Our Leadership Team
Meet the amazing staff and board members who make Nashville Fellows such a special program.
Our Staff
John Allen | Executive Director
John brings more than 25 years of leadership in the business world and a deep passion for guiding young adults in the way of Christ during a formative season of life. His career includes serving as Director of the Employee Assistance Program at St. Thomas Ascension and as Director of Behavioral Health Services for the State of Tennessee's employee health plan.
Prior to joining the Nashville Fellows, John and his family lived in Gulu, Uganda, where he served with International Justice Mission to design and lead a leadership development program for staff while mentoring recent graduates through IJM’s Fellows program.
Since 2021, he has had the privilege of leading the Nashville Fellows. He and his wife, Kendra, have two young adult children, Caroline and Wilder.
Contact: john.allen@nashvillefellows.org
Katie Woods | Program Coordinator
Katie grew up attending her local Catholic church in the Philadelphia suburbs. When God brought her to Nashville in 2014, she quickly realized how fulfilling and transformative it is to truly trust the Lord and walk in close relationship with Him. Since arriving in Music City with no connections or professional work experience, God’s provision, presence, faithfulness and goodness have been on display every single day in Katie’s life.
For more than a decade, she has been blessed with a steady and supportive church family, fruitful friendships and amazing mentors. With leadership experience in the hospitality and retail industries, as well as the church world, Katie has developed a unique skill set. She has a strong, strategic mindset and a keen eye for detail. By working on small, nimble teams, she has learned how to problem-solve and tackle difficult tasks by herself.
Katie also serves as the Director of Ministry Operations at Parks Church PCA. She lives with her husband, Jack, in Charlotte Park and is a huge Philadelphia sports fan.
Contact: hello@nashvillefellows.org
Pastor in Residence
Scotty Smith
Scotty Smith is an author and the Founding Pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. Scotty generously gives his time to Nashville Fellows as a Pastor in Residence, sharing decades of spiritual wisdom with our class each week. He also writes for The Gospel Coalition.
Our Board
Gage Arnold
About: Gage enjoys the incredible privilege of sharing the love of Jesus with the teenagers of First Presbyterian Church of Nashville as the Director of Youth Programming. Before his current role, he worked as the Communications Director at Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. He previously launched ministry efforts with the Nashville Institute for Faith & Work and the Center for Faith & Work Los Angeles. He holds his Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism & Electronic Media from the University of Tennessee. Gage is also an alumnus of the Nashville Fellows Program.
A Chattanooga native, Gage loves a good doughnut, all things University of Tennessee athletics, running with his German Shorthaired Pointer (Penny), and exploring new cities, cultures, and culinary delights with his wife, Ashland, and their daughters, Shiloh and Phoebe.
Favorite faith book(s): “Confessions” by Augustine
Favorite Nashville spot(s): Gray’s on Main
David Barr
About: David is an Associate Rector at St. George’s and prior to that was a PhD student at the University of Toronto. He has a Master of Arts in Theology and Ethics from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Covenant College. He loves teaching about the church, scripture and our shared life in Christ. David and his wife, Caroline, are both from South Carolina and love being in Nashville. They are proud parents of William, Gigi and Benjamin.
Zach Berry
About: Zach was ordained to the priesthood in January of 2026, and currently serves as the curate at St. George's Episcopal Church. He and his wife, Claire, moved to Nashville in 2025 from Durham, North Carolina, where they both completed Master of Divinity degrees at Duke Divinity School. Before going to seminary, Zach taught English, History, Bible, and Latin at Mead Hall Episcopal School in his hometown, Aiken, South Carolina. He graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin and Ancient Greek from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Zach enjoys fishing, cooking, reading and hosting friends.
Favorite faith book(s): “The Complete English Poems” of George Herbert
Favorite Nashville spot(s): Caffe Nonna
Chris Calton
About: Born in Nashville, Chris is a member of St. George's Episcopal Church. He currently serves as the Director of Group Practice Integration at Emergency Care Partners and President of Morosini Advisors, a consulting and advisory practice enabling corporations to achieve their strategic and growth objectives. Chris received his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and a Master in Business Administration from Columbia University in New York. Prior to joining ECP, Chris spent 28 years in the investment banking industry, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare and technology sectors.
Favorite faith book(s): “Mere Christianity” by CS Lewis, “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and “He Leadeth Me” by Father Walter J. Cisek
Favorite Nashville spot(s): Percy Warner Park and Edwin Warner Park
Scott Dalton
About: Scott is a Nashville-native who came to faith entering his senior year of high school. He attended Baylor University and graduated with a business degree. During that time, he sensed a call to ministry and, several weeks after graduating from Baylor, he began his Master of Divinity degree at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas and finished back at Baylor at George W. Truett Seminary with a focus on Biblical Languages and Theology. After seminary, Scott pivoted to the tech world, which is what he does today.
Outside of work, Scott and his wife, Sarah, have two wonderful daughters. Scott and Sarah both serve on the board for Young Life Nashville where they lead the Committee for Young Life College. They’re also active members of First Presbyterian Church and serve in the Children’s Ministry and Young Adult Ministry.
Alice Essary
About: Alice is an attorney with Gideon, Essary, Tardio & Carter in Nashville, Tennessee, focusing on the defense of hospitals and medical professionals. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and Cumberland School of Law where she served as Executive Editor of the Cumberland Law Review and was inducted into the Honor Society, Curia Honoris. Alice also served as the first Student Intern to the Honorable Edward Samuel Smith, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
In addition to her legal practice, Alice has served on various Boards and held many community leadership positions including President of Fannie Battle Day Home for Children, President of Friends of Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Junior League of Nashville Home Board of Trust, The Oak Hill School Board of Trust, President of The Harpeth Hall School Parent Association, Books from Birth of Middle Tennessee, and Board Member, Ex Officio, of both Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and The Harpeth Hall School. In 2012, Alice was a Finalist for the Mary Catherine Strobel Community Impact Award. She has also served on the Vestry of her family’s Church, St. George’s Episcopal Church, most recently serving as Junior Warden.
Favorite faith book(s): “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis
Favorite Nashville spot(s): St. George’s Church and entertaining dear friends at our home.
Nate Martin
About: Nate Martin currently serves on the Nashville Fellows Board as the Alumni Chair. He is deeply grateful for the impact the Fellows program had on his life and is excited to continue serving by helping make the experience even better for future classes. Nate was a member of Class 10 and often describes his Fellows year as “a year I didn’t know I needed so much.”
When he is not working with the Fellows community, Nate works at AllianceBernstein as a Private Wealth Performance Analyst, where he helps bridge communication between portfolio managers and advisors to ensure client needs are consistently met.
Originally from Hermitage, Pennsylvania, Nate met his beautiful wife, Lizzy, at Grove City College. They were married just two weeks after he completed the Fellows program in May of 2023 and have since begun building their family with their dog, Bean. Nate and Lizzy attend West End Community Church, where they serve as volunteer youth leaders.
Favorite faith book(s): “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer
Favorite Nashville spot(s): The Iberian Pig
Pam Morris
About: Pam grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she joined Procter and Gamble as a sales manager in Florida and next moved to Nashville. In Nashville, she met her husband Russ and changed careers, becoming a financial advisor for 20 years with Prudential Bache Securities and Legg Mason Wood Walker. After time off to enjoy her 4 children, she joined the Charis Foundation as the grants manager.
Over the years, Pam has enjoyed serving on school boards and working with many non-profit organizations. She is currently a member of West End Community Church where she serves as a Stephen Minister. In her spare time, she loves to travel to visit her children in Idaho, California, North Carolina and Alabama. She also enjoys daily walks in Percy Warner Park and playing pickleball with friends.
Amy Robbins
About: Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classics and a master’s in Secondary Education from Vanderbilt. She taught Latin at University School of Nashville and the Covenant School and still enjoys tutoring. Together with her husband Jason they have four kids and one bulldog, June. They are long time members of West End Community Church. She enjoys playing tennis, doing yoga, and supporting Nashville SC.
Favorite faith book(s): “Living Life Backward” by David Gibson & “Mere Christianity” by CS Lewis
Favorite Nashville spot(s): E+ROSE
Dan Simpson
About: Dan was named CEO of Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe in 2018 after serving as the Chief Innovation Officer starting in 2016. Previously, he was a Taziki's franchisee and managing partner at Fresh Hospitality. Mr. Simpson was the co-founder and CEO of ToGo Technologies from 2012 until 2015. He was the Chief Development Officer of Dispensary of Hope, Nashville, Tennessee, from 2008 until 2012. Dan earned his Bachelor of Science in Science from Clearwater Christian College, followed by his MBA from West Virginia University.
Born in urban Philadelphia (Go Birds!) and raised in rural Maine, Dan and his wife, Kim, now live in Nashville, TN, with their three kids. Dan serves on the boards of Fresh Hospitality, the National Immigration Forum Corporate Roundtable, Sunlight Mountain Resort, and the Nashville Fellows.
Favorite faith book(s): “Let Your Life Speak” by Parker Palmer
Favorite Nashville spot(s): Percy Priest Lake and Marina, Deep Well Trailhead at Percy Warner Park, Radnor Lake, and Richland Creek Greenway. Brooklyn Bowl for concerts and Answer for dinner.
Betsy Wright
About: Betsy is a rare Nashville native — graduating high school from David Lipscomb and earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in English from Vanderbilt University. In true form to Music City, she met her husband, Sean, through music — writing and performing — and they also volunteered with youth together. Betsy and Sean ran their IT firm Affinity Technology Partners for 23 years and had the pleasure of working with many of the area’s premier companies and organizations. In 2025, Affinity Technology Partners was acquired by IT Solutions, a national IT firm, and Betsy and Sean are helping them grow their Nashville presence.
Betsy and Sean have been married for nearly 30 years and have four wonderful children. In her free time, Betsy loves hiking, reading, cooking and cheering on Nashville’s sports team. She attends church at Midtown Fellowship’s Granny White location and is very involved with their worship and youth programs.