We are proud to present RISE: A Nashville Networking Event Celebrating Keynote Speakers. This event is designed to connect Nashville-based professionals in the PR, events, and programming space, while showcasing the brilliance and expertise of local keynote speakers.
Our speakers showcase a range of topics and subject matter expertise to offer a variety of options for your upcoming programming. Keep them in mind and reach out directly as you are planning your:
Anna-Vija McClain is an expert in small business efficiency and growth. She is the Founder and CEO of Piccolo Solutions, a development firm that provides businesses with numerous ways to scale, from marketing to workflow solutions. She is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, and is active in the Nashville community through numerous charities, Boards, and volunteer efforts, including serving as the host of the SCORE Connect television show on News Channel 5+!
Harry L. Allen is the Co-Founder and Chief Relationship Officer of Studio Bank. Mr. Allen is well known for his passion for leadership and learning and is a frequent guest on podcasts and in publications focused on entrepreneurship and leadership. He is a proven leader and entrepreneur who is able to build coalitions for impact and change. He is a gifted communicator, and his natural curiosity pushes organizations to think differently and challenge the status quo.
Benson is a renowned national consultant who specializes in helping organizations transition to greater impact and build capacity. With a remarkable career in the nonprofit sector, she has gained extensive expertise in various areas, including organizational development and change, executive transition consultancy, strategic planning, leadership development, and board governance. She is the author of two books that focus on mindfulness and happiness.
T. Shardé, a Nashville native and Belmont University alum, epitomizes Music City’s spirit—vibrant, resilient, deeply connected. Her debut book, “My Stones” (2021), offers solace and hope, while her podcast “Faithfully Unscripted” fosters candid conversations on faith and humanity. As founder of Manna Enterprises, she champions community and mental health awareness. A wife and mother of four, T. Shardé spreads joy through family and uplifting others, inspiring growth and transformation.
Ashlee, owner of Brooks & Associates Tax Consulting, holds a B.S. in Accounting from Tennessee State University and an M.S. in Marketing from VCU. With a background overseeing various government contract budgets and taxation in Public Accounting, Ashlee started her own organization to serve aspiring and seasoned business owners where she specializes in Individual and Business Taxes, Bookkeeping, and Small Business start- up and formation consultation. Ashlee is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tennessee State University National Alumni Association, NAWBO, Board Member of TN Nashville Food Project and BrainTrust, all while being a mother of two remarkable children.
Dr. Hannah Brandt, PT, DPT, CPT, IFNCP, is the founder and lead coach at HLB Lifestyle, a virtual nutrition and fitness coaching company started after Hannah has maintained a personal weight loss of over sixty pounds for over a decade. Her company, HLB lifestyle, aims to redefine the accepted norms of diet culture and weight loss from fad diets, severe restriction, and quick fixes to sustainability, optimal health, and a relentless pursuit of joy.
Laura Click is a brand strategist, speaker, podcaster, and writer. She is the founder and CEO of Blue Kite, a Nashville-based brand strategy consultancy that helps mission-focused organizations stand out from the competition and tell their stories better. Since starting the company in 2010, Blue Kite has helped more than 70 organizations from across the country strengthen their branding and marketing so they can reach new heights. Laura lives in Nashville with her husband, Garth, and their two children, James and Claire.
Jason LeVasseur has received over 25 awards in his professional career. He has shared the stage with bands like The Roots, Ludacris, Train, LMFAO, J Cole, John Mayer, The Dave Matthews Band, and Maroon 5. In addition to his life as a musician, Jason is also an association event keynote speaker, a podcast host, a team building facilitator, a summer camp program director, a bad dancer, and a big fan of all things Nashville! Get ready to have fun, grow your network, and celebrate what makes you an amazing Rock Star community member!
THANK YOU to our host location, vendors, and nonprofit partner that supported us for this event! Please click below to learn more about these great organizations and/or contact them for your future event!
Jennifer has coached over 400 businesses totalling $835 million in collective revenue in developing and executing their strategic plans — so it isn’t just on the CEO and their team. Jennifer is no stranger to scaling a business. Prior to her 10 years in coaching, she built two businesses, sold one, and coached countless others in growth strategy. She has served on the leadership teams for several scale up companies.
Benson is a renowned national consultant who specializes in helping organizations transition to greater impact and build capacity. With a remarkable career in the nonprofit sector, she has gained extensive expertise in various areas, including organizational development and change, executive transition consultancy, strategic planning, leadership development, and board governance. She is the author of two books that focus on mindfulness and happiness.
Rosa Castano has had a 15+ yrs corporate career, in all types of settings from small businesses, freshly minted startups, and large, diverse non-profit corporations. She was forced to pivot to a new path after the pandemic put a halt to her career, allowing her to take the time to re-evaluate her career aspirations. As a certified Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement leader, she decided to combine her passion for Well-Being and experience in the Corporate world to create Stress Management Workshops and talks.
Brenton Harrison has spent over a decade empowering people to take control of their money. He teaches strategies for overcoming the burden of debt, juggling family and money, and establishing a financial foothold for those who were never taught the principles of financial literacy. He has been featured in publications such as Business Insider, USA Today, CNBC and Forbes. Brenton is a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter and Certified Student Loan Advisor, and is a frequent speaker and workshop facilitator.
