Our Board of Directors

Vic Alexander

Vic Alexander has been the chief manager of Kraft CPAs since 1993. He has 26 years of experience in public accounting and has been with the firm since the beginning of his career. He graduated from David Lipscomb College in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Each year he completes over 40 hours of continuing professional education.

In addition to serving on the board of the Tennessee Justice Center, Vic is Chairman of the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy. He is treasurer of the Ear Foundation, advisory council chairman of the Legal Aid Society, and a board member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small and Entrepreneurial Business Advisory Board. He was actively involved in the formation of the Center for Family Business at Belmont University and served on the Center’s programs committee. Vic was also named to Nashville Business magazine’s Top 40 under 40 list at age 38.

Vic serves as board treasurer and also on the executive committee. He is on our board because he believes that “everyone should have access to justice regardless of economic status.”

Gail Vaughn Ashworth

Gail Vaughn Ashworth is a founding member of Wiseman Ashworth Law Group, PLC. She is a 1983 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School and holds B.S. (1977) and M.A. (1979) degrees in Music Education and Special Education from Tennessee Technological University.

She is the Immediate Past- President of the Tennessee Bar Association (President 2009), and she served as General Counsel of the TBA from 1999-2006. She is currently the Chair of the Tennessee Legal Community Foundation . She Co-Chaired the Tennessee Supreme Court Jury Reform Commission (1997-1999), served on the Steering Committee of the TBA Leadership Law Program (2004-2007) which she Co-Chaired the inaugural year, and also serves on the ABA TIPS Leadership Academy Steering Committee (inaugural year 2006-current), which she Co-Chaired in 2007-2008.

She is a former President of the Nashville Bar Association (1997) and serves on the ADR and the Caen Sister City Bar Committees of the NBA. She served as the elected NBA delegate in the ABA House of Delegates for three terms (2000-2006), is a member of the Marion Griffin chapter of LAW and a member of TLAW. She is also a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Tennessee Bar Foundation and the Nashville Bar Foundation (Trustee 2005- current), as well as a fellow of the ABA/YLD, the TBA/YLD and the NBA/YLD.

She is a former member of the State of Tennessee Registry of Election Finance (Chair, 1996), serves on the Board of Directors of Sister Cities Nashville, Inc. (Vice-President, 2006-2009) and is a member of the Medical Ethics Committee at Centennial Medical Center. She is a Rule 31 Certified Mediator, has practiced civil litigation in Nashville, Tennessee since 1983 and is listed in Best Lawyers in America (1995-current).

Ms. Ashworth said, “I serve on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Justice Center because I strongly support the mission and the good work of TJC. TJC serves people in need of the most basic human services. TJC’s service is most often required in a time of crisis for TJC’s clients. TJC’s staff is very dedicated and works tirelessly to help families and individuals in need throughout the State.”

Rev. Henry Blaze

Reverend Henry Blaze is the pastor of Progressive Baptist Church, a Nashville congregation with a distinguished history of community service and justice ministries. Rev. Blaze has been one of the faith leaders at the fore of advocacy for social and economic justice in Tennessee. He served as Co-Chair of the TennCare Statewide Coalition, a group dedicated to fighting the disenrollment of beneficiaries from the TennCare program. Rev. Blaze is also the chair of our Public Relations Committee.

Rev. Blaze has served at American Baptist College as the Director of Continuing Education. While at the College, he spent five years as Coordinator for the Garnett-Nabrit Lecture Series, targeted at increasing the awareness of clergy and lay leaders on issues affecting African-American religious communities. He has also taught courses at the College in Ethics, the Bible, and Black Church History. Rev. Blaze is the author of “An Analysis of Capitalism, Surplus Value and African Americans: A Proposal for Ministry to Move Toward Economic Justice.”

Rev. Blaze graduated from Texas Southern University in 1990 with a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University in 1993. He received his Clergy License from McGee Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Houston in 1982 and was ordained in Progressive Baptist Church. Married to Cynthia Ann Wilson for twenty-eight years, he and his wife are the proud parents of four children: Yolanda, Jennifer, Henry IV, and LaShun P.

