Administration

Chief Operating Officer

If there is anyone that can offer a testimony of how a Boys & Girls Club can have an impact on a young child growing up it is Derek Blake. As a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs in Chattanooga Derek knows the sense of belonging the Club provides to a young child. In fact, so much so that all of his childhood membership cards are proudly displayed in his office. Each card representing a year of membership at his local Club.

Derek is the Chief Operating Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee in which he oversees 7 Club locations and a RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program.

Prior to becoming the COO for BGCMT, he held the following positions with the Rutherford County organization: part-time staff, Program Director, Unit Director, Director of Operations, and Executive Director.

Derek holds a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from MTSU, and numerous achievement awards through his work within Boys & Girls Club. Derek was a member of the Murfreesboro Noon Rotary Club and a 2012 graduate of Leadership Rutherford.

Derek and his wife, Rhonda, have been married for fifteen years. They are the proud parents of three boys: Myles, Mason, and Maxwell. Derek and his family attends Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church.

In his spare time, Derek enjoys simply spending every moment with his family.

Fun Facts about Derek from his childhood:

Favorite Movie: Christmas Vacation
Favorite Book: The Bible
Favorite Food: Meatloaf
Favorite Cartoon Character: Bugs Bunny
Favorite Place To Visit: Orange Beach

To contact Derek: dblake@bgcmt.org or 615/983-6834

Director of Resource Development

Denise Carothers joined the Boys & Girls Club movement in 1996 as a Girl Scout troop leader for the Franklin Unit. After three years of volunteer service in 1999, she began working professionally with the Club. A native of Franklin, Denise is a graduate of Franklin High School, Tennessee State University, and holds a Master’s in Education from Lipscomb University. Denise devotes time to a variety of local causes. She was the first African American President of the Franklin Rotary Club at Breakfast, serves as Assistant Governor of 6 Rotary Clubs in Williamson County and serves on the executive committee of the non-profit Hard Bargain Association serving the neighborhood in which she grew up. She is also a graduate of the 2007 Leadership Franklin Class, Community Service Day Chair for Youth Leadership Franklin, and a board member of United Way’s Patricia Hart Society.

Denise currently serves as Director of Resource Development for Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, where she oversees fundraising and community relations for all Williamson County Boys & Girls Clubs including grant proposal preparation, strategic planning, and special events. Annual events Denise oversees such as Wine Down Main Street and the Steak & Burger Dinner have become staples for the Williamson County community. She has worked professionally with Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee for 19 years and continues to make a significant impact on the Williamson County community and the youth served in the Clubs.

To contact Denise, please e-mail her dcarothers@bgcmt.org or call 615-628-8188.

Director of Philanthropy

Barbie came to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University—after graduation Nashville became her permanent home. She discovered her passion for fundraising when she made a career change in 1991 and began as the Membership Coordinator for public television. When the phones rang during her first pledge drive in response to requests for support, Barbie realized there was nothing better than raising money for an organization for which she has a passion. She has worked with both arts and social services organizations for the next 25 years before coming to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee.

In her spare time, Barbie is an avid gardener and reader who loves to travel to exotic places as often as she can.

Fun facts from childhood:

Favorite movie: Sound of Music
Favorite book: Little House on the Prairie series
Favorite food: cookies
Favorite cartoon character: Road Runner
Favorite activity or place to visit: Reading

President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, (Ex-Officio Board Member)

There is a saying that one is a product of one’s environment. Such is the case with Dan Jernigan. Having grown up in Northern Indiana Dan is a product of what a Boys & Girls Club/Salvation Army Community Center type of environment can do for a young child, a child who grew up in the heart of housing projects.

As the President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee Dan is the leader of a 7 Club operation. In addition to his role he is also the chair of the Middle Tennessee Consortium Group which consists of all the Boys & Girls Club organizations throughout our Middle Tennessee Region.

