BRIDGES welcomes four new board members, one returning in 2021
MEMPHIS, TN—In their January 28 meeting, the BRIDGES Board of Directors unanimously voted in four new members, one returning member, and approved officers for the 2021 term. Including the newest members, 10 out of 20 board seats are held by Bridge Builders alumni, parents of Bridges Builders or both, demonstrating a deep organizational commitment to strengthening the culture of BRIDGES from within.
“BRIDGES had such an impact on my life growing up, giving me the confidence to be myself and expand my horizons,” said Geoffrey Morris, attorney at Butler Snow LLP and one of new members voted in on Jan. 28. “I can honestly say I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Bridge Builders program, so it will truly be an honor—and a full-circle moment—for me to serve and give back to the organization that gave so much to me.”
2021 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- Chair—Brandon Arrindell, Southeastern Asset Management (Bridge Builders alum)
- Vice-Chair—Tony Dudek, AutoZone
- Secretary—Neil Gibson, FedEx Services (Bridge Builders parent)
- Treasurer—Kyle Hatler, Bank of America Merrill (Bridge Builders parent)
- At-large—Danish Siddiqui, Hilton Worldwide
- At-large—Susan Christian, Ritter Communications
- At-large—Nicole Cody, International Paper
View our entire Board of Directors.
2021 NEW AND RETURNING BOARD MEMBERS
Mackaria Estes, U.S. Navy
Bridge Builders alum, Bridge Builders parent and Bridge Builders Parent Council member
Mackaria is a native Memphian who enjoys traveling and experiencing all that life has to offer with her adoring husband and talented teenage daughter, who is a current Bridge Builder. As an alum of Bridge Builders herself, Mackaria values the aspects of cultivating life-long friendships, developing leadership skills, and strengthening community connections that Bridge Builders emphasizes and afforded to her. It is her goal to pay it forward. She currently serves on the Bridge Builders Parent Council.
Mackaria is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has nearly twenty years of experience specializing in offering quality social work services for children and families through counseling, advocacy, case management, and consulting. Mackaria’s professional experience began in the civilian sector as a case manager in the foster care system and with child protective services. In addition, she was previously tasked with reviewing case management practices, developing training curriculum, providing supervisory support, and facilitating workshops as a social work consultant for a child welfare organization. Mackaria also provided mental health services and community resource linkage as a clinician in a public school system for children who were identified as emotionally disturbed.
In Mackaria’s current role as a Program Analyst with the U.S. Navy, she is responsible for managing administrative programs at the headquarters level which include coordinating in- depth multidisciplinary appeal reviews and processing child sexual abuse allegations.
Erica Evans, Shelby County Schools
Bridge Builders alum
Erica M. Evans, Esq. is a native Memphian and proud Bridge Builders Alumni. She is an alumna of St. Mary’s Episcopal School C’05, where she previously served on the Alumnae Board from 2013-2017. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania C’09, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Classical Studies and Africana Studies. While at the University of Pennsylvania, Erica was very active in community service and leadership roles as a member of Sphinx Senior Honor Society, Onyx Senior Honor Society, UMOJA, and Penn Leads the Vote and received the David R. Goddard Ivy Day Award and Black Alumni Society Student Leadership Award. She received her Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2012, where she served as President of the Black Law Student Association.
After graduating from law school, Erica clerked for The Honorable John T. Fowlkes, Jr., U.S. District Court of Western District of Tennessee and as a Pro Se Law Clerk for the U.S. District Court of Western District of Tennessee. Currently, Erica serves as Associate General Counsel for Shelby County Schools. In her previous role as Account Executive for SVMIC, a regional medical malpractice insurance company based out of Brentwood, she served as the company’s United Way 2020 Campaign Co-Chair and helped raise over $230,000 in employee contributions to benefit United Way of Greater Nashville and United Way of the Mid-South. She was also integral in the development of SVMIC’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force.
Erica’s community involvement includes Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter, past Parliamentarian; River City (TN) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, past Ethics Chair and past Parliamentarian; Tennessee Medical Group Management Association, Vendor Relations Chair; Memphis Bar Association; and National Bar Association, Ben F. Jones Chapter. She is a member of Middle Baptist Church Whitehaven. Her hobbies include enjoying the outdoors—especially Greenbelt Park; cooking, really experimenting in the kitchen; and spending time with family and friends (via Zoom these days). Erica is quite honored to be nominated to the BRIDGES Board and would love to bring to the Board her enthusiasm for service to the Memphis community and students, experience in fundraising, and expertise in parliamentary rules.
Kevin Fienup, Dobbs Management Services
Bridge Builders alum
Mr. Fienup currently serves as a Director of Finance and Administration at Dobbs Management Service, LLC
(“DMS”), a family investment office in Memphis, TN. In his current role, Mr. Fienup primarily supports the family’s direct private investments by directing operational business diligence, financial underwriting, strategic planning, and merger & acquisition analytics. Additionally, Mr. Fienup is actively involved in DMS’ operating businesses and supports management with executive recruitment, financial reporting, real estate strategy, and board governance. Currently, Mr. Fienup serves as an active board member of Dobbs Equipment, LLC, the family’s John Deere Construction & Forestry dealer in Florida. In addition to serving as a board member, Kevin supports DMS’ private investments in behavioral healthcare, construction equipment dealerships, automotive parts distribution, heavy duty truck dealerships, furniture manufacturing/distribution, and basecamp storms services alongside others. Prior to joining DMS in 2016, Kevin held executive positions in Finance & Accounting in a variety of business industries including investment management, industrial manufacturing and restaurant development.
Mr. Fienup brings a diverse background in business analytics with a concentration on Strategic Finance & Accounting. Kevin graduated from Auburn University with a BBA in International Business and Finance. Mr. Fienup also holds a M.B.A. from the University of Memphis. Mr. Fienup is a native Memphian, graduate of Briarcrest Christian High School, and a Bridge Builder alum.
In his down time, Kevin enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching Auburn sports, and snow skiing. Mr. Fienup has also participated in Memphis in May Barbecue Fest since 2006 with the “People’s Republic of SWINA” barbecuing cooking team.
Geoffrey Morris, Butler Snow LLP
Bridge Builders alum
Mr. Morris is a proud Memphian and a proud Bridge Builder. Born and raised in Midtown, he went to Central High School where he was first selected to join the Bridge Builders program (c/o 2011). In particular, he credits Bridge Builders in not only expanding his perspective but also instilling in him the confidence to truly be himself. He even wrote about his Bridge Builders experience for his college application essays.
After graduating from Central (c/o 2011), he went on to attend Vanderbilt University (c/o 2015), where he double-majored in English and Communications Studies and double-minored in History and Corporate Strategy, and Vanderbilt Law School (c/o 2018), where he graduated with a JD and a Certificate in Law and Business. After graduating law school, he decided to return to Memphis in hopes of helping the city grow. He currently practices at Butler Snow LLP in the real estate and finance practice group but also handles a wide variety of public finance, corporate, and entertainment transactions.
He still strives to be involved in the community through organizations such as Facing History and Ourselves, where he serves as an Ambassador. He also recently completed both the Embark (New Memphis Institute) and NEXUS professional development and networking programs. He was also recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Memphis Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.
Kevin Woods, BlueCross BlueShield TN
Bridge Builders parent and returning board member
Kevin Woods is the Memphis market president for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, and has served as past Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Shelby County School Board. His tenure as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Legislative Committee has gained him respect among his colleagues and local & state funding bodies. It is his experiences and willingness to work with all stakeholders in the entire education spectrum that gives him such a unique perspective to carry on the work needed for Shelby County Schools.
Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science in computer engineering and a Master of Science in business administration from the University of Memphis. He and his wife have two daughters who attend Shelby County public schools.
As a trusted leader in the local community, he serves on numerous boards including 100 Black Men, Leadership Tennessee, United Way of the Mid-South, the Salvation Army, Memphis River Parks, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, and Neighborhood Preservation, Inc. (NPI).
He is a Memphis Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 recipient, a 2014 graduate of Leadership Memphis Executive Class, a New Memphis Fellow, as well as an alum of the 2017-2018 class of Leadership Tennessee (Class V). He currently serves on the Leadership Tennessee Advisory Council and was named One of Memphis’ 100 Most Influential Leaders (MBJ).
