12 Days of AF: Nashville Chapter

What an odd but exciting year 2021 was! Nashville has been rapidly growing the last few years which brought our chapter as many challenges as opportunities. Nevertheless, we had an amazing year. 

Each month, AF-Nashville hosts a happy hour featuring a speaker that is educational and entertaining for our members. Unlike in 2020, we only had to host one virtual event this year. In February, we moved our chapter gatherings just outside the boundaries of Davidson County so we could get back to normal! Our March event in which we hosted two freshman legislators—one from each side of the aisle—was a huge success and a great way to welcome back our members to in-person gatherings. 

Another event that we were especially proud of was our April event featuring Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform. Grover’s attendance at our event was an excellent recruitment tool, attracting new attendees and attendees who had lapsed during the pandemic. While getting our event numbers back up to where they were pre-pandemic has been a challenge, it’s provided an opportunity for our board members to re-engage with friends we haven’t seen in a while and invite them back to our events. 

I would not have been able to overcome the hurdles of going back to in-person events and recruiting new members were it not for our board. Alex Armas (chairman), Courtney Kaufman (co-chairman), Megan Podsiedlik, Joe Kirkpatrick, Jason Edmonds, Reed Sircy, Jordan Long, and Jami Averwater deserve a huge shoutout for all they’ve done in 2020 and 2021 to keep our chapter successful!  

Because of the aforementioned massive growth that Nashville has experienced this year, we’ve been presented with partnership opportunities that we never imagined possible. This fall, Iron Light Labs held their annual summit in Nashville and invited AF and the Beacon Center to cosponsor their evening reception. Well over 100 attendees joined us at Pinewood Social for cocktails, bowling, and networking under the stars in one of Nashville’s most famous venues. 

Over the next year with our education-focused issue campaign, we hope to engage young professionals on the importance of a strong education system for Tennessee’s continued growth and workforce development. We plan to partner with organizations in Nashville that are focused on education freedom for all students as well as highlighting the importance of student-centered budgeting rather than maintaining the status quo. Nashville has come a long way but still has a long way to go. I’m proud to lead AF-Nashville, giving middle Tennessee’s young professionals a place to network, speak their minds, share ideas, and get involved with the freedom movement in Nashville.