Vic Alexander

Vic Alexander has been the chief manager of KraftCPAs since 1993. He has 26 years of experience in public accounting and has been with the firm since the beginning of his career. He graduated from David Lipscomb College in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in accounting. Each year he completes over 40 hours of continuing professional education.

In addition to serving on the board of the Tennessee Justice Center, Vic is Chairman of the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy. He is treasurer of the Ear Foundation, advisory council chairman of the Legal Aid Society, and a board member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce's Small and Entrepreneurial Business Advisory Board. He was actively involved in the formation of the Center for Family Business at Belmont University and served on the Center's programs committee. Vic was also named to Nashville Business magazine's Top 40 under 40 list at age 38.

Vic serves as board treasurer and chair of the finance committee. He is on our board because he believes that “everyone should have access to justice regardless of economic status.”

Justice Riley Anderson

Retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice E. Riley Anderson was first elected to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1990 and presided as its Chief Justice five times during his sixteen years of service on the court. During his years of service on the Tennessee Supreme Court, Justice Anderson held several positions with the national Conference of Chief Justices including serving as a member of its Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of its Courts, Children and the Family Committee. He was Chairman of the Tennessee Judicial Council from September 1990 to February 1995 and Chairman of the Select Senate/House Committee on Court Automation from 1990 through 1994. Prior to his election to the Tennessee Supreme Court, Justice Anderson served on the Tennessee Court of Appeals from 1987 to 1990. From 1958 to 1987, Justice Anderson was managing partner in the law firm of Joyce, Anderson & Meredith in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Justice Anderson has been honored for his service to the public and legal community with awards including the Joe Henry Lifetime Judicial Achievement Award from the American Board of Trial Advocates in 2007, the Tennessee Bar Association’s William M. Leech, Jr. Public Service Award in 2001, the Oak Ridge Rotary Club’s Vocational Service Award in 2000 and the Judge of the Year Award from the Tennessee Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates in 1998. He has held numerous positions with legal organizations including service as President of the Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court, President of the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, member and Chairman of the Tennessee Medical Malpractice Review Board, and President of the Anderson County Bar Association. He is a member of Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in America and has been listed since 1973 in Martindale Hubbell with an AV rating. Judge Anderson received his B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee and his J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Said Justice Anderson of his reason for joining our board, "The Tennessee Justice Center serves as a bridge between policy makers and those affected by public programs. I want to help in these efforts."

Gail Vaughn Ashworth

Gail Vaughn Ashworth, chairperson of our board, is a founding member of Gideon & Wiseman PLC.  She is a 1983 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School and holds B.S. (1977) and M.A. (1979) degrees in Music Education and Special Education from Tennessee Technological University. 

She is currently President-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association (2008), and she served as General Counsel of the TBA from 1999-2006. She Co-Chaired the Tennessee Supreme Court Jury Reform Commission (1997-1999), served on the Steering Committee of the TBA Leadership Law Program (2004-2007) which she Co-Chaired the inaugural year, and also serves on the ABA TIPS Leadership Academy Steering Committee (inaugural year 2006-current), which she Co-Chaired in 2007-2008. 

She is a former President of the Nashville Bar Association (NBA) (1997) and serves on the ADR and the Cean Sister City Bar Committees of the NBA.  She served as the elected NBA delegate in the ABA House of Delegates for three terms (2000-2006), is a member of the Marion Griffin chapter of LAW and of TLAW.  She is also a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and the Nashville Bar Foundation (Trustee 2005- current), as well as a fellow of the ABA/YLD, the TBA/YLD and the NBA/YLD. 

She is a former member of the State of Tennessee Registry of Election Finance (Chair, 1996), serves on the Board of Directors of Sister Cities Nashville, Inc. (Vice-President, 2006-current) and is a member of the Medical Ethics Committee at Centennial Medical Center.   She is a Rule 31 Certified Mediator, has practiced civil litigation in Nashville, Tennessee since 1983 and is listed in Best Lawyers in America  (1995-current).

Ms. Ashworth said, "I serve on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Justice Center because I strongly support the mission and the good work of TJC. TJC serves people in need of the most basic human services.  TJC's service is most often required in a time of crisis for TJC's clients.   TJC's staff is very dedicated and works tirelessly to help families and individuals in need throughout the State."     

Rev. Henry Blaze

Reverend Henry Blaze is the pastor of Progressive Baptist Church, a Nashville congregation with a distinguished history of community service and justice ministries. Rev. Blaze has been one of the faith leaders at the fore of advocacy for social and economic justice in Tennessee. He served as Co-Chair of the TennCare Statewide Coalition, a group dedicated to fighting the disenrollment of beneficiaries from the TennCare program.