Prior to arrival with BGCMT in February 2011 he served as the Chief Professional Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherford County in which he was a part of an extensive capital campaign project to build a new state of art Boys & Girls Club in Smyrna as well as a Teen Center in Murfreesboro. In addition, he helped establish a new Club operations in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Other Boys & Girls Club leadership stints include serving as the Chief Professional Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Georgia from 2001-2007, and as the Executive Director for the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs in Anderson, South Carolina from 1997-2001. He is a retired combat veteran in which he proudly served his country with the United States Army for 21 years (active and reserve).

Dan did his undergrad education at Asbury University and his graduate work at Webster University with an emphasis on Management and Leadership. He is married and has three lovely children.

To contact Dan please e-mail him: djernigan@bgcmt.org

Director of Program Services

Fun Facts about LaQuinta from her childhood:

What was your favorite movie? Lean on Me
What was your favorite book? Super Fudge
What was your favorite food? Pizza
Who was your favorite superhero or cartoon character? Wonderwoman
What was your favorite activity or place to visit? Playing Kickball call me “The Kickball Queen”

To contact LaQuinta please e-mail her: lmcghee@bgcmt.org

Chief Financial Officer

How many ways can beans be counted? This is a question that Louie Orman asks himself daily as he works diligently to steward the finances of our organization. Louie spends the majority of his day handling critical issues that keep Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee a debt-free organization, enabling us to focus on our Mission to serve young people who need us most.

Prior to joining the team at Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee in 2011, Louie had been with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherford County for 8 years. He thoroughly enjoyed the relationships that he developed with the children and staff. Previously, he was with Ingram Distribution group in various roles in their accounting and finance departments. He is enjoying his new opportunities serving the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee.

To contact Louie please e-mail him: lorman@bgcmt.org

Executive Assistant

Patty joined the Boys & Girls Club of Middle Tennessee in October 2015. She is on the Administrative team as Dan Jernigan’s executive assistant, board liaison, human resources, office manager, and volunteer coordinator.

Patty’s background includes 25 years in the financial services sector with 13 years at J. C. Bradford & Co. where she was a Partner. She also spent several years as Director of Marketing for a national healthcare company.

Joining the Boys & Girls Club of Middle Tennessee is a natural fit for Patty who has been an active volunteer since she was a teenager.

Patty is mother to three children, grandmother to five grandchildren and has three canine kids.

Chief Development Officer

You would be hard pressed to try and locate as true a Nashville native. As hard as it may seem, one only needs to look for Jennifer Marie Wheeler….a born and raised Nashvillian dedicated to making her community a better place for youth.

Jennifer Wheeler joined Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee as the Chief Development Officer in 2016. To this key role, she brings with her more than ten years of experience in fund development, donor relations, event planning, communication strategy, and organizational leadership. She oversees the resource development team and efforts, as well as community relations.

Prior to joining the Boys & Girls Clubs, she served in development and corporate client roles with top organizations, such as Renewal House, the Nashville Humane Association, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and Ski West, Inc.

Through her career, Jennifer lived in Coral Gables, FL, Park City, UT, and Bangkok, Thailand, prior to returning “home” in 2005. Since, she has dedicated her strengths and passion to making a difference in the nonprofit community by connecting donors’ interests to the needs of her agency.

Jennifer holds a Master in Education Nonprofit Leadership degree from Belmont University, as well as a Fund Development Certificate from the Center for Nonprofit Management. In her spare time, Jennifer lends her support to AWAKE (Advocates for Women and Kids Equality) and enjoys time with her boyfriend, Steven Buhrman and their Jack Russell mix, Eleanor.

Fun facts about Jennifer from her childhood:

Favorite Movie: The Never Ending Story
Favorite Book: Island of the Blue Dolphins
Favorite Food: Brownies
Favorite Cartoon Character: Ariel, the Little Mermaid
Favorite Place to Visit: Shelby Park

To contact Jennifer, please email her at jwheeler@bgcmt.org or call 615-983-6804.