Executive Director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Bernard Childress, has announced his retirement, effective June 30, after spending 13 years as the executive officer of the organization.

The Columbia, Tennessee native, was hired as an Assistant Executive Director of TSSAA in the summer of 1995. He was the first African American individual to serve at TSSAA in an executive capacity and was promoted to the position of Executive Director in 2009 after 14 years with the organization.

Under Childress’ leadership, the association became an early participant in the InSideOut Initiative, a partnership between TSSAA, the Tennessee Titans and the NFL Foundation. The program continues to help schools build a culture of positive sportsmanship and shift from a “win-at-all-cost” mentality to one where athletics solidifies its role in the character development of athletes.

The association launched its official website in 2017 under Childress which has become the public face of TSSAA championships and home to historical information on the schools and athletes that have participated in TSSAA events. Two major refurbishments to the association’s main website have also taken place under Childress. The most recent updates in 2019 saw the addition of specially-tailored landing pages for individual interest groups and the publishing of in-depth news articles and feature stories about the people and schools of TSSAA.

Childress was instrumental in numerous milestones that have shaped the association, including his work to meet the significant challenges faced by the association and its member schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. Childress and his staff worked with health professionals and the Governor’s office to develop safety protocols for student-athletes and fans, which ultimately led to the resumption of athletic participation among TSSAA member schools in the fall of 2020.

Assistant Executive Director Mark Reeves will succeed Childress as the fifth Executive Director of the TSSAA following Board of Control vote.

“I am incredibly humbled to lead an organization that I have grown to love,” says Reeves. “I’ve devoted my life to education and educational athletics and there’s no other work I’d rather be a part of.

“With the staff we currently have, I can’t help but be excited to lead this organization forward. My hope is that we can continue to enhance the lives of the young people we serve and that through our efforts we can produce young men and women who are capable of making a positive impact in this world.”

In his 14 years on staff at TSSAA, Reeves has had primary responsibility for several sports including football and track & field and currently oversees soccer, wrestling and the areas of coaches education and sports medicine. Reeves has served on a number of committees for the National Federation of State High School Associations including the NFHS Football Rules Committee, the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee, and most recently the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

He becomes takes over the role as executive director on July 1, 2022.

With spring already here, April is set to be a busy and exciting month for Nashville sports fans. This month will see the Predators season wrapping up with the playoffs on the line, the Sounds kicking off its season, and the St. Jude’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series once again hitting downtown.

The first weekend of April is already packed with Vanderbilt baseball hosting nationally ranked and SEC rival No. 1 Tennessee at Hawkins Field from April 1-3. Also this weekend is the 118th Opening Night for the Fairground Speedway where fans can catch a Pro Late Model race on Saturday (April 2).

On the ice, the Predators are playing nine home games, hosting Central Division rivals Minnesota Wild twice and the St. Louis Blues in the final month of the regular season.

For more events and games, head to The Sports Credential calendar.

APRIL 1-3
No. 9 Vanderbilt vs. No. 1 Tennessee at Hawkins Field
Nashville, Tennessee

APRIL 2
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway 118th Season Opener
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville SC vs. Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field
Columbus, Ohio

APRIL 5
Nashville Sounds Opening Day vs. Durham Bulls at First Horizon Park
Nashville, Tennessee

Predators vs. Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, Tennessee

APRIL 9
Hockey Fights Pediatric Cancer Night at Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, Tennessee

APRIL 17
Predators vs. St. Louis Blues at Bridgestone Arena

APRIL 19-24
Nashville Sounds Six-Game Series vs. Charolette Knights at First Horizon Park
Nashville, Tennessee

APRIL 21
Nashville Metro Sports Authority Board Meeting at Geodis Park
Nashville, Tennessee

APRIL 23-24
St. Jude’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Through Downtown
Nashville, Tennessee

APRIL 26
Predators Final Home Game of Regular Season vs. Calgary Flames
Nashville, Tennessee

The Nashville Predators are partnering exclusively with Nashville-based El Jefe to broadcast eight of the team’s remaining games in the 2021-22 regular season in Spanish.

The station’s first broadcast was Thursdaynight’s (Feb. 24) game against the Dallas Stars– also marking Pekka Rinne‘s jersey retirement–and will carry every Tuesday night Predators home game in March and April. Game broadcasts will be carried on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM, presented by Don Beto powered by ETHNIX GROUP.

“Between honoring Pekka Rinne and hosting the NHL Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series, this is such an incredible week in our franchise’s history, and we are so excited to add another incredible milestone to this week by welcoming El Jefe radio to the Smashville family,” says Predators President and CEO Sean Henry. “Long known as the premier Spanish-language radio outlet in Middle Tennessee, we believe we’ve partnered with the perfect station to present Predators hockey in Spanish for the first time in team history. El Jefe’s professionalism and broadcast reach will help us authentically bring Smashville to our community’s ever-growing Hispanic and Latinx market in such a tangible way.”

El Jefe has served all of Nashville and parts of Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky for nearly 30 years and is Middle Tennessee’s only Spanish-speaking radio outlet with the ability to reach more than 150,000 listeners during all of its broadcasts. El Jefe covers several of the biggest events in Middle Tennessee’s Hispanic community, including Hispanic Family Day, Fiestas Patrias, festivals, concerts and more.

Nashville Predators games being broadcasted on El Jefe:

• March 8 vs. Dallas
• March 15 vs. Pittsburgh
• March 29 vs. Ottawa
• April 5 vs. Minnesota
• April 12 vs. San Jose
• April 19 vs. Calgary
• April 26 vs. Calgary

Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has promoted Deana Ivey to President as the organization restructures its top leadership. Butch Spyridon remains the Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

Ivey has been with the organization since 1997, previously serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

“I am honored and humbled to be named President of an organization dedicated to promoting a city recognized as a global destination,” says Ivey. “I appreciate the confidence the NCVC Board of Directors and CEO Butch Spyridon have placed in me, and I look forward to helping realize Nashville’s future possibilities while building on the past successes.  It’s a city to which I have devoted my career and love.”

Ivey has received the Nashville Business Journal Women in Music award and the Women in Business award by Nashville Lifestyles. She is a board member of the Tennessee Hospitality Association, Rhythms of the South Corporation and the Academy of Country Music, and is a member of the 2015 Leadership Music class.

“Deana’s advancement is well earned and much deserved,” offers Spyridon. “She has been a committed partner these past 25 years and has been integral in shaping the Music City brand, creating and attracting major events, and marketing Nashville around the world.”

Both Spyridon and Ivey oversaw and coordinated the organization’s marketing and sales efforts as Nashville has become a heralded global destination. The city’s tourism industry has seen dramatic growth to 16.1 million annual visitors and $7.5 billion in direct visitor spending in 2019. Together, they have created and produced successful large annual concert events to market the city, including Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th and New Year’s Eve in Nashville.

They co-produced and helped lead creation of two award-winning Nashville documentaries: For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville and It All Begins With A Song. They also played key roles in hosting and promoting the 2019 NFL Draft, creating the Good To Go health and safety program, and bidding on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“As the organization has grown and Nashville’s profile as a global destination has risen, we saw a need to expand our top leadership,” says Kevin Lavender, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Butch continues to excel as a leader, putting Nashville in a position to reach record-breaking visitation and convention numbers and exceed expectations–from hosting the 2019 NFL Draft to being on the shortlist to host FIFA World Cup in 2026. The city is fortunate to have Butch and Deana leading the hospitality industry.”