Rev. Blaze has served at American Baptist College as the Director of Continuing Education. While at the College, he spent five years as Coordinator for the Garnett-Nabrit Lecture Series, targeted at increasing the awareness of clergy and lay leaders on issues affecting African-American religious communities. He has also taught courses at the College in Ethics, the Bible, and Black Church History. Rev. Blaze is the author of “An Analysis of Capitalism, Surplus Value and African Americans: A Proposal for Ministry to Move Toward Economic Justice.”

Rev. Blaze graduated from Texas Southern University in 1990 with a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University in 1993. He received his Clergy License from McGee Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Houston in 1982 and was ordained in Progressive Baptist Church. Married to Cynthia Ann Wilson for twenty-eight years, he and his wife are the proud parents of four children: Yolanda, Jennifer, Henry IV, and LaShun P.

Mary Bufwack

Mary Bufwack has served as CEO of United Neighborhood Health Services (UNHS) for 20 years.  UNHS, a private nonprofit organization, provides comprehensive primary care and prenatal services to over 20,000 underserved and vulnerable residents of Nashville and middle Tennessee. Ms. Bufwack has been recognized for her work by the Bureau of Primary Health Care, the Tennessee Primary Care Association and the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Her other volunteer activities have included service on the Board of Comprehensive Care Center, serving those with HIV. 

Ms. Bufwack received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis. Her work with UNHS was preceded by a position on the faculty of Colgate University in upstate New York. She was also a program coordinator with the Nashville YWCA Domestic Violence Program.

Ms. Bufwack is appreciative of the work the TJC does. She says, “TJC advocates in the area of state-wide policy about the most basic life issues of Tennessee residents … In the process, community members are involved and empowered to work for progressive state policies.”

David Cañas

David Cañas, shareholder with Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner PC, Nashville, represents clients in commercial litigation, dispute resolution and bankruptcy matters. He is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Nashville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is the co-author of Products Liability Defenses, A State by State Compendium, Tennessee Chapter (Defense Research Institute 2001).

He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee in 1994 and was a member of the Tennessee Law Review and served as a student materials editor. Cañas received his B.A. in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1989. He was named Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year by the Tennessee Bar Association in 2007 for his work with a long-time TJC client.

Of his commitment to equal justice, he says, “I believe society has a duty to take care of everyone in our community, and especially when it comes to access to essential health care. In Tennessee, low-income families in particular need advocates like the lawyers and staff at TJC. For that reason, I feel privileged to be a part of the TJC.”

Christopher Coleman

Christopher Coleman is an attorney at the law firm of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, where he represents plaintiffs in class and group actions and in individual lawsuits in cases of serious personal injury or death.  He also represents consumers and small businesses in cases involving antitrust violations.

Mr. Coleman is also on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Chapter of the American Constitution Society and the Young Lawyers Division of the Nashville Bar Association.  He received a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.  After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Joan Humphrey Lefkow in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Mr. Coleman says, "I support the work of TJC because no other group I've encountered is as effective at improving the lives of the poor in Tennessee."

David R. Esquivel

Attorney David R. Esquivel, a partner in the litigation department at Bass, Berry & Sims law firm, focuses his law practice on antitrust and other competition-related matters and has a strong commitment to pro bono representation. He received his undergraduate degree cum laude in Political Science and History from Duke University in 1992. He graduated with high honors from the Duke University School of Law in 1997. At Duke, he was an articles editor for the Duke Law Journal, served on the Moot Court Board, and authored The Identity Crisis in Public Interest Law, an article published in 1996 in the Duke Law Journal. After law school, Esquivel served as a law clerk to the late Sam J. Ervin III, Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Esquivel recently served as lead trial counsel in the pro bono representation of five Salvadoran plaintiffs in a federal court lawsuit against Col. Nicolas Carranza, the former Vice-Minister of Defense in El Salvador. The plaintiffs were tortured or suffered the death of their families at the hands of the Salvadoran military during the early 1980s. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages and found Col. Carranza responsible for crimes against humanity. The verdict represents the first time that a U.S. jury in a contested case has found a commander liable for crimes against humanity. For his work on this case, Esquivel received the 2005 Harris A. Gilbert "Pro Bono Attorney of the Year" Award from the Tennessee Bar Association.

Esquivel chairs our board's development committee. He joined the board, he said, because, "I believe strongly in TJC's mission - to serve as advocates for the poor.  I am pleased to do whatever I can to help."

Bill Farmer

Bill Farmer is a founding member of Farmer & Luna, PLLC and has extensive experience in civil and criminal cases, bench and jury, and trial and appellate practice before all Tennessee and federal tribunals.

Mr. Farmer received his Bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay State University in 1971. In 1974, he received his J.D. from the University of Tennessee. He is certified by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy to be a trial advocacy instructor, completing his training at Harvard Law School in 1985. He has continually taught trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School since 1985.