Mary Bufwack

Mary Bufwack has served as CEO of United Neighborhood Health Services (UNHS) for 20 years. UNHS, a private nonprofit organization, provides comprehensive primary care and prenatal services to over 20,000 underserved and vulnerable residents of Nashville and middle Tennessee. Ms. Bufwack has been recognized for her work by the Bureau of Primary Health Care, the Tennessee Primary Care Association and the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Her other volunteer activities have included service on the Board of Comprehensive Care Center, serving those with HIV.

Ms. Bufwack received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis. Her work with UNHS was preceded by a position on the faculty of Colgate University in upstate New York. She was also a program coordinator with the Nashville YWCA Domestic Violence Program.

Ms. Bufwack is appreciative of the work the TJC does. She says, “TJC advocates in the area of state-wide policy about the most basic life issues of Tennessee residents … In the process, community members are involved and empowered to work for progressive state policies.”

Dr. Christina Cain-Swope

Dr. Christina Cain-Swope currently practices medicine at the Vanderbilt Center for Women’s Health. Cain-Swope is well-known in the Tennessee medical community, currently focusing on gynecologic surgery, contraception, and endocrine issues. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and earned her medical degree at Georgetown University Medical School where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society.

“Being asked to be on this board is an honor. I am proud to be participating in an organization that is devoted to the needs of patients. The tireless efforts of the TJC staff over the years has been inspiring.” said Cain-Swope.

Cain-Swope’s practice has always provided care for uninsured patients. Her special love is for the Hispanic population, for whom she provides treatment and healthcare management. She started Woods & Cain-Swope Gynecology with Dr. Grayson Woods in 2003. Prior to being in private practice, she completed her residency program in obstetrics and gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she received the Housestaff Clinical Teaching Award.

“I want to help bring about change to this country’s healthcare system that will have a lasting impact on the generations that come after me. This issue is uncomfortably polarizing. I face that fact daily with peers, friends, family, and patients. A lot of my fellow physicians did not want to become a lightening rod in the healthcare reform debate, and that is understandable. But I’m ready to do what I can to help the uninsured and medically needy. I want to know that the thousands of babies I have delivered will grow up knowing that quality, affordable health care is their right,” said Cain-Swope.

Cain-Swope graduated from Vanderbilt University magna cum laude with a degree in Latin American and Iberian Studies and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She and her husband, Bobby, have three children, Melody, Abbey, and Miles.

David Cañas

David Cañas, chair of our Board and shareholder with Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner PC, Nashville, represents clients in commercial litigation, dispute resolution and bankruptcy matters. He is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Nashville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is the co-author of Products Liability Defenses, A State by State Compendium, Tennessee Chapter (Defense Research Institute 2001).

He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee in 1994 and was a member of the Tennessee Law Review and served as a student materials editor. Cañas received his B.A. in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1989. He was named Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year by the Tennessee Bar Association in 2007 for his work with a long-time TJC client.

Of his commitment to equal justice, he says, “I believe society has a duty to take care of everyone in our community, and especially when it comes to access to essential health care. In Tennessee, low-income families in particular need advocates like the lawyers and staff at TJC. For that reason, I feel privileged to be a part of the TJC.”

Carl Q. Carter

Carl Q. Carter is associate general counsel of International Paper. In his current position as associate general counsel, he has legal oversight for the litigation, global supply chain, and information technology functions of the company and manages a team of 35 employees. Before joining International Paper, Carter served as a federal judicial law clerk to the late Honorable Odell Horton and later worked in the U.S. Department of Justice where he received the Outstanding Trial Attorney Award.

On his reasons for joining the TJC board, Carter said, “I have a deep commitment to serving the needs of poor people in our state. It is morally imperative that we ensure that underserved and underrepresented people receive quality legal services.”

Living out this commitment, Mr. Carter is an active member of his community. He has served on numerous boards, including Tennessee Bar Association’s Board of Governors, where he serves as Membership Committee Chair, and United Methodist Neighborhood Centers, where he serves as Board Chair. Carter also leads International Paper’s legal department’s diversity team and is an active member of the National Bar Association and American Bar Association.

