NORMAN M. LIPMAN AWARD RECIPIENTS

Established in 1991, the Norman M. Lipman Award was created to honor individuals of unique gifts and character – individuals as outstanding in their own way as the man for whom the award is named.

Norman Lipman is remembered by many as a person who observed, honored, and encouraged achievement in other people. Nominators are asked to continue this tradition by naming a person they feel is especially worthy of recognition for their positive personal attributes. The recipient is then chosen by a selection committee made up of prominent members of the national business community, the media, the government, and the clergy.

Unlike other awards of national distinction, the Norman M. Lipman Award does not have prescribed criteria for nomination. Instead, it is given in recognition of the most inspiring qualities of its recipient, as defined by his or her nominator. Past recipients have included leading figures from the wine and spirits industry and private individuals noted for their love of wine and their respect for those who produce it. These recipients have been recognized for qualities as diverse as energy, vision, accomplishment, generosity, and leadership.

MEET THE TEAM

Loren L. Chumley

President/CEO

After decades working in leadership positions in the private and public sectors, Loren Chumley eagerly took on the role of CEO in January 2022. Prior to this role, Loren served on the Nashville Wine Auction board of directors for six years, was chair of the board, and co-chair of both l’Eté du Vin and Pairings. She and her husband frequently have opened their home for fundraising wine dinners and have been top bidders at the auction for several years.

Loren Chumley is known for taking on a challenge and creating innovative frameworks that invest in growth – from systems to people to process review and outcome measurement. Over her career, Loren has set herself apart with distinct accomplishments as a lawyer, audit controversy professional, tax and incentives expert, and trusted client advisor, highlighted with a multi-year role as Tennessee’s Commissioner of Revenue and a KPMG global leadership position. A dynamic developer and mentor of top-tier talent, her reputation for collaboration motivates new and long-time employees alike, cultivating a cadre of champions everywhere she’s worked in both public and private sectors. Her leadership does not stop at the office door. She volunteered for ten years as KPMG’s liaison for the Tennessee chapter of WomenCorporateDirectors, while serving concurrently on additional not-for-profit boards.

Loren retired from KPMG in September 2021, having joined the firm in 2007 as a direct entry partner. While at the firm, Loren led the US Indirect Tax Practice and guided a KPMG acquisition that doubled the practice’s revenue. She also gained unique global and cultural communications experience serving on the governing board of the firm’s centralized Hungary-based Global Compliance Center. In this role, she helped to build shareholder agreements, governance structure, and auditable processes focused on regulatory compliance.

At the foundation of her corporate experience is an equally impressive 13-year career in state government, with the distinction of serving a 4-year gubernatorial appointment as Tennessee’s Commissioner of Revenue. She began her career as a bankruptcy and litigation attorney in Washington DC and Tennessee.

In her prior role, Loren was known as an energetic speaker sought after for translating the intricate tax and regulatory worlds into easily understood concepts and content. In addition to her work on the Nashville Wine Auction’s Board for six years, Loren served as Treasurer of the Girls Scouts of Middle Tennessee as well as the Board of Renewal House. She is a member of the Tennessee Chapter of the International Women’s Forum and has previously served on the advisory boards of the Paul Hartman State and Local Tax Institute and New York University Institute on State and Local Taxation.

Loren holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Tennessee and her JD from American University Washington College of Law. She is a Bar admitted attorney in the state of Tennessee. A self-described fearless traveler, she and her husband reside in Nashville.

Photo Credit: Daniel Meigs

Brooklyn Bain

Auction Director

As the Auction Director for Nashville Wine Auction, Brooklyn Bain utilizes her lifelong passion for hospitality and wealth of beverage knowledge to help the Nashville Wine Auction team create memorable experiences while contributing to charitable endeavors.

Brooklyn brings over a decade of experience in the wine industry, having honed her craft through roles spanning both the artistry and business of wine—including two harvest seasons in Sonoma County. She has a Certified Sommelier credential from the Court of Master Sommeliers and Shochu Advisor certification from the Sake School of America. Her approach to hospitality blends deep expertise, skill, and heart, setting her apart in the industry.​

As the founder of The Good Sommaritan, Brooklyn’s commitment to lifelong learning fuels her passion for sharing knowledge and inspiring future hospitality professionals. Whether curating wine experiences or mentoring the next generation, she is dedicated to enhancing the food and beverage world with authenticity and care.

Jacey Carlisle

Director of Events

As the Director of Events at the Nashville Wine Auction, Jacey combines her extensive experience in event planning with a passion for creating impactful, meaningful occasions. A Middle Tennessee native, she resides in Springfield, TN, with her college sweetheart and husband, Dylan, and their two sons, Braxton and Oliver.

With over a decade in the events industry, Jacey has built a career rooted in creativity, attention to detail, and a love for bringing people together. Her journey began in the nonprofit world, where she held pivotal roles such as Marketing Event Director for Falling for a Cure, a skydiving fundraiser for multiple sclerosis, and External Director and Fundraising Coordinator for Dance Marathon, benefitting the Children’s Miracle Network. These experiences ignited her passion for using events as a platform to support meaningful causes, a passion she continues to bring to her current role.

Jacey has also excelled in corporate and private event planning. Her past roles include event marketing for Ajax Distributing Co. and serving as Director of Client Services for a healthcare company, where she focused on client and broker engagement. She has over a decade of experience planning weddings and intimate celebrations, including as the Event Director at Riverwood Mansion and the owner and lead planner of Selenite Event Co.

A true creative at heart, Jacey is known for her ability to blend systemic planning with thoughtful details to craft events that leave lasting impressions. Outside of work, she enjoys attending concerts (she’s an avid Taylor Swift fan), caring for her collection of over 100 houseplants, and sipping on great coffee. She is also a strong mental health advocate, bringing balance and intentionality into every area of her life.

In all her work, Jacey is dedicated to fostering connection and joy. Her expertise, passion, and commitment to excellence make her a leader in the event planning industry and a valued member of the Nashville community.

Theresa Johnson

Director of Operations

A Nashville native, Theresa joined Nashville Wine Auction in 2011 in the role of Finance Manager. By 2012, NWA saw an increased need for an Event Manager, and it was a natural transition to incorporate Theresa’s 20 years of event and project planning to develop the new position. Theresa now serves on the NWA team as Director of Operations.

After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Recording Industry Management, Theresa spent 16 years in Corporate Communications at Sparrow Records/EMI Christian Music Group. Here with the guidance of her talented mentor, Holly Hearn Whaley, Theresa was able to combine experience with her servant’s heart and discovered her true niche of coordinating quality events for others.

In 2005, Theresa “retired” to stay home with two young boys and continued to hone her various event skills by coordinating church VBS, Cub Scout summer camps, and soccer team activities. At the same time, she contracted part-time providing office manager, bookkeeping, and HR support in various office settings. As an avid audiobook reader, she was presented in 2008 with the opportunity to start her own audiobook proofing company where for two years she led a team of 10 audiobook proofers.

After volunteering at l’Eté du Vin in 2011, Theresa joined Holly again in a new adventure that has led to 12+ years as a member of the Nashville Wine Auction team. “Everyone has been touched by cancer in one way or another, my family included. It is a blessing to be able to continue offering my gifts and skills to help further the mission of Nashville Wine Auction.”

In addition to her duties at NWA, you might find Theresa reading in her hammock, working a puzzle, visiting her boys in Colorado, or enjoying a nice Cabernet Sauvignon by the fire pit. Theresa lives with her husband in Murfreesboro.

Christina Ruth Slay

Concierge Services and Data Manager

Christina Ruth Slay is a Nashville native with over 13 years of experience across the city’s hospitality and nonprofit sectors. She began her career in administrative and front-office roles within high-touch, detail-driven environments, with experience spanning Hillwood Country Club, Jaguar Land Rover Nashville, CapStar Bank’s corporate headquarters, and Watkins College of Art, Design & Film.

Christina further distinguished herself in luxury hospitality as Executive Assistant to the Founder of Brio Travel Artisans, a Virtuoso-affiliated boutique luxury travel and lifestyle management firm serving a highly selective and confidential clientele. In this role, she provided right-hand executive support while coordinating complex international and domestic travel and lifestyle logistics with seamless precision, contributing to bespoke experiences for Brio’s high- and ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Her commitment to service extends deeply into her hometown’s nonprofit community. Most recently, she has worked behind the scenes with Tearing Down the Walls, a Southeastern conference on race and leadership in independent schools, and Time to Rise, Inc.—an organization that holds personal significance, as she and one of her older brothers were among its early program participants. She looks forward to continuing her full-circle involvement through ongoing volunteer work.

