Robinson has led Belmont’s Executive Learning Network for 18 years and counting
Jill Robinson, assistant dean of external relations & strategic partnerships in the Jack C. Massey College of Business, has spent 30 years building her career in Nashville, including 20 years at Belmont, where she has channeled her passion for community engagement, collaboration and leadership development.
For 18 years, Robinson has been vital in fostering the relationship between Belmont and the Nashville business community as the director of Executive Learning Networks (ELN). This year, ELN will celebrate 35 years as a premiere leadership development program, offering world-class speakers, workshops, group discussions and networking opportunities for its members.
Today, Robinson liaises between Belmont and Nashville’s growing community. Her role with ELN in addition to her other duties pertaining to external relations and strategic partnerships is a perfect fit, combining her advocacy for leadership development with her background in business and organizational management.
Under her leadership, ELN has grown in a myriad of ways while always keeping relationships and leadership development at its center. This growth includes merging the Peer Learning Network and the Peer Exchange Network into one collaborative entity in 2007.
Born from a desire to meet more people and expand the separate networks, Robinson merged the two groups into what is now the Executive Learning Networks. Today, ELN is comprised of over 300 business executives with over 40 corporate memberships.
ELN’s growth and adaptability represent the very community it was created to serve. Networking, collaboration and idea sharing are pillars of Nashville’s thriving business community. By adopting those foundational principles, ELN has become a trusted resource where small local businesses and multimillion-dollar corporations alike can meet, discuss, connect and most importantly walk away learning something new.
“Not by selling to each other, but by learning from each other,” Robinson explained. “It's a true learning community, not a sales club, and that is very distinctive. We focus specifically on leadership development, on supporting each other personally and professionally.”
ELN provides resources that encourage leaders to keep striving for the best. Members can attend events that host some of the biggest names in business, with past guest speakers including author Malcolm Gladwell (David and Goliath and Talking to Strangers), Chief Evangelist for Apple Guy Kawasaki, former Culture Officer of Zappos, Inc. Jen Lim and American journalist, political commentator and author Fareed Zakaria. ELN members also get exclusive access to the Soundview library, an online executive learning database with over 2,200 assets including executive book summaries, webinars, podcasts and skill-based newsletters.
ELN has an organizational culture that thrives on brainstorming sessions and a curriculum designed by and for its members. As director, Robinson listens to the ideas of ELN members and works to make them a reality.
The 2025 ELN calendar launches March 6 with keynote speaker Anne Chow former CEO of AT&T and author of “LEAD BIGGER: The Transformative Power of Inclusion.” Chow will speak on finding new ways to prioritize the leadership imperative of inclusion despite its increasing politicization.
From keynote addresses to small group workshops, Robinson has had her hand in it all over the last 18 years. “She’s fantastic for the program, and I love the kind of different things she's done,” said David Stansell, CEO of Stansell Electric. "The networking that we get to do is great, but Jill adds an added dimension of value by being a connector.”
Learn more about Belmont’s Executive Learning Network