Mr. Carter received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Morehouse College and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He and his wife, Sabrina, live in Memphis and have one daughter, Timbernee. They are members of Burdette United Methodist Church.

David R. Esquivel

Attorney David R. Esquivel, a partner in the litigation department at Bass, Berry & Sims law firm, focuses his law practice on antitrust and other competition-related matters and has a strong commitment to pro bono representation. He received his undergraduate degree cum laude in Political Science and History from Duke University in 1992. He graduated with high honors from the Duke University School of Law in 1997. At Duke, he was an articles editor for the Duke Law Journal, served on the Moot Court Board, and authored The Identity Crisis in Public Interest Law, an article published in 1996 in the Duke Law Journal. After law school, Esquivel served as a law clerk to the late Sam J. Ervin III, Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Esquivel recently served as lead trial counsel in the pro bono representation of five Salvadoran plaintiffs in a federal court lawsuit against Col. Nicolas Carranza, the former Vice-Minister of Defense in El Salvador. The plaintiffs were tortured or suffered the death of their families at the hands of the Salvadoran military during the early 1980s. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages and found Col. Carranza responsible for crimes against humanity. The verdict represents the first time that a U.S. jury in a contested case has found a commander liable for crimes against humanity. For his work on this case, Esquivel received the 2005 Harris A. Gilbert “Pro Bono Attorney of the Year” Award from the Tennessee Bar Association.

Esquivel joined the board, he said, because, “I believe strongly in TJC’s mission – to serve as advocates for the poor. I am pleased to do whatever I can to help.”

Rita Geier

Rita Geier, who has more than 40 years of legal experience, joined the University of Tennessee of Knoxville in 2007 to lead efforts to achieve the university’s inter-cultural and diversity goals and to promote solutions to critical public policy issues.

Prior to her work at the University of Tennessee, Ms. Geier was Executive Counselor to the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2001-2007. Her distinguished career with the federal government also includes serving as Associate Commissioner and Deputy Associate Commissioner for Hearings and Appeals at the Social Security Administration; General Counsel for the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington D.C.; and Senior Trial Attorney and Assistant Director for Commercial Litigation in the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ms. Geier’s extensive experience also includes the positions of Regional Director for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in Seattle, Washington, later serving as Director of LSC’s first national research and demonstration office which funded projects to improve the quality of legal services for low income people; Executive Director of Seattle-King County Legal Services; Staff Attorney in the Seattle regional office of the Federal Trade Commission; and a Reginald Heber Smith Community Law Fellow at Legal Services of Nashville.

Ms. Geier earned her B.A. from Fisk University, M.A. from the University of Chicago, and J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. A recipient of the Presidential Rank Meritorious Executive Award from President Clinton, Grier is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a member of the Board of Advisors at Vanderbilt University School of Law, and a board member of the Knoxville Area Urban League.

Ms. Geier says that she is “ happy to assist and support the invaluable work of TJC because TJC continues a necessary struggle today in a more complex world where economics and justice still collide and the fate of the least of these before the law still measures the health of our community.”

Dr. Jimmy Kimball

Born into a military family, Jimmy Clarke Kimball spent over nine years of his early life in various countries overseas, in both Europe and Asia. From the age of five, Dr. Kimball knew that he wanted to be a doctor. To that end, he graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas initially in 1971 (B.S. in Biology) and again in 1972 (M.A. in English Literature). He graduated in the first full graduating class from Texas Tech University School of Health Sciences (Lubbock, Texas) in 1975. Dr. Kimball interned in Pediatrics at the University of Texas, Houston in 1976 and completed his residency there in 1977. He then undertook a two year fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer and Tumor Institute in Houston, Texas from 1978-1979.

After spending two years as assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Dr. Kimball accepted a position as a Hospitalist and Emergency Department physician at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee. He became the assistant director of in-patient services, served on multiple committees, and continued to assist with in-patient and out-patient care of children with cancers. Dr. Kimball is currently a clinical professor of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Knights of Columbus “Columbus Home,” a refuge for abused and neglected children. Dr. Kimball joined his current practice in general pediatrics at B&G Pediatrics in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1988, and is currently the senior partner in that group.

When asked to join the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Justice Center, Dr. Kimball initially thought, “What could one physician contribute to this group of esteemed lawyers and professionals?” But his recognition that TJC’s mission, to “advocate on behalf of poor Tennesseans concerning their health and welfare with integrity, compassion, respect, and professionalism” squared with what he does daily as a pediatrician, caused him to become “hooked.” He continued, “It is with enthusiasm that I readily accept the invitation to join the Board of Directors and I look forward to serving to the best of my abilities.”

Dr. Kimball is fortunate to be married to his soul mate, Cathy, with whom he has two grown daughters.

Alexandra MacKay

Alexandra MacKay, member of Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Nashville, concentrates on intellectual property law and handles transactions and litigation concerning trademarks, licensing and copyrights. She has experience in federal and state courts, and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She recently was a panelist for the Nashville Bar Association’s Intellectual Property CLE program on “Recent Developments in Trademark Law.”

MacKay is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, American Bar Association, International Trademark Association, Lawyers’ Association for Women and the Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women. She is co-vice chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s “Access to Justice” Committee. MacKay also serves as the chair of our Nominations and Governance Committee.

MacKay says of the Tennessee Justice Center, “TJC is an organization dedicated to helping the persons most in need access the kind of care every person needs most. I am pleased and honored to serve on TJC’s board and in furtherance of its objectives.”

She received her J.D. in 2000 from the University of Michigan Law School and graduated in 1997 from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Music. MacKay serves on the Board of Directors for Ten Thousand Villages of Nashville, Inc., participates in Conexion Americas’ “Conversemos” program and is a member of the Belmont Orchestra.

Nancy F. MacLean

Nancy Fraas MacLean received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the Unitersity of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California. She was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1979.

Ms. MacLean is co-author of the Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, the Bankruptcy Procedure Manual, the Bankruptcy Jury Manual, West’s Legal Forms volumes 9 – 11, West’s Federal Forms volumes 6 – 6B, and Tennessee Practice Series volumes 3 – 6 and 16 – 16A.

Ms. MacLean is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women, the Nashville Bar Association, and the Lawyers Association for Women. She is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation. Ms. MacLean also serves as the chair of our Development Committee.

When asked why she serves on TJC’s Board, she said, “Every one of us is just one serious accident or illness away from being uninsurable. In advocating for the healthcare of those who cannot afford it and also for their other basic concerns of survival, the Tennessee Justice Center is protecting all Tennesseans. And, because Nashville is a healthcare center of the nation (and Tennessee ranks among the worst in healthcare), what happens here impacts the whole country.”

David Manning

David Manning began his career in state government in June of 1974 as a budget analyst in the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. During his five years in the Budget Office, he had responsibility for many of the major budgets within the government including higher education, mental health and correction.

In May of 1979, Mr. Manning joined the staff of State Treasurer Harlan Mathews, becoming Mr. Mathews’ top assistant in 1980. In that capacity, he worked closely with the state’s legislative leadership, including then Speaker of the House Ned McWherter. In January of 1987 when McWherter became Governor, Manning was appointed Commissioner of Finance and Administration, a post he held during both of Governor McWherter’s terms.

As Commissioner of Finance and Administration Mr. Manning was responsible for Tennessee’s budget, the day-to-day operations of state government and a principal participant in every major policy initiative of the McWherter years, including: Tax Reform, Tennessee’s Basic Education Program and TennCare.

After leaving state government in 1995, Mr. Manning served as a Senior Vice President of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation and as a healthcare consultant.

In September 1999, Mayor Bill Purcell appointed Mr. Manning as Director of Finance for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. He served as Director of Finance during both of Mayor Purcell’s terms.

Since 2007 Mr. Manning has worked as an independent consultant.

Mr. Manning holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Alabama and a Masters in Public Administration awarded jointly by the Universities of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Rebecca McKelvey

Rebecca K. McKelvey is an Associate at Stites & Harbison. She practices primarily in the field of domestic relations, assisting with divorce, child custody, adoption, relocation, child support, and Hague Convention international child abduction cases. In 2006, she received her J.D. from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law where she was lead articles editor of the Mercer Law Review, President of the Christian Legal Society (2005-2006) and Vice President (2004-2005) of the Legal Aid Clinic.

