After a positive undergraduate experience in Belmont’s adult degree program, the Master of Business Administration was an uncontested choice for double alumnus Darrell Hawks (BBA ‘12, MBA ‘15).
“It was such a good experience for me in the bachelor's program that I didn't give much thought to other universities for the MBA,” he said. “My experience with Belmont has been very positive not just from an educational standpoint, but also from a relationship and networking standpoint.”
Hawks serves as the executive director of Friends of Mill Ridge Park, a community-based nonprofit working to enhance and advocate for Mill Ridge Park –– a 600-acre collection of parceled land in Antioch.
As a current candidate in Belmont’s Strategic Leadership in Education Ph.D. program, Hawks is intentionally leveraging components of the program to support his work as a community organizer, particularly when it comes to effectively conducting and presenting research.
“What appealed to me about this program as it relates to my current work, is that it gives me the opportunity to learn in depth about doing research,” he said. “I can be more effective and productive in my work, the better I can understand the issue, challenge or need I'm trying to solve. Then I can effectively present that need to those who can help me solve it.”
Friends of Mill Ridge Park
Unlike the classroom setting that many peers in his cohort are familiar with, Hawks tends to operate outdoors at a park or in a community room with fellow leaders of his organization. Although the physical setting is different, the work of confronting complex challenges that impact students, families and communities holds true for Hawks and the Friends of Mill Ridge Park.
In 2011, Southeast Nashville was identified by Nashville’s Open Space Plan and Metro Parks Nashville’s Plan to Play as the area of Davidson County most underserved by the parks department. Mill Ridge Park, which officially opened in August 2023, is a long-anticipated solution for the “park poor” condition of Davidson County’s Southeast community.
“Mill Ridge Park is more than just a park,” Hawks said. “It is really the antidote to a community lacking sufficient green space, outdoor services and park amenities.”
Before the park officially opened in 2023, Friends of Mill Ridge Park hosted over 12,000 visits to the parklands in a concerted effort to engage the community and garner support for the park’s development through activities including hikes, birding, yoga, kite festivals, movie nights, cookouts and more.
Belmont has become a valuable partner for the Friends of Mill Ridge Park as the organization works to support park initiatives and increase its footprint in the community.
Bridging Belmont to Mill Ridge Park
The Belmont Accelerator for Social Innovation Collaboration (BASIC), which concluded last semester, was established to build bridges between Belmont’s campus and organizations working to enhance the region.
Hawks’ connection with the Massey College of Business and Finance Professor Dr. John Gonas opened the door for a full-circle partnership that is thriving at Mill Ridge Park and benefiting underserved communities in Southeast Davidson County.
A one-acre plot in the community garden at Mill Ridge Park is designated to supply fresh produce to The Branch of Nashville a community resource center with a food pantry that serves the Antioch community.
Access to fresh produce is a common challenge for food banks and Belmont Honors students identified the community garden at Mill Ridge Park as an excellent opportunity to meet this need for Belmont’s nonprofit partner.
“A large portion of the recipients of food from The Branch are refugee and immigrants,” Hawks explained. “They are also our neighbors. They're our community. They are the people who this land is meant to serve anyway. It's a full circle thing.”
Belmont’s plot was made possible by a partnership between the University, Mill Ridge Park, The Branch Nashville and Cult2vate –– an organization committed to tackling food insecurity by harvesting fresh, local produce and distributing it to those in need in Davidson and Williamson Counties.
“Our big overarching goal was to create sustainable supply chains for good food going to The Branch,” Gonas said.
By building and maintaining 12 raised garden beds at the Mill Ridge Park community garden, over 500 pounds of fresh produce from the gardens went to The Branch food pantry shelves and into Southeast Nashville homes over the last year.
The BASIC initiative laid the foundation for a long-term relationship between Belmont and Mill Ridge Park which benefits the Southeast Nashville community and Belmont students by providing them an additional opportunity to earn service credits and serve the community.
Enhance & Advocate: Continuing the Work
Belmont’s community garden at Mill Ridge Park is only one example of the positive impact happening through Hawks and the Friends of Mill Ridge Park. As the park continues to develop, more are joining forces to support it.
Friends of Mill Ridge Park recently received a $1.1 million grant from the Frist Foundation to preserve and convert a historic barn located on the parkland into a community space that will serve a variety of purposes. Among other things, the barn will be a space to host a farmers' market supplied with produce from the community garden at Mill Ridge Park and local farms and gardens.
“Because of the long-awaited desire and need for the space, we've seen the community respond exactly as we expected,” Hawks said. “It is well-loved and well-used. It's so inspiring to see the community coming together to enjoy the outdoors, enjoy the park space and to participate in the programs.”
At The Barn, Friends of Mill Ridge Park will host events and programs that generate sustainable income to serve and strengthen the diverse and growing community. This new venture will present more opportunities for business students at Belmont to engage with Friends of Mill Ridge Park to plan, establish and execute infrastructures for sustainability.
As Hawks continues championing the green space, establishing partnerships and fostering collaboration, Southeast Nashville’s community will continue to benefit from new opportunities created at Mill Ridge Park.