Christina also served in a dual role as Hospitality & Events Manager and Front Desk Coordinator at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a philanthropic organization she has been familiar with since her teenage years, as its founder, Ellen Eskind-Lehman, has been a longtime, committed supporter and donor of her alma mater, The Ensworth School. During her time at Ensworth, Christina developed a strong foundation of high performance and discipline as a three-time TSSAA all-state and all-region girls’ basketball student-athlete and one of the first TSSAA Miss Basketball finalists for the private school. Today, Christina values the Nashville Wine Auction team’s collective belief in not only aspiring to excellence when planning and executing world-class fundraising events in support of the fight against cancer, but in requiring it.

Outside of her professional life, Christina remains grounded in her faith, family, and friends. She enjoys a balanced lifestyle that includes discovering local coffee shops with her journal and matcha, taking impromptu road trips to visit loved ones, and spending quiet, meditative time along Middle Tennessee’s scenic greenway trails.

Kathy Maynard

Director of Marketing

The music industry initially brought Kathy to Nashville from the plains of West Texas; however, in 2016 she embraced the opportunity to pivot into a new and challenging role as the Director of Marketing at Nashville Wine Auction.

Kathy brings more than 25 years of marketing experience to the organization. She oversees the execution of strategic marketing and business development activities including marketing plans, public relations and social media, email marketing, website, advertising, and sponsorship.

Before joining Nashville Wine Auction, she was the director of marketing and sales operations for Capitol Christian Distribution where she managed all business-to-business marketing and sales operation initiatives for the distribution team and co-managed relationships with numerous label, studio, and publisher partners at various levels for more than 20 years. She led the award-winning execution of the company’s tradeshow presence with more than 6 industry awards including CBA’s Total Exhibitor Impact Award for booth presence and total show promotions.

While she loves Texas and considers herself a native West Texan, she doesn’t miss the rattlesnakes or the dust storms. Tennessee is now home. Kathy is a graduate of West Texas A&M University and resides in Nolensville.

Nikki Shannon

Design Specialist

Nikki’s history with Nashville Wine Auction began in 2004 when she donated her wine paintings for auction. It continued when they gave her the biggest compliment of her art career by honoring her as the featured artist for the 2007 l’Eté du Vin Premiere Auction. Later in 2013, the job at Nashville Wine Auction magically fell in her lap. It was kismet.

Nikki spent 10 years working as Auction Director and recently reduced her involvement to part-time, taking on the role of Design Specialist.

Nikki hails from Ohio and graduated from Ohio University with a Journalism degree. She makes her home in Bon Aqua where she hangs out in her big garage breaking out paint brushes and getting creative repurposing wooden wine boxes.

Donna Hickerson

Volunteer Coordinator

Donna is proud to be a native of Nashville and graduate from Vanderbilt University with a double major in French and Secondary Education. She turned down an out-of-state teaching position because the week after graduation her mother was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. Donna had to help take care of her mom, so she opted to stay local and work in retail management and eventually as a benefits coordinator with the Vanderbilt Employee Benefits Department.

Donna’s first son Matthew was born at Monroe Carrell Jr, Children’s Hospital with a congenital heart defect. Despite the excellent medical care and compassion Children’s Hospital provided, Matthew passed away. Determined to find ways to benefit Vanderbilt and the Red Cross as both she and Matthew required emergency transfusions when he was born, Donna coordinated local blood drives for the Red Cross and was a guest speaker at several of their events to promote awareness for how crucial blood donation is for the community.

She decided to be a stay-at-home mom when she and her husband Eddie welcomed their son Samuel in 2000 and their daughter Gracie in 2002. However, she could not deny her desire to volunteer for long. She volunteered as PTO President of Bellevue Middle School 2 years, PTO President of Hillwood High School 2 years, and Vice President of Fundraising for Hillwood Band Boosters 3 years. Her leadership in these roles gave her experience in running non-profit 501c3s, recruiting hundreds of volunteers for varied events, managing budgets, and executing fundraisers.

In addition, Donna has volunteered with Iroquois Steeplechase for the past 7 years as a volunteer coordinator for a big portion of the race day volunteers. Steeplechase is a way for Donna to honor her son Matthew as it raises money for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

With her experience in volunteer leadership, Donna was asked to join Nashville Wine Auction in June 2019 as Volunteer Coordinator. She herself has had many family members and friends battle cancer. This role has been a perfect fit for her volunteer heart and desire to fundraise for great causes.