Gail Carr Williams - Chair
Gail Carr Williams, who has been a member of the MTA board since 2002,
is associate director of community, government and neighborhood
relations in the Division of Public Affairs at Vanderbilt University.
She is responsible for building community relationships on behalf of
the university. Prior to her work with Vanderbilt, Williams had similar
responsibilities at Ohio State University. She also has been a Human
Resources Employee Relations Specialist with an emphasis on conflict
resolution and mediation, and she practiced law in Oakland County,
Michigan for 10 years.
Williams also is a member of the following public service and community
boards: University School of Nashville, The Harpeth Hall School,
Nashville Opera, The Board of Professional Responsibility of the
Supreme Court of Tennessee, the Land Trust of Tennessee and The Womenıs
Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan
in 1979 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of
Law in 1982.
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Thomas F. "Freddie" O'Connell - Vice Chair
Thomas F. "Freddie" O'Connell, who was named to the MTA board in May 2008, operates SearchViz, a
Nashville-based inbound marketing agency that helps local businesses get found by focusing on search engine optimization and
social media. He also co-hosts a political talk radio show called Liberadio(!), which airs locally on WRVU-FM.
O'Connell is an avid bus rider and advocate of public transportation, having relied solely on MTA bus service for many years
for his mobility. He also serves on the board of directors of the Tennessee Alliance for Progress,
Walk/Bike Nashville and the Belcourt Theatre. In addition, O'Connell is president of the board of the Salemtown Neighbors
Neighborhood Association and on the executive committee of Generation Tennessee.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Brown University in
2000.
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Lewis Lavine - Member
Lewis Lavine, who has been a member of the MTA board since 2000 and is chairman of
the MTA's Planning/Marketing Committee, is president of the Center for Nonprofit
Management. His responsibilities include management of the center's operations,
assuring its fiscal integrity, carrying out its mission, implementing the policies
established by the board, and together with the board, creating a vision for its
future. Prior to joining CNM, Lewis was the chairman of The Ingram Group, a
government relations and public affairs consulting firm based in Nashville.
A graduate of Davidson College, he earned his master's degree in economics from
Vanderbilt University. His career has included a number of government posts
including executive director of the Tennessee State Planning Office and chief of
staff to Governor Lamar Alexander. He has served on a number of nonprofit boards
in Middle Tennessee including the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the
Regional Transportation Authority.
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Marian T. Ott - Member
Marian T. Ott, who has been a member of the MTA board since
1999 and is chairwoman of MTA's Finance Committee, is a community
volunteer and transportation advocate. She has more than 25 years
of professional experience in transportation systems planning and
transit management. Ott is the vice chair of Cumberland Region
Tomorrow, a regional organization advocating smarter growth
policies. She also is on the statewide steering committee for the
first multi-modal transportation plan developed by the Tennessee
Department of Transportation.
In addition to the MTA board, she is a member of the Tennessee
Registry of Election Finance, and the boards of the League of Women
Voters, St. Luke's Community Center, the Nashville State Community
College foundation and the vestry of Christ Church Cathedral. She
is an active volunteer for many organizations, including the
Nashville Literacy Council and St. Luke's Community Center.
Ott received her Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from
Princeton University and her Master of Science degree in
transportation systems analysis from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
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Jeffrey P. Yarbro - Member
Jeff Yarbro, who was named to the MTA board in June 2009, is an associate in Bass, Berry & Sims' Litigation Practice Area.
Yarbro is a native of Dyersburg, Tennessee and a member of the American, Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations.
He is admitted to practice in the State of Tennessee and the United States District Courts for the Middle and
Eastern Districts of Tennessee and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Prior to joining the firm, Jeff served as a law clerk to Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
He received an A.B. degree from Harvard University in 1999 and graduated from the University of
Virginia School of Law in 2004. Yarbro is active in national, state and local politics. He also is a
disaster response volunteer for the American Red Cross.
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