The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville presented the 16th Annual Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards (NELAs) at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel on July 12.
Four Jack C. Massey College of Business alumni were named finalists and three won in their categories on Wednesday night. The NELAs annually recognize young professionals across 14 industry categories who are excelling in their careers and making a difference in Nashville.
Pictured left to right: Belmont alumni Lindsey Major (’15 MBA) , Alexa Barnett (‘17 BBA- Management) and Alexis Hughes (‘18 BBA-Marketing) won in their categories at the 2023 Nashville Emerging Leaders Awards on July 12.
Arts, Entertainment and Music Business Winner
Lindsey Major (‘15) is head of customer experiences for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). At The MLC, Majors and her team have helped more than 53,000 people, aided in paying out more than $1 billion in royalties in two years and helped grow The MLC’s membership to 26,000 members. Major chose the Entertainment and Music Business track of Belmont’s MBA program, which she states was as a “jumping off point” for her career.
“I’m incredibly humbled and honored,” said Majors. “The arts, entertainment and music business category is a huge passion of mine and a huge passion in the city of Nashville so it’s exciting to win this. It truly did start with my MBA program at Belmont. I'm very thankful for that program.”
Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing Winner
Alexis Hughes (‘18) spearheads marketing efforts for 29 clinics across six states as the marketing manager at Surpass Behavioral Health, a behavioral health provider for children and teens with autism. Hughes has deep ties to the city having graduated from high school in Nashville and transferred to Belmont to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing.
“This means so much,” she said. "With home being Nashville, this opportunity to make a difference in the community is something that’s super important to me. It’s an honor and I’m very grateful for it. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Belmont. I transferred and that made all the difference in my career and my trajectory afterward.”
Hughes also serves as the chair for multiple Special Olympics Tennessee committees, which she actively been involved in for the past six years.
Real Estate Services Winner
Alexa Barnett (‘17) received a Bachelor of Business Administration and Management from Belmont and serves as the commercial property manager at Southern Land Company and the co-founder and owner of CRE615. Comprised of more than 1,500 members, CRE615 is a networking, education, mentorship and volunteer platform for commercial real estate young professionals in Nashville.
“Like many industries, getting started in commercial real estate is tough,” Barnett said. “The first three years of my career moved slowly, and I had doubts. In the next three years, I accomplished more than I could have imagined, and I hope this encourages young professionals in the ‘doubts’ stage to keep going.”
Winning a NELA comes as a full circle moment for Barnett, who greatly impacted from her opportunity to travel overseas to Germany, Peru, Columbia and twice to China through study abroad at Belmont.
“When I went to China with Dr. Dennis Chen in 2016, I never thought I'd be receiving a NELA award seven years later,” she said. “Or that Dr. Chen would be the one to present it to me! Belmont taught me just how crucial it is to start building your network early. You will work with many of your classmates, professors, and faculty long after you graduate. Cultivating meaningful relationships with the high caliber of professors and students Belmont attracts is valuable.”
Financial Services Finalist
Massey’s MBA Healthcare graduate Katie Tarr (‘20) is a shareholder in the Healthcare Valuation practice of the Advisory Services division of LBMC, a national financial services firm based in Nashville.
Wednesday night’s success in multiple categories at the NELAs showcases how Belmont cultivates leadership among its students, equipping them to excel professionally as alumni and as community agents of change.
NELA applications open in January 2024. Find the winners from each category in the Nashville Post.