Ms. McKelvey is a 2003 summa cum laude graduate from Belmont University with a B.S. degree in Political Economy and Broadcast Journalism.  She is the President-Elect of the Belmont University Alumni Board of Director and served for three years as a member of the Belmont University Young Alumni Council. She is a member of the Family Law Section Uniform Relocation Law Drafting Committee of the American Bar Association; a member of the Executive Council of the Family Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association and a member of TBA’s Continuing Legal Education Committee; and a member of the Nashville Bar Association.

Ms. McKelvey is a volunteer at Room in the Inn, been a member of Team Green Nashville, one of the country’s largest organizations of outdoor enthusiasts, and has worked as a volunteer with children with special needs. In June 2011, she was named one of Nashville’s “Top 30 Under 30” by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Ms. McKelvey said that she supports TJC “because of the tremendous work this modest group does for all Tennessee. What better way to serve our state than to support an organization dedicated to the security and stability of health care for all Tennessee children and all Tennessee families.  Social justice and decency demand that we pay attention to these issues, for the good of our neighbor and the good of our state.”

Dr. Robert Miller

Dr. Robert F. Miller is a Vanderbilt Pulmonary and Critical Care physician. He is the medical director of the Shade Tree Family Clinic, a free clinic operating in East Nashville. Dr. Miller has most recently been evaluating Iraqi War Veterans with lung disease.

He is a member of the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Miller has devoted considerable time to serving on several boards of directors and committees throughout his career. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Lung Association of Tennessee from 1997 to 2006, and served as its president from 2002 to 2004. He was on the St. Thomas Hospital Ethics Committee until 2001. He Served as Chairman of the St. Thomas Hospital Pharmacy and from 1993 to 1998. He was also a Tennessee delegate to The Council of Chapter Representatives of The American Thoracic Society for almost 10 years, from 1997 to 2006.

Dr. Miller received The Arnold Gold Foundation, Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award in 2007 and 2008. In 2006, he received the Vanderbilt Helping Hands Award, honoring him for his contributions to the care for the underserved. That same year, he also received the Vanderbilt CANDLE award, honoring him as a faculty member for Caring, Advocating, Nurturing, Determination, Empathy (CANDLE). He received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the American Lung Association of Tennessee in 2004.

He has also served as an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University since 2001.

Dr. Miller received his B.A. from Colorado College. He graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1982. He is board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care.

A. Gregory Ramos

Gregg Ramos is an attorney who specializes in employment law, workers compensation, civil litigation, insurance litigation and sports law.

Mr. Ramos is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, and served as its President in 2004. He was on the board of directors from 2001 through 2003. He also is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the State Bar of Arizona and the American Bar Association.

In addition to his position on TJC’s board of directors, Mr. Ramos also is on the Board of Directors for United Way of Metropolitan Nashville and Conexion Americas. He is President of the board of Catholic Charities. Mr. Ramos also is on the Tennessee Education Lottery’s Advisory Council for Minority Business Participation and the State of Tennessee’s Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council.

Mr. Ramos majored in Political Science at Arizona State University, graduating magna cum laude. He received his law degree from Arizona State University College of Law in 1980.

Reflecting on his decision to join the TJC board of directors, Mr. Ramos said, “With everything that’s going on in the healthcare system, it’s easy to forget the people who are left out.”

Sandra Roberts

Sandra Roberts served as managing editor of the opinion pages for The Tennessean newspaper for 19 years prior to joining the our board. Roberts is well-known and respected for her editorial leadership at The Tennessean, where she guided the newspaper’s efforts to make the city and state a better place to live during a period of dramatic growth in the greater Nashville area and throughout Tennessee. Roberts retired from The Tennessean in September 2006, where she had worked for more than 31 years. Except for an eight-month stint at USA Today, Roberts spent her entire career at The Tennessean, joining the newspaper as a library clerk and rising through the ranks to the position of managing editor in 1987 until her retirement.

Some of her professional honors include the National Headline Award and a Green Eyeshade Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and several Best Editorial Awards from the Tennessee Press Association. She also received the Amicus Award from the American Association of Trial Lawyers. Roberts earned her B.A. degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a Master of Library Science degree from Peabody College, Nashville.