From 1974 to 1978, Mr. Farmer served as an Assistant U. S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. In 1978, he was appointed the first Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee. From 1984 until 1986, Mr. Farmer served as Advocate General for the State of Tennessee. He began the private practice of law in 1986 as the founding partner of Farmer, Berry & Purcell. From 1990 to 2001, Mr. Farmer served as a member of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, PLLC.

Mr. Farmer has served as a director of the Nashville Bar Association, as President of the Federal Bar Association, and as National Chairman of the Federal Defender Advisory Committee. In 2002, Mr. Farmer was selected by his peers as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” and is listed in that publication in the area of criminal law.

Mr. Farmer says, “There is no higher calling in the legal profession than to assist those in need with obtaining access to justice. There is no better manager of legal services for the underprivileged than Gordon Bonnyman.”

Barbara Dale Holmes

Barbara D. Holmes is a shareholder at Harwell, Howard, Hyne, Gabbert & Manner PC. She is a member of the Commercial Bankruptcy and Reorganization and Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice areas at H3GM.

Ms. Holmes is a member and fellow of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Foundations. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the Lawyers Association for Women. Ms. Holmes chaired the Tennessee Bar Association’s Commission on Juvenile Justice. She is a member of the TBA’s Board of Governors and Chair of the Bankruptcy Section.  She was President of the Nashville Bar Association in 2002 and is a former Director of the NBA. She has also served on the Nashville Bar Association's Committee on Admissions to Practice, Ethics Committee, Bankruptcy Committee, Continuing Legal Education Committee and the Task Force on Continuing Legal Education.

In a nationwide survey, Ms. Holmes was recognized in the 2005 and the 2006 Best Lawyers in America in the area of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights. She was also featured in the Nashville Business Journal as one of the Best of the Bar for 2005 and 2006.

Ms. Holmes received her law degree from Vanderbilt University where she served on the National Moot Court Team and the Associate Justice Moot Court Board. She also received American Jurisprudence Awards for Professional Responsibility and for Labor Relations in the Public Sector. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado.

Alexandra MacKay

Alexandra MacKay, member of Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Nashville, concentrates on intellectual property law and handles transactions and litigation concerning trademarks, licensing and copyrights. She has experience in federal and state courts, and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She recently was a panelist for the Nashville Bar Association’s Intellectual Property CLE program on “Recent Developments in Trademark Law.”

MacKay is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, American Bar Association, International Trademark Association, Lawyers’ Association for Women and the Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women. She is co-vice chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s “Access to Justice” Committee.

MacKay says of the Tennessee Justice Center, “TJC is an organization dedicated to helping the persons most in need access the kind of care every person needs most. I am pleased and honored to serve on TJC's board and in furtherance of its objectives.”

She received her J.D. in 2000 from the University of Michigan Law School and graduated in 1997 from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Music. MacKay serves on the Board of Directors for Ten Thousand Villages of Nashville, Inc., participates in Conexion Americas’ “Conversemos” program and is a member of the Belmont Orchestra.

Nancy F. MacLean

Nancy Fraas MacLean received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the Unitersity of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California.  She was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1979. 

Ms. MacLean is co-author of the Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, the Bankruptcy Procedure Manual, the Bankruptcy Jury Manual, West's Legal Forms volumes 9 - 11, West's Federal Forms volumes 6 - 6B, and Tennessee Practice Series volumes 3 - 6 and 16 - 16A.

Ms. MacLean is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women, the Nashville Bar Association, and the Lawyers Association for Women.  She is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation.

When asked why she serves on TJC’s Board, she said, “Every one of us is just one serious accident or illness away from being uninsurable. In advocating for the healthcare of those who cannot afford it and also for their other basic concerns of survival, the Tennessee Justice Center is protecting all Tennesseans. And, because Nashville is a healthcare center of the nation (and Tennessee ranks among the worst in healthcare), what happens here impacts the whole country.”

Dr. Robert Miller

Dr. Robert F. Miller is a Vanderbilt Pulmonary and Critical Care physician. He is the medical director of the Shade Tree Family Clinic, a free clinic operating in East Nashville. Dr. Miller has most recently been evaluating Iraqi War Veterans with lung disease.

He is a member of the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Miller has devoted considerable time to serving on several boards of directors and committees throughout his career. He served on the Board of Directors for the American Lung Association of Tennessee from 1997 to 2006, and served as its president from 2002 to 2004. He was on the St. Thomas Hospital Ethics Committee until 2001. He Served as Chairman of the St. Thomas Hospital Pharmacy and from 1993 to 1998. He was also a Tennessee delegate to The Council of Chapter Representatives of The American Thoracic Society for almost 10 years, from 1997 to 2006.

Dr. Miller received The Arnold Gold Foundation, Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award in 2007 and 2008. In 2006, he received the Vanderbilt Helping Hands Award, honoring him for his contributions to the care for the underserved. That same year, he also received the Vanderbilt CANDLE award, honoring him as a faculty member for Caