Walter Blanks, Jr.
Walter Blanks, Jr. is a spokesperson for American Federation for Children and a private school choice program beneficiary. From a young age, Walter recognized that many children are still stuck in underperforming schools and wanted to do something about it. Walter was chosen for the first cohort of AFC’s Future Leaders Fellowship, a year-long advocacy […]
Jim Thien, Member of the Board of Directors
Jim Thien a Beacon Impact Board Member. He is the owner/partner of several different types of The UPS Store locations including Traditional stores, Universities, Hotels and Convention Centers. The stores are located in Nashville, TN / Dallas, TX and Louisville, KY. Jim has been in the The UPS Store network for 21yrs and has several […]
Dr. Dan Smith, Member of the Board of Directors
Dr. Daniel J. Smith is an Associate Professor of Economics at Middle Tennessee State University and the Director of the Political Economy Research Institute. Daniel was raised in Midland, MI, where he also did his undergraduate at Northwood University. He received his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. Dr. Smith’s research uses Austrian and […]
Pat Shepherd, Member of the Board of Directors
Pat Shepherd is a co-founder and Senior Managing Partner of Avondale Partners, a boutique investment banking and wealth management firm in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its founding in 2001, Avondale Partners has been recognized on multiple occasions by both national and regional publications for it equity research and trading capabilities. Previously, Shepherd was a General Partner […]
Andrew Scarlett, Member of the Board of Directors
Ken Meyer, Member of the Board of Directors
Ken Meyer has spent a career in the business sector where it intersects with public policy, influencing policy and people towards free market solutions to the policy challenges of the day. He believes in small government, limited taxation and strong national defense and the security of our nation. An economist by education, as a young […]
Bo Johnson, Member of the Board of Directors
Bo Johnson is a founding partner in the Nashville-based lobbying firm Johnson Poss Kirby Government Relations. After working as a lobbyist for a range of corporate and association clients over a 42-year career, Bo retired at the end of 2018. He is a lifelong Tennessee resident who grew up in Camden, Tennessee, and is a […]
Bridget Parkes, Member of the Board of Directors
Bridget Parkes has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a law degree from the University of Tennessee. Bridget has worked as a project manager for commercial construction projects, including multi-family, medical office buildings, parking garages, churches, schools, and office buildings. She also has worked as a construction lawyer at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, ranked […]
John Cerasuolo, Chairman of the Board of Directors
John Cerasuolo is the chairman of the Beacon Center of Tennessee and Beacon Impact. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ADS Security from 2008 through 2020. ADS Security was the 17th largest security firm in the United States. Previously Mr. Cerasuolo was Vice President of AFL Network Services headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. […]
Josh Boyd, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors
Josh Boyd is the President & CEO of Technology Lab, which provides outsourced IT solutions to educational institutions and businesses in six states, and Computer Pros, which provides technology consulting to individuals and small businesses. In addition to serving on the board of Beacon Impact, Josh is a member of the National Federation of Independent […]