Aireka Harvell is a visionary entrepreneur, public speaker, and coach, known for her expertise in the realms of digital marketing, consumer influence, and business strategy. As the Founder of Nodat Inc, a leading tech company specializing in online reputation management and customer engagement, Aireka has revolutionized the way businesses navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the internet.
Steve Woodruff is known as the King of Clarity. His books and workshops are designed to equip professionals with the simple, actionable practices that will immediately put them in the Winner’s Circle of effective communicators.
THANK YOU to our host location, vendors, and nonprofit partner that supported us for this event!
BARBARA HINCH
COPYWRITING SPECIALIST
A storyteller at heart, she excels at taking our clients’ seemingly random information and weaving it together into a well-worded and concise marketing message. Keeping her mind on target audience and strategy, if you need a custom blog, Barbara’s your girl… only when she isn’t swimming with Mickey at Disney World!
Most likely to:
Ask all the questions you didn’t think of.
Perfectly curate your content.
JALEESA O’NEAL
CONTROLLER
Jaleesa O’Neal is our Controller. She uses her self-described “Nancy Drew skills” to develop detailed reporting and her Google sleuth skills are as immense as her organizing acumen. Jaleesa has a varied background, including being a fully licensed Physical Therapist, but has always been focused on service. While she may prefer working at 4:30 am, she gets a TON done!
Most likely to:
Organize. Everything.
Create a list of lists.
Mitch Cooley
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Mitch Cooley is an Account Manager. Mitch has work experience as long as a high elf’s full name and uses every bit of that to help our clients keep moving in the right direction. Years of problem-solving in marketing, management, and operations with a medical device marketing company ensure clients have a steady hand to help find their best solutions.
Mitch is always ready to do a deep dive whether he’s figuring out what Google thinks they are doing next or checking out the latest database or reporting software. Our clients are sure to get the best possible service with Mitch on board.
Mitch Cooley
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Mitch Cooley is an Account Manager. Mitch has work experience as long as a high elf’s full name and uses every bit of that to help our clients keep moving in the right direction. Years of problem-solving in marketing, management, and operations with a medical device marketing company ensure clients have a steady hand to help find their best solutions.
Mitch is always ready to do a deep dive whether he’s figuring out what Google thinks they are doing next or checking out the latest database or reporting software. Our clients are sure to get the best possible service with Mitch on board.
Alison Lowe
PROJECT MANAGER
Alison Lowe is a Project Manager. Alison has an eye for detail and enjoys the tasks that keep the team moving towards the goal. Her expertise in data entry and quality control serves her well. A previous position as the only baker in a small but high-volume bakery allowed her to hone those scheduling and delegation skills – and should we ever enter a Business Bakeoff – those lightening fast batter scooping skills are sure to bring us victory!
Alison places high value on teamwork and unity which makes her the perfect fit for the Piccolo team. Helping people work through tasks with accurate and relevant information on top of those time-management skills makes her indispensable to our crew.
Jackie Meck
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND MARKETING ADMINISTRATOR
Jackie Meck is an Executive Assistant and Marketing Administrator. Jackie combines her expertise in graphic design and client relationship management with her passion for travel, design, and photography to deliver excellent results for clients and Piccolo team members. Jackie is inquisitive and always looking to learn more about everything – it’s no surprise to know she kept a 4.0 all through university despite switching from pre-med to marketing! We’re delighted to have her creativity and people skills here in Nashville.
Meena Swaminathan
MARKETING ADMINISTRATOR
Meena uses her passion for writing to create SEO-rich content for our clients to keep them ahead of the competition. It’s a skill that helped her Honors Thesis about sustainable production methods in the textile industry get published while being a star student at the MTSU Honors College. She was also nominated as Marketing Student of the Week for MTSU’s Jones College of Business. Her interest in data, analytics, and creating more efficient systems makes her a perfect fit for the Piccolo team!
Despite successfully juggling numerous accounts and projects, Meena still has time to host Duolingo Events in French and be a proficient practitioner of the South Indian classical dance form called Bharathanatyam – one of the most difficult dance forms in the world! Multi-talented and multi-lingual, Meena is a great addition to our crew!
Taylor Barth
MARKETING ADMINISTRATOR
Taylor Barth is a Marketing Administrator. Taylor brings a level of enthusiasm and positivity to our team that rivals your favorite musicals! Several years of experience as an acting instructor along with marketing coordinator work with Shenandoah University fuels the creativity she uses to help clients attain their marketing goals. Her team mentality helps us collaborate, develop and implement the strategies.
Color-coordinated, high energy, and probably at the beach delivering her best work, Taylor is a fabulous addition to the Piccolo team.
MADDIE ADAMS
AGENCY PARTNER – WEB DESIGN AND BRANDING SPECIALIST
Maddie is our Web Design and Branding Specialist. Maddie is a strategic marketing pro having experience working with a variety of restaurants and hospitality concepts in Nashville. Her focus is on web design, branding, merchandising, and e-commerce! She delivers innovative top-notch copy and concepts keeping clients happy and laughing with her witty and fun designs. An excellent communicator, Maddie is always able to visualize and create a product best-suited to our clients’ needs.
