Our History

Impact100 Nashville was established in the fall of 2014 when Founding President Jolene Skinner shared her prior experiences in the Impact100 Austin chapter with the women who would become the founders of Impact100 Nashville: Mollie Lacher (past-president), Michele Herlein (past-president), Meghan Breinig, Trish Holliday, and Leah Willingham. The founders of Impact100 Nashville built the infrastructure and enlisted the assistance of other amazing women in the community to make the dream of Impact100 Nashville a reality. Since its inception, Impact100 Nashville has empowered a diverse local group of women of all ages, stages in life, income levels, and backgrounds to come together to fund transformational grants of $100,000 in the Greater Nashville region comprised of the 10 counties including and surrounding Nashville (Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, Wilson). Through 2023, Impact100 Nashville has given $1,051,000 in grant funds to deserving non-profits.

Our mission is to inspire women to collectively invest in social transformation in Greater Nashville. Our vision is to grow a large, vibrant community of philanthropic women.

For more information about how Impact100 started, see the Global council story.

 

The Founding of Impact Nashville

Transition to Impact100 Global

Evolution of Impact100 Grant Awards

The Impact100 Model

The Impact100 model is readily available to all communities who wish to implement it. The model is designed to empower women to see themselves as philanthropists and overcome the barriers women have historically faced in this arena. The model is designed for transformational grant-making within local communities, with a minimum grant size of $100,000.

At Least 100 Women
Come Together

Each Woman
Donates $1,000

$100,000
is donated to a
Local Charity

5 Focus Areas

Our guiding theme for grants is “Transformation and Innovation.” Each grant we award will continue to emphasize visionary projects that bring about meaningful change. Whether it’s fostering artistic expression, improving educational outcomes, protecting our environment, strengthening families, or enhancing community health, our funding will drive impactful and creative solutions.

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture

Education

Education

Environment, Preservation & Recreation

Environment, Preservation & Recreation

Family

Family

Health & Wellness

Health & Wellness

How it Works

The annual $1,000 donations of Impact100 Nashville members are pooled into a grant fund to be given away to nonprofit organizations serving the Greater Nashville area. The number and size of grants awarded are dependent on our membership, but our goal is to give incremental grants of $100,000 each year. Grant categories and amounts are announced in the Spring at “The Big Reveal” event, commencing our grants cycle. Nonprofit finalists are chosen by grant committees through a competitive application process, and grants are awarded based on a membership vote at our annual meeting. Every woman who gives $1,000 or more has one vote.

Joanne Sowell
President
Joanne Sowell
President

Joanne is an attorney, community activist and philanthropist in Nashville, and is passionate about making Tennessee a welcoming and inclusive place to live. Besides practicing law, she has worked at social service agencies, owned a social enterprise and been an active volunteer on political campaigns and in numerous community projects.

Contact Joanne:
president@nashville.impact100council.org

Prerna Gupta
Director of Community
Prerna Gupta
Director of Community

Prerna brings a unique blend of expertise in program leadership, strategic planning, and community engagement to the Impact100 Nashville Board. She strives to align diverse stakeholder needs to achieve impactful outcomes. Her commitment to community-driven initiatives is evident through her success in designing programs that boost participation, generate meaningful results, and inspire collaboration.

Prerna is passionate about empowering women and supporting collective giving to create lasting change. As a member of the Impact100 Nashville Board, she looks forward to leveraging her skills to strengthen relationships within the community and further the organization’s mission.

Contact Prerna:
communityliaison@nashville.impact100council.org

Michele Herlein
Director of Legacy
Michele Herlein
Director of Legacy

Michele co-founded Impact100 Nashville in 2015. She was President from 2018 to 2021, doubling our membership to over 200 members. She continues to be dedicated to Impact100 Nashville because she loves combining philanthropic and financial power to create social change in our community. She is CEO & Founder of CultureMax and Forbes author of the book “Cultural Excellence: The Leaders Guide to Strengthening the Heart of Your Organization” coming September 2025. and lives in Mt. Juliet with her husband Doug. She loves paddle boarding, yoga, and being with her children and grandchildren.

Contact Michele:
info@nashville.impact100council.org

 

Nancy Lamberton
Director of Membership & Events
Nancy Lamberton
Director of Membership & Events

As a new Nashvillian, joining Impact100 in 2022 was one of the first things Nancy did to become part of the community. She is inspired by the difference that our grants make in the lives of our fellow Middle Tennesseans, especially women, children and young adults. After years as a technology leader, executive coach and board member of Women in Technology and other not-for-profits, Nancy is excited to advance Impact100’s mission by engaging our members and inspiring others to join our collective giving efforts. Nancy happily resides in East Nashville with her husband and near her daughter’s family. She also is an Advisor to the Nebo Company, a leadership coaching and development company.

Contact Nancy:
membership@nashville.impact100council.org

Jill Pepper
Director of Sponsorships
Jill Pepper
Director of Sponsorships

Jill moved to the Nashville area in 1993 and is a Director at a Fortune 100 Healthcare company. She’s also a Certified Project Manager and is excited to utilize those skills while serving on the Impact100 Nashville board to further the objectives of the organization. Jill was drawn into Impact100 Nashville because it offers a unique, welcoming environment and is a perfect combination for women wanting philanthropy, networking and comradery on their own terms.

Contact Jill:
sponsorship@nashville.impact100council.org

Kristen Phillips
Director of Grants
Kristen Phillips
Director of Grants

Kristen Phillips, a Nashvillian since 2009, works in healthcare administration and has been a member of Impact Nashville since 2020. She immediately fell in love with the work of the grants committee for both the ability to support the amazing work by nonprofits in the Nashville community she loves, as well as the opportunity to meet and work with the supportive and driven women of Impact100 Nashville.

Contact Kristen:
grants@nashville.impact100council.org

 

Melissa Russell
Director of Data Analytics
Melissa Russell
Director of Data Analytics

Melissa is a technology leader who specializes in Data Analytics. She manages a team of developers and analysts at a local healthcare company. Melissa became involved in Impact100 Nashville to be a part of the solution for middle Tennesseans in need. She’s been with Impact100 Nashville for four years and served on the grants committee for three of those years.

Contact Melissa:
dataanalytics@nashville.impact100council.org

 

 

Katherine Terrell
Director of Marketing
Katherine Terrell
Director of Marketing

Katherine is a seasoned creative professional with 25+ years building brands and designing products in the entertainment, healthtech, and fintech industries. She was thrilled to join Impact100 Nashville in 2022 after hearing its model of gathering 100 women donating $1,000 each to give incremental grants of $100,000 each year to local non-profits. Katherine looks forward to growing the Impact100 brand and awareness.

Contact Katherine:

marketing@nashville.impact100council.org

 

Brooke Trusley
Director of Finance
Brooke Trusley
Director of Finance

Brooke Trusley has lived in Nashville for over 20 years. She has been an Impact100 member for three years. She serves on Nashville Ballet’s Board of Directors, has co-chaired the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of United Way for 2023 and 2024 alongside her husband, Josh Trusley, co-chaired Nashville Ballet’s Ballet Ball alongside Joanne Sowell in 2022 and is involved at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens as well as the Adventure Science Center. Brooke lives in West Meade with her husband of 21 years and their identical twin daughters.

Contact Brooke:
finance@nashville.impact100council.org

 

Tara Waters
Secretary
Tara Waters
Secretary

Tara is an Attorney, specializing in advocating for disabled individuals. Tara also serves in other capacities making a difference; as a member of the Orphan, Foster, Adoption Ministry team at Brentwood United Methodist Church, serving as a volunteer Attorney for the Legal Aid Society, and as a Member Relations Committee member for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Tara has served on the Advisory Board/Committee and Grants Committee during her tenure and looks forward to the collaborative continuation of working together with other women making a positive and transformative IMPACT in our community.

secretary@nashville.impact100council.org