families and prospective enrollees and keeping the office running smoothly.

Contact Linda:
linda.kirkpatrick@tn.gov
615-253-3600

Executive Assistant
Frist Family

Jennifer Colquitt serves as an Executive Assistant to the Frist Family, working closely with the family from their primary residence assisting with household, event, and financial operations. Prior to working for the Frists, she worked in Development at Vanderbilt University as the Program Coordinator for Community and Foundation Relations.  Jennifer graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt with a B.S. in Political Science and Psychology. She went on to earn a Masters Degree from the Education Department at Belmont University. 

Jennifer enjoys being an active volunteer. She currently sits on the board of Chi Omega House Corporation at Vanderbilt as Past President, as well as Sports Servants, an organization that promotes sports as a mission in Belize. She is also a seventh-year active member at the Junior League of Nashville where she has served in many placements focused on literacy and child health in the Nashville community. She is a member of Midtown Fellowship Downtown Church where she is a Women’s Ministry volunteer. She lives in Nashville and her favorite role is being “Aunt Ju” to her 2 nieces and 2 nephews.

Senior Advisor
Office of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee
State of Tennessee

Brandon O. Gibson serves as a senior advisor to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. She was appointed to this position in January 2019. Prior to this appointment, she served as a Tennessee Court of Appeals judge for the state's western section and is a sixth generation Tennessean.  She graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science degree and Master’s degree in Agribusiness Management. She graduated from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 2000, practiced law in Texas for a year, and felt the pull back to West Tennessee, where she began practicing law in Jackson.  She practiced at Pentecost & Glenn for many years until Governor Bill Haslam appointed her to the Tennessee Court of Appeals on December 26, 2013.  Brandon was sworn in on September 1, 2014.  She lives on a small farm in Crockett County, Tennessee.

Claire Jones joined the GBBF team in February 2016 as Communications & Marketing Outreach Coordinator. Her responsibilities include creating communications and marketing materials, planning special events with the First Lady’s office, and organizing media outreach to raise awareness of Tennessee’s Imagination Library. Jones previously served as Policy Coordinator for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Originally from Shreveport, La., she graduated cum laude from Louisiana State University with a B.A. in Political Communications.

Contact Claire:
claire.jones@tn.gov
615-350-4355

Abby Robinson Graves is the newest member of the GBBF team. As the Community Engagement Director, she will serve as a primary point of contact for Imagination Library county affiliates. In partnership with the rest of the GBBF team, Abby will work to develop and maintain strong relationships with volunteers, staff and supporters statewide to encourage growth. She will also assist with fundraising efforts, connecting corporate sponsors and individual donors with county leadership. Abby previously served as the Regional Finance Director for Jeb Bush’s Presidential Campaign and, prior to that, as the Deputy Finance Director for Governor Nikki Haley (South Carolina). A native of Athens, TN, Abby graduated magna cum laude from Belmont University with majors in political science and public relations.

Contact Abby:
abby.robinson@tn.gov
615-532-9020

President and CEO
Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Advisors Partners, SIOR

Larry Jensen is President and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Advisors Partners.  With more than 38 years in the commercial real estate business, Larry has been recognized as “Commercial Broker of the Year”, “Office Broker of the Year” and “Office Leasing Broker of the Year” for the Memphis region by his real estate industry peers.  He was also featured in an article “Commercial Real Estate 101”, in Business Tennessee Magazine.

Larry and his team advise and represent corporations, institutions and individuals with innovative strategies, planning, and implementation related to business and commercial real estate.  His clients have included: Smith & Nephew, ServiceMaster, Hunter Fan, FedEx Corporation, Kirkland’s, ACS Clothing, FedEx Express, Baker Donelson, AutoZone, Hewlett Packard, ACH Food Companies, Stratas Foods, The Campbell Clinic, Wright Medical Technologies, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System, First Alliance Bank, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

He is active on the Board of Visitors for the University of Memphis and the Board of Advisors for the University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business. Larry was the former President of Memphis Tomorrow, an organization of CEOs of the larger Memphis-area companies and institutions and also served as Chairman of the Memphis Regional Chamber. He currently serves on the Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman Circle. Larry also serves on the Methodist Foundation’s as Chairman and the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences Chancellor’s Roundtable.  He was recently elected to the National Board of Directors for Ducks Unlimited and as a trustee of the Governor’s Books from Birth for West Tennessee.

He has served for more than 10 years on the founding board of trustees and the executive committee of Shelby Farms Park Conservancy (SFPC). SFPC has responsibility for the oversight of park, for its operations, and for the recently completed $70 million redevelopment of the 4,500 acre urban park located in Memphis.  He has served as committee chair for Park Operations and currently chairs the governmental affairs committee for SFPC.

Additionally, Larry is on the board and the governing committee of Committee for Economic Development (CED.org). CED is a 75-year old Washington-based, non-partisan policy think tank which is a part of The Conference Board.  He serves as a co-chair the education initiatives of CED.

Larry is a licensed real estate broker in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. He is a member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, Lambda Alpha Real Estate Society, Real Estate Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis, and a member of the Urban Land Institute of Memphis.

He holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Memphis.

