Professionals

Senior Managing Directors

Jack Faris, Senior Managing Director, was ranked as the most influential small business leader in Washington by Fortune Small Business Magazine. He retired in 2006 as President and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Mr. Faris works with Boards, CEOs and Leadership Teams in providing personal development, coaching, strategic planning, organizational design, and improvement. He is a recent appointee of the President's Export Council. more...

The Honorable Winfield Dunn, Senior Managing Director, is the former Governor of the State of Tennessee. He has been an experienced and active Board member of various public and private corporations and not-for-profit organizations, including Hospital Corporation of America and Province Healthcare. On three separate occasions, he has been named Tennessee's Man of the Year. more...

George Yowell, Senior Managing Director, retired in 1994 after a thirty-year career in banking during which he served for nineteen years as CEO and President of Dominion Banks in Richmond, Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee. He participated in the development of Tennessee Tomorrow, Inc., a statewide partnership of private and public sector leaders which is focused on achieving long-term economic development success for Tennessee. He served as CEO and President of TTI from 1994-2005. Mr. Yowell works with leadership teams in board development, coaching assignments, mediation and proposal development. more...

Managing Directors

Nancie J. Burrows, Managing Director, works with clients to provide continuous improvement in finance and functions of operations such as project feasibility analysis, information systems utilization, internal audit, and the organization and implementation of financial systems of small corporations. As a consultant, she has helped entities that range from non-profit groups to the government. Prior experience includes licenses in securities and insurance while also having been active in banking, information technology, and transaction processing. more...

Michael J. Conroy, Managing Director, recently retired as CFO of Coeur, Inc., a medical device manufacturer. He has more than 30 years of experience as a Chief Financial Officer in public and private multi-plant manufacturing companies, including furniture, medical devices, machine tool, automotive parts and private label health and beauty care products. He has a strong background in all phases of restructuring and refinancing highly leveraged companies. He is skilled at organizing complex projects, defining project priorities, and offering innovative and practical solutions in an articulate and creative manner. He completed the Executive MBA program at the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University. more...

Dr. Phillip E. Gibbs, Managing Director, focuses on working with C-Suite occupants to coach, develop capabilities, improve communications skills, and fulfill potential. He is a former President and CEO of Encore Interactive Solutions, a provider of customer relationship marketing and management solutions for community banks. He is a founder and Principal in an early stage venture capital firm and was President and CEO of Executive Learning, Inc., a provider of consulting and training for industrial and healthcare organizations. His earned doctorate is in Organizational Communications. more...

Jack Gilbert, Managing Director, is presently serving as President of Conquest Cherokee, an Oil & Gas exploration company. He is the former Director of Business Development of Harpeth Capital, former President and CEO of Be Smart Kids, a premier e-learning company and also worked with Network Data Corporation, an automation software company serving the retail petroleum industry, as President and CEO. He specializes in working with early-stage and emerging growth companies, helping his clients define and execute their strategic mission. more...

Brian A. Lapps, Sr. is an experienced senior executive in health care with over 35 years experience, both domestically and internationally, working with hospitals, multi-hospital systems, managed care organizations and manufacturing.

Prior to returning to private sector consulting, Mr. Lapps was the Director TennCare, Tennessee?s Medicaid managed care program, where he initiated the reform effort for the $5.2 billion out-of-control program by developing the first ever comprehensive reform plan.

Mr. Lapps was the Senior Vice-President for Baptist Hospital, a 759 bed hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was responsible for development and implementing the diversification strategies for the hospital.

While with the Voluntary Hospitals of America, Mr. Lapps developed multi-hospital system strategies, did mergers and acquisitions, as well as take over defense for member hospitals.

Lapps earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international relations at St. Joseph?s College in Philadelphia, served five years in the US Air Force and was awarded a Bronze Star for service in Vietnam.