Most likely to:
Come up with a fun new way to say exactly what we are all thinking, but never realized.
Create a unique logo!
LOGEN CHRISTOPHER
DIRECTOR/VIDEO
Logen Christopher is an award-winning Director/Cinematographer and founder of Stormlight Pictures. He started working on sets at the age of 14 and made an early commitment to learning every process of film and media production. His experience ranges from feature films and music videos to national brand campaigns and he brings that value to our clients.
Most likely to:
Move in stealth mode.
Make you look better than you thought you could.
HANNAH WEBB
PHOTOGRAPHER
Hannah Webb is our Photographer. Hannah developed her passion and expertise in photography and, over the past decade, has been photographing an array of different clients. She is especially adept at showcasing not only our clients at work, but also the stories that motivate them. Hannah loves combining the creative with her love of people and uses her expertise to make our clients feel most comfortable in-front of the camera.
Most likely to:
Effortlessly make you look and feel your best.
Make you laugh and capture every moment.
JERMAINE DOBBINS
CONSULTANT OF AWESOMENESS
As an internationally published journalist/editor, Jermaine brings a unique blend of creative brand marketing to our clients from his travels through Europe. He has experience in communications for entities ranging from juvenile justice and federal reform to interviewing Lionel Richie and Rihanna in their hotel rooms. Jermaine is always looking out for the “next big thing” in marketing.
Most likely to:
Research your research.
Use a thesaurus.
KRISTIN HANEY
MARKETING ADMINISTRATOR
Kristin is our marketing administrator. As our first and last line of defense for written materials, you are guaranteed to not find a stray comma or dangling modifier while she’s on the clock! She has experience as a writer for small businesses, editor for a publishing company and an education coordinator for an arts center. When she’s not traveling, Kristin loves using her critical eye to keep our social media, articles, and blogs high on the readability scale.
Most likely to:
Know the subtle differences between Hemingway and Grammarly.
Know the 4 main styles of writing.
DAVID PAULSSON
PROJECT MANAGER
David is our Project Manager! David is always looking ahead and pushing Piccolo to be the best it can be. His myriad experiences from video editing to proofreading to all things content creation make him a valuable asset to our team, and he’s a whiz at working behind the scenes to execute our clients’ marketing campaigns efficiently while taking care of all the details.
Most likely to:
Think ahead and respond to your questions in record time.
Contribute helpful advice.
KAITLYN JOHANSEN
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Kaitlyn is our Account Manager. She brings years of experience to our team from working across the spectrum in the hospitality industry. From small family businesses to corporate sectors, Kaitlyn has seen it all and understands how to help business owners reach their goals. Her professional passion is working closely with clients to make sure they flourish and grow under our umbrella. Kaitlyn has traveled the country and that adventurous spirit allows her to see the proverbial “forest from the trees” when helping businesses find the solutions they need.
Most likely to:
Own a Lonely Planet guidebook.
Be voted MVP from our clients.
BRENDEN COX
SYSTEM OPERATIONS MANAGER
Brenden is our System Operations Manager. Brenden worked in Food and Beverage Customer service for almost a decade so his client services skills are top notch. He has used his Education degree in a wide variety of ways including creating a training and orientation program for a hotel with 100+ employees. He trains all new Piccolo team members and his attention to detail is a vital part of our Management Team!
Most likely to:
Conference call in from Georgia.
“Google stalk” to get really custom posts.
JESSICA GOFF
PEOPLE OPERATIONS AND ACCOUNT MANAGER
Jessica Goff is our People Operations and Account Manager. With a background in problem solving and management, she handles our staff, clients, and general operations with ease! Her insight for client’s target audiences and goals translates to perfectly curated project management. Jessica also serves as our Culture Coordinator, managing our team meetings, social meetups, and keeping our staff loving their jobs!
Most likely to:
Plan ahead… by like, a month.
Flood your inbox with awesomeness!
ANNA-VIJA MCCLAIN
FOUNDER + CEO
Anna-Vija is our Founder and CEO. As the company visionary, Anna-Vija’s belief is that small business owners and entrepreneurs can build a successful brand through the “outsourced marketing” model. She uses her 16+ years of experience to develop strategic marketing campaigns for our clients and is always learning to stay ahead of the ever-changing world of marketing. AV is passionate about helping others identify and reach their life goals.
Most likely to:
Achieve small business nirvana.
Hear her dogs bark on a conference call.
BEN HOMAN
AGENCY PARTNER – WEB DEVELOPER
Ben helps local companies compete with big-box competitors by offering industry-leading, optimized, and perfect websites. Always thinking with speed in mind, each website is built from the ground up for fastest load times and user-friendly experience. He always tries something fresh and each website built is built to win an award, not just to accomplish a task. Theoretically, that means your next website is his best one yet!
Most likely to:
Name a pet after development lingo.
Work from hotel lobbies across the globe.