Director, Global Public & Community Affairs 
Eastman Chemical Company

CeeGee McCord is an instrumental part of Eastman's global public affairs and policy team. She has responsibility for corporate and Eastman Foundation investing, social innovation and impact initiatives, community affairs, and economic development partnerships. In addition to leading the corporate responsibility and education initiatives ream, she manages the corporate events and customer engagements organization. This involves responsibility for all executive and Board functions, sales and investor meetings customer outreach, conferences, and VIP visits to Eastman offices and sites around the world.

Prior to joining Eastman, McCord worked extensively in the nonprofit and public service sector. She earned her bachelor's degree in management from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a master's degree in public administration from Kennesaw State University. McCord has served in many volunteer leadership positions in philanthropic and service organizations. She has served as the chair of the State Government Affairs Committee of the American Chemistry Council as a board member for the United Way of Tennessee, chaired the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce Board and the Commission of the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority. She currently serves as the secretary of the Kingsport Economic Development Board, is chair of the inclusion and diversity initiatives of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Johnson City/Washington County Chamber, and a lifetime member of Leadership Tennessee. McCord and her husband, Jeff, have three adult children.

Senior Director, Community Initiatives
Dollar General Corporation

Denine Torr joined Dollar General in the fall of 1999. As senior director of Community Initiatives, she oversees corporate and foundation giving, employee volunteer engagement efforts, and cause-related partnerships for Dollar General's forty-four state market.

Mrs. Torr has designed and executed charitable initiatives for Dollar General that have raised more than $100 million for charity. She was instrumental in the creation of the Dollar General Employee Assistance Foundation. Under her leadership, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has flourished into a national thought leader and has helped more than 9 million individuals learn to read, prepare for the high school equivalency or learn English.

Mrs. Torr received her Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Communications from Middle Tennessee State University. Prior to Dollar General, her experience includes network television production, freelance writing and public relations. Denine currently serves on the board of directors for the Nashville Public Library Foundation, Nashville Public Television and is board chair for ProLiteracy Worldwide.

President and CEO
Delta Dental of Tennessee

The president and CEO of Delta Dental of Tennessee since 2000, Phil Wenk, D.D.S., has earned a reputation one of Tennessee’s leading health care executives. Dr. Wenk was selected as one of the University of Tennessee’s most illustrious alum when he was selected from more than 370,000 alumni and named to the list of “Top 100 Distinguished Alumni” by Tennessee Alumnus, the University of Tennessee system’s alumni magazine. Dr. Wenk has also been recognized as a “Health Care Hero” and named to the “Health Care 100” by Nashville Business Journal.

Since taking the helm at Delta Dental, Dr. Wenk has led the company to become one of the largest companies in Middle Tennessee and the state’s largest dental benefits carrier. His leadership has helped the company garner recognition from the Nashville Business Journal as one of the fastest growing companies several years and even earning a coveted “Best in Business” award. With a focus on giving back to the community, Dr. Wenk’s philanthropic efforts have also earned Delta Dental top recognition from the Nashville Business Journal’s Corporate Giving Awards as well as honors from Memphis and Nashville Chapters of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

In 2015 Dr. Wenk led the development of the Smile180 Foundation at Delta Dental, continuing the company’s commitment of serving the community. Smile180 provides consistent financial support to charitable dental clinics across Tennessee, caring for the state’s most vulnerable. The foundation also supports Tennessee’s two dental colleges and children’s hospitals across the state. Under Dr. Wenk’s leadership, Delta Dental and the Smile180 Foundation have reinvested more than $30 million in the community.

Dr. Wenk lends his leadership to organizations across the state as he volunteers his time serving on several boards and committees. He is currently serving on boards for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Church Health in Memphis; University of Tennessee President’s Council in Knoxville; Tennessee Performing Arts Center and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville; and the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, the statewide extension of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. He is co-chair of the American Heart Association’s 2017 Heart Walk. A past chair of the American Cancer Society board, Dr. Wenk was honored with the organization’s national St. George’s Award.

Prior to coming to Delta Dental, Dr. Wenk practiced dentistry for two decades in his hometown of Clinton, Tenn.  He and his wife of 46 years, Brenda, live in Brentwood and frequently spend time with their two children and three grandchildren.

Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

Dr. Andrea Willis is the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. In her leadership role at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Dr. Willis ensures that all clinical initiatives and quality endeavors support the needs of our members, and contribute to the overall health and well-being of our communities. As the standard bearer for clinical excellence and positive health outcomes, she keeps quality care at the forefront of discussions with our customers, providers, regulators and stakeholders.

Meeting Dr. Willis means quickly recognizing her passion for better health and a better health care system, which stems from her early professional experience as a pediatrician. Within BlueCross, she has served as medical director, advising on care structures for many successful programs, including the CHOICES Long-Term Services and Support program for the state’s Medicaid population, and CoverTennessee.

Before joining our company, she served the State of Tennessee as director of CoverKids, helped develop Tennessee’s federally approved State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and served as deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health.

Dr. Willis is a fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Tennessee Medical Association. She earned a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health and a Doctor of Medicine from Georgetown University School of Medicine.