Pressing on

The Contributor is more than just a newspaper, remaining true to its roots while connecting vendors to new services

BY LENA MAZEL

herever Cathy Jennings is — speaking at nonpro t events, advising Metro Nashville government or connecting people to housing opportunities — she’s talking about the paper. Jennings is executive director of e Contributor, a twice-monthly newspaper sold by currently and formerly unhoused people in Nashville and surrounding areas. e newspaper works as low-barrier employment for its vendors, who buy papers for $0.25 each and sell them for $2. rough e Contributor’s other programs, people experiencing homelessness can connect to more permanent housing, employment opportunities and more. ey put their own skin in the game,” she says. e Contributor currently has between 145 and 160 regular vendors. According to its website, 70 percent of vendors are housed within six months of starting to sell papers. Selling the paper is the most visible part of the operation, but it’s also a way to connect vendors with a wider net of services the organization o ers. e COVER Housing Navigation Program (which launched in 2019) helps vendors obtain identity documents, health insurance, food stamps and Section 8 and Metro Development and Housing Agency opportunities. e Contributor has a number of other initiatives, too. e organization holds a vendor breakfast at its downtown location to mark each new issue launch. “People come in for breakfast, but it’s a business meeting,” Jennings says. “We talk about what’s in the new issue. We talk about issues the vendors are facing; we have sales tips.” Sometimes the group hosts u shot clinics, and recently the poet Joe Nolan held a workshop. “It’s just a place for the vendors to gather and have more community,” says Jennings. And they collaborate with Open Table to help produce Where to Turn in Nashville, a comprehensive guide to local resources. e Contributor was founded in 2007; Jennings started volunteering in 2012 after seeing a vendor named Curtis on the corner Wedgewood and 8th avenues. In one of the papers she bought, she read an article about a camp clearing at Fort Negley. “I had no idea there were that many people sleeping outside,” she says.

People often assume that paying vendors without taking the paper is more helpful, but Jennings says that’s not true. By taking the paper, “you’re instilling dignity and pride in that person selling it,” says Jennings. More practically, e Contributor uses vendor sales numbers to provide proof of income for services like Section 8 housing. “We’ve had these days where we’ll go out and sell with our vendors. I last maybe two hours and they are out there in all kinds of weather. at’s one of the misconceptions: that it’s not a real job. It is a real job.

Jennings quickly moved from volunteer to board member. By 2018, e Contributor pivoted to a magazine that vendors sold for $5. “As most people know, the magazine didn’t work. ere was no buy-in from the vendors themselves or the public really,” Jennings says.

Faced with impending closure, a group of volunteers took over. “ ey were going to close it. We said give it to us instead,” says Jennings. Prior to running e Contributor, she taught English at Belmont University and Tennessee State University; before that, she ran a headphone distribution company and worked as a nancial planner. She says her initial volunteer team included a retired re ghter, an attorney and a retired schoolteacher. For the rst year, the sta drew no salaries. But they never missed an issue, Jennings says.

As director, Jennings made a series of critical restructuring decisions. She reinstated the paper as a twice-monthly newspaper at a lower price: $0.50 for vendors, $2 for customers (during COVID, the vendor price decreased to $0.25 per paper and has remained at that rate since). She started featuring more stories about Nashville’s unhoused community in the paper: what she calls “content about them, by them and issues they face.” In 2019, e Contributor partnered with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to connect vendors with the SNAP employment and training program, which helps people nd low-barrier workforce opportunities. en, the organization started helping people obtain identi cation documents and giving out daily bus passes — another reason to regularly stop by the o ce, which helped with case management.

Behind the scenes, Jennings created a sustainable funding structure for the organization. “Having a nancial background, it was super important to me that we could have some type of reserve funds — that we could respond to emergencies and not react to them,” she says.

Every day is di erent for Jennings, who spends her time meeting with sta , coordinating programs and checking in with vendors across the city, including visiting a vendor in the hospital and driving another to chemotherapy appointments.

Jennings has also led the shelter committee for Nashville’s Continuum of Care Homeless Planning Council for three years. “I work with the city a lot on shelter protocols — making sure we have gaps lled,” she says. She was a key advis- er when the city cleared Brookmeade Park and connected unhoused people there to services.

Even when asked about her own work, Jennings is eager to talk about others: She praises her sta and volunteers, calling them the “real lifeblood” of the organization. She points out the strength of the paper’s writers and editorial team — including Nolan; Judith Tackett, former director of Metro Homeless Impact Division; and editors Linda Bailey and Amanda Haggard. Most of all, Jennings is full of enthusiasm for Contributor vendors like Mario in Hermitage, who went on to start a lawn-care business, Maurice on Charlotte Avenue, or Johnny on the corner of Hillsboro Pike near Woodmont Baptist Church.

“Most people who come to us have really lost hope,” she says. “You have to be pretty scrappy to get yourself to come down to the church. To say: I’m going to try one more thing.”

Eleven years after her rst volunteer shift, now a leader in Nashville’s organizational response to homelessness, Jennings has changed. “I thought that I was coming in to help them,” she says. “And it’s been quite the opposite. ey have helped me. I did not expect to love people genuinely like I love them.”

Nashville gets a lot of attention for its successes — the cranes dotting the skyline, the big businesses moving to town. But the city is also facing significant challenges. Housing, a good education and a good wage are out of reach for too many Nashvillians. It’s up to those on our 2023 In Charge list to push the city toward a brighter future.

Arts

Patrick Cassidy

Artistic Director, Studio Tenn: Experienced producer and director who began tenure at Franklin theater company in 2019. Organization is currently building a permanent home at The Factory at Franklin.

Seth Feman

Executive Director and CEO, Frist

Art Museum: Now in his first full year leading the local institution, the Nashville-native photography expert previously spent a decade at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia.

Kelly Frey

President and CEO, Worldwide Stages: After a career with some of Nashville’s best-known law firms, he leads the new sprawling campus of sound and film stages at the former Saturn HQ. Clients include major touring acts looking for a place to rehearse and film and television productions.

Tim Henderson

Executive Director, Humanities Tennessee: More than a decade leading group that organizes history and culture programs around the state. Oversaw the return of an in-person Southern Festival of Books last year.

Denice Hicks

Executive Artistic Director, Nashville Shakespeare Festival: Actor, director and teaching artist has worked with festival for more than three decades. In 2022, festival paired the Bard’s Cymbeline with August Wilson’s Gem

John Hoomes

CEO and Artistic Director, Nashville Opera: Has served as artistic director since 1995 and CEO since 2012. Kicked o 2022-23 season with a production of La Boheme

Martha Ingram

Chairman Emerita, Ingram Industries: A leading force in the local philanthropic and arts communities. Helped fund construction of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and a major supporter of the Nashville Symphony, Nashville Opera and Nashville Repertory Theater.

Matt Logan

President and CEO, Matt Logan Productions: The Studio Tenn co-founder and famed costume designer launched his eponymous company last year with a lauded production of The Hiding Place.

David Lusk

Owner, David Lusk Gallery: Art dealer who represents artists in multiple mediums. Opened a Wedgewood-Houston branch of Memphis gallery in 2014.

Jane MacLeod

President and CEO, Cheekwood Estate and Gardens: Runs the sprawling gardens and event center that saw an influx of visitors during the pandemic. Four-season programming and exhibits have helped boost Cheekwood’s profile.

David Minnigan

Principal, ESa: Architect who has worked on several area arts centers, including the Schermerhorn, Nashville Ballet and Belmont’s Fisher Center. Also serves on Arts and Business Council of Nashville board.

Mark Murphy

Executive and Artistic Director, Oz Arts Nashville: Named leader of contemporary art and performance center after brief run as artistic director. Arts executive who held leadership positions on the West Coast before moving to Nashville.

Drew Ogle

Executive Director, Nashville Repertory Theatre: Joined as managing director in 2018 and named to current position in 2020. Recently produced August Wilson’s Fences.

Jamaal Sheats

Director and Curator, Fisk University

Galleries: Manages school’s permanent collection of more than 4,000 items. Accomplished repoussé artist whose work was recently featured at the Frist.

Stephanie Silverman

Executive Director, Belcourt Theatre: Has overseen theater since 2007, a tenure that has included a major facility facelift and a pandemic that altered the way people see movies.

Susan Tinney

Founder, Tinney Contemporary: Helped launch the First Saturday Art Crawl and was one of the first gallerists in the Fifth Avenue area.

Jennifer Turner

President and CEO, Tennessee Performing Arts Center: Has run home to big-name Broadway musicals and other performances since 2019. Now seeking a new facility, possibly as part of East Bank redevelopment.

Alan Valentine

President and CEO, Nashville Symphony: Came to Nashville from the Oklahoma Philharmonic Society in 1998. Premiering a commissioned work from trumpeter and composer Hannibal Lokumbe in April.

Paul Vasterling

Artistic Director and CEO, Nashville Ballet: Retiring after more than a decade at the helm of the state’s largest professional ballet company. Nick Mullikin has been promoted to succeed him.

Lain York

Director, Zeitgeist Gallery: Painter and gallery director at Zeitgeist since 1999. Leader in the local art community.

Kyle Young

CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: Runs museum that celebrates Nashville’s most famous artistic export. Has worked at hall since the 1970s.

Education

Angie Adams

CEO, PENCIL Foundation: Joined the nonprofit that supports MNPS after stints at Nashville Ballet and Cheekwood. Experienced nonprofit leader helps get resources to Nashville students and schools. Will step down next year.

Adrienne Battle

Director, Metro Nashville Public Schools: With the city’s public school system for more than two decades, and in the top role since 2019. Led the school system through the pandemic and funding challenges.

Dan Boone

President, Trevecca Nazarene University: Has added degree programs and expanded athletics fundraising while seeking to balance the COVID-a ected budget at Church of Nazarene-a liated university..

Randy Boyd

President, University of Tennessee: Businessman and former Haslam adviser lost his bid for governor but took over at UT on a permanent basis in 2020 after a stint as interim president.

Kimberly Clay

Founder and CEO, Play Like a Girl: Leads nonprofit organization that seeks to support girls interested in STEM. Former professor with expertise in public health.

Katie Cour

President and CEO, Nashville Public Education Foundation: Former MNPS o cial and consultant now leads philanthropy and advocacy group with the goal of supporting Nashville public schools.

Daniel Diermeier

Chancellor, Vanderbilt University: A Guggenheim fellow and former University of Chicago administrator who took over on West End in 2020. Now seeking to double down on the university’s strengths and elevate lagging sectors, like athletics infrastructure.

Rachael Anne Elrod

Chair, Metro Nashville Public Schools

Board of Education: Newly reelected to the board and picked as its chair, the former teacher has named teacher recruitment and retention and funding top priorities for her new term.

Glenda Baskin Glover

President, Tennessee State University: Has led the state’s biggest (and only public) HBCU for a decade. The school, underfunded for generations by the state, is facing new scrutiny from state regulators and lawmakers.

Jason Golden

Superintendent, Williamson County Schools: Leader of top school district has been with WCS since 2006 and was elevated to current leadership role in 2019. Last year saw his contract extended through 2026.

Shanna Jackson

President, Nashville State Community College: Came to NSCC from Columbia State’s Williamson campus. Last year oversaw the opening of the community college’s fourth campus, in Madison.

Greg Jones

President, Belmont University: Replaced Bob Fisher in mid-2021 and now oversees the ever-growing school currently working on opening a medical school.

Candace McQueen

President, Lipscomb University: Former state education commissioner replaced Randy Lowry as president of the Church of Christ-a liated university in 2021.

Sidney McPhee

President, Middle Tennessee State University: Leader of one of the state’s most important educational institutions since 2001, has overseen major growth and the recent construction of health sciences and construction management buildings.

Penny Schwinn

Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Education: Former Texas education o cial who has helped Gov. Bill Lee boost charter schools and implement a voucher program. Now tasked with overseeing a complete overhaul of the state’s public education funding formula.

Paul Stumb

President, Cumberland University: Ex-Navy commander has led 2,500-student Lebanon university since 2015. Current chair of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

Deborah Watts

Director of Graduate and Executive

Education, UT Haslam College of Business: Hired in 2022 to lead the Knoxville-based business school’s executive programs in Nashville. A consultant with Hayde & Company, previously ran Lipscomb’s Spark learning and development center.

Finance

Vic Alexander

Chief Manager, KraftCPAs: Three decades at the helm of one of the area’s top accounting and advisory firms. Adviser to various businesses and involved in community organizations.

Paul Allen

President, Wealth Strategies Partners: Experienced financial executive who founded WSP in 2014. Provides white glove financial planning services to institutions, endowments, business owners and executives.

Sam Bennett

Office Managing Partner, KPMG: Focuses on clients in the consumer, retail and industrial manufacturing sectors while overseeing Nashville and Knoxville offices for the Big Four firm.

Seth Bernstein

President and CEO, AllianceBernstein: Runs asset management firm now settled into its Fifth + Broad digs. Previously spent more than three decades at JPMorgan Chase.

David Briggs

President, Fifth Third Bank (Tennessee): Worked at Bank of America, Capital and First Tennessee before joining Cincinnati lender in 2018.

Kate Burke

COO and CFO, AllianceBernstein: Former HR o cial has held a series of top positions at the new-to-town asset manager. In 2019 was named COO and last year added CFO to her title.

Sid Chambless

Executive Director, Nashville Capital Network: Leads VC firm now 20 years old. Last year closed its largest startup fund to date at $70 million.

Lindsay Cox

CEO, Launch Tennessee: Executive worked at the public-private entrepreneurial organization from 2013 to 2019 before taking on roles with the U.S. Economic Development Administration and The Company Lab in Chattanooga. Returned to lead Launch Tennessee last year.

John Crosslin and Justin Crosslin

Co-Managing Principals, Crosslin: Along with Bryan White heading IT services group, jointly lead the CPA firm that was founded more than three decades ago.

Tony Detter

CEO, Asurion: Two-decade company veteran has recently seen the mobile device insurer and tech support giant open a new HQ in The Gulch, rebrand its uBreakiFix stores and conduct layo s.

Aaron Dorn

CEO, Studio Bank: Leader of bank founded in 2018, which last year announced plans to open o ces in Williamson County and Clarksville and establish Studio Financial Holdings.