Sandra says that it is an “honor to play any role in an organization that has demonstrated such a selfless commitment to the welfare of Tennesseans and of Tennessee.” She says, “I hope I can help the organization develop strategies to be even more effective in the years to come.”

Marilyn Robinson

Marilyn Robinson, who joined the TJC board because “I believe in the work of the Tennessee Justice Center and I admire the courage of the staff to fight for what’s right,” is the executive director of Nashville Minority Business Development Center.

Ms. Robinson is the immediate past president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan Nashville Chapter and President of the NAACP, Nashville branch. She serves as co-moderator of the economic and community development task force of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators, Legislative Retreat and Training Conference. She is Nashville Coordinator of the African American Economic Development Coalition and of Minority Enterprise Development Week.

Ms. Robinson is on the community board of advisors for the Meharry Medical College, Center for Women’s Health Research. She was appointed to the Nashville Electric Service board in 2000. She received Governor appointments to the Minority Business Development Advisory Committee and the Title VI-Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Oversight Committee.

In 2005, she received the “Harriet Tubman Award” from Youth About Business, the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship “Drum Major Award”, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Atlanta Regional Office, “Director’s Award”, the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership “Candlelight Award” and the U.S. Small Business Administration, Tennessee District Office, “Small Business Advocate of the Year Award”.

Ms. Robinson grew up in Memphis, TN. She received the Bachelor of Business Administration degree from LeMoyne-Owen College. She has additional business certifications from Management Concepts, Atlanta, GA and the U.S.D.A., Farmers Home Administration.

“It is a blessing to have an organization like the Tennessee Justice Center that works tirelessly to ensure that government representatives do the right thing. With the Tennessee Justice Center, we have an organization with the courage and perseverance to stand and fight for those that are voiceless,” Ms. Robinson said.

Jeffrey Smith

Jeff Smith serves as Partner in Charge of the Memphis office of Adams and Reese. Smith represents TennCare enrollees. He also created a partnership between his practice and University of Memphis School of Law students to help serve the needs of families on TennCare. The partnership will allow many families each year, who would otherwise go unrepresented at their TennCare hearings, to have capable legal counsel and will provide law clinic students at the University of Memphis School of Law with courtroom experience.

Mr. Smith’s practice is also focused on a wide range of employment and contractual issues. Representative client include construction, agriculture, heavy and industrial equipment distribution companies, as well as franchisees and dealerships. Jeff also represents health care companies, and general contractors and sub-contractors in construction disputes.

In 2010 and 2011, Smith was named one of Memphis “Power Players” in Employment Law by Memphis Business Quarterly magazine. In 2011, Jeff was identified by the Tennessee Supreme Court as “someone in a leadership role who is in a position to advance the Court’s Access to Justice Initiative.” Prior to joining the Board, Smith was honored as TJC’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for his representation of TennCare patients and for establishing the partnership between his firm and the University of Memphis Law School.

He earned both his J.D. and his B.B.A. at the University of Mississippi.  He volunteers with several organizations including Memphis First Responders, Mid-South Food Bank, American Mock Trial Association, and various committees within the American Bar Association. Smith is also member of the 2011-2012 class of the Leadership Memphis Executive Program.

Michelle Steen

Michelle Steen is an elementary and high school Spanish teacher at the University School of Jackson. Steen is well-known in the Jackson education community, and is currently serving on the State Nominations Committee of a professional women teacher’s organization called Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, of which she has been a member for 11 years. She is also the secretary and treasurer for the Jackson Area Wide Soccer Association, whose board she has been on for 12 years.

“I attended the TJC reception at the annual meeting of the TBA in Memphis with my husband, who is an attorney, and felt like it is an organization with which I would love to be involved,” said Steen. “Everyone deserves the best legal representation possible whether they can afford it or not.”

Steen earned a BA in English and a Master’s in Education from Freed Hardeman University. She also completed 18 hours of graduate study in Spanish at Union University. Prior to teaching at the University School of Jackson, Steen taught Spanish at Humboldt High School. She and her husband, Jonathan, have four children: Matthew, William, Emily and David.

