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Meet the 2022 Salute to Excellence Winners

Community Impact

October 21, 2022

CNM is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Salute to Excellence Awards presented by PNC Bank. Last night, $252,000 was awarded to the 12 winning organizations during the nation’s largest nonprofit awards ceremony held at Belmont University’s Fisher Center. “We were delighted to be back in person this year for our 29th Salute to Excellence,” said Tari Hughes, president and CEO of CNM. “These winners were selected from a group of 34 incredible organizations represented in our finalist round. There is truly no group more deserving of celebration than those that have been on the front lines addressing complex issues facing our community throughout this last year.”

The winners of the 12 awards are:

  • Amazon Social Justice Changemaker Award: The Equity Alliance
  • Diversified Trust New Generations Award: Unscripted
  • Erie Chapman Foundation Radical Loving Care Award: Linda Cherry, Center of Hope
  • KraftCPAs Board Member of the Year Award: Jeff Dobyns, Men of Valor
  • Piedmont Natural Gas Sustainable Practices Award: The Nashville Food Project
  • The Frist Foundation Innovation in Action Award: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
  • The Frist Foundation Revenue Development Award: TennGreen Land Conservancy
  • The Frist Foundation Team Building Award: Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors
  • The Memorial Foundation Leadership Award: Inspiritus, Inc.
  • Truist CFO of the Year Award: Andrew Williams, Columbia Academy
  • TrustCore CEO of the Year Award: Gail Powell, High Hopes, Inc.
  • United Way of Greater Nashville Community Impact Award: UpRise Nashville & Healing Housing

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Lewis Lavine President’s Award to Susan Simons, a founding CNM board member and originator of the Salute to Excellence Awards. This award is given in memory of Lewis Lavine, longtime president of CNM and champion of the nonprofit sector.

The 2022 Salute to Excellence is made possible by corporate and philanthropic supporters throughout the region, including PNC Bank, which returned as the Hero of Excellence sponsor.