Ellen Vergos

Ellen Bronaugh Vergos is a partner in the Memphis, Tennessee office of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, where she is a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of creditors’ rights, business bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Ms. Vergos is certified as a specialist in business bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification Specialization and Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and is listed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Rule 31 general civil mediator.

She received her B.A. from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law. Her career includes public service in the U.S. Department of Justice as United States Trustee for Region 8 (Tennessee and Kentucky) by the appointment of former Attorney General Janet Reno, from 1995 to 2003; private law practice in Memphis and Nashville, and a judicial clerkship in the U.S. District Court for the Honorable Harry W. Wellford (retired Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals judge.)

Her pro bono service includes membership of the Shelby County Health Care Corporation, which oversees the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, a safety net hospital; service as the Memphis District Representative to the Tennessee Economic Council on Women, a state council created to address the economic concerns and needs of Tennessee’s women; and the Memphis Cook Convention Center Board of Commissioners, responsible for supervision of the city’s convention center.

Ms. Vergos is pleased to have the opportunity to serve on the board of the Tennessee Justice Center, with its long tradition of committed community service and dedicated volunteers. She looks forward to helping the TJC have an increased presence and role in West Tennessee. The work of the TJC fits well with her interests in promoting health care services for those who cannot afford them and in advancing the economic status of families in Tennessee.

Joshua Williams, PhD

Dr. Joshua Williams has been in private practice as a clinical psychologist in Knoxville, Tennessee for 25 years. He specializes in Psychotherapy and Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Williams served as Director of the Children’s Hospital Integrated Psychiatric Services (CHIPS) at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital from 1985-1996. Dr. Williams has served as an Assistant Professor for the University of Tennessee Graduate Clinical Psychology Training Program, Clinical Director of Overlook Mental Health Center, and as a member of the Blount County Foster Care Review Board.

Dr. Williams has served as a board member of Leadership Knoxville, on the Tennessee Voices for Children’s Board of Directors, the Knox County Community Health Improvement Council Board of Directors. He has served two terms as President of the Tennessee Psychological Association. Currently he is the President-elect of the Knoxville Area Psychological Association.

Dr. Williams received his undergraduate degree at Goddard College, earned an M.A. in English Literature from Columbia University. Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He completed a clinical internship at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Williams is the author of numerous publications and articles on topics ranging from violence in schools to Medicaid reform to the state of the profession of psychology. He and his wife Laurie, also a clinical psychologist, live in the Knoxville community. They are the parents of three children.

Cindy Wyrick

Attorney Cynthia Richardson Wyrick, shareholder in the law firm of Ogle, Gass & Richardson, P.C., is well-known in the Tennessee legal community, currently serving as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) Programs Committee and as a member of the Board of Governors. She is also a Past President of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, a graduate of the TBA Leadership Law program, and a 2006 TBA President’s Award recipient.

Wyrick joined Ogle, Gass & Richardson in 1996 and became a shareholder in 1999. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Houston M. Goddard of the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Honorable Gary R. Wade, a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Wyrick is a member of the Sevier County Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the American Bar Association (ABA) and the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA). Wyrick is the Retiring Chair of the Law in Public Service Committee for the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and is a past member of the ABA House of Delegates. She was honored by the ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section during the 2004-2005 bar year with the Small Firm Practitioner of Merit award, one of the Section’s highest honors. Wyrick has been named a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, the TBA Young Lawyers Division and the ABA Young Lawyers Division.

Wyrick graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. degree in Political Science. She received her J.D. degree in 1994 from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

“While I had admired the amazing work that the Tennessee Justice Center does for the underprivileged in our state for years, until I met some of the hard working families that TJC has assisted in obtaining the basic needs of life, I did not begin to grasp the magnitude of TJC’s work. I am convinced that anyone who sits down with one of the TJC families will immediately ask the same question that I did: ‘How can I help the TJC assist more families with such dire needs?’ I want to share the stories of the TJC’s work with these worthy families with others across the State, in order to encourage my fellow Tennesseans to support the TJC with their time and financially,” said Wyrick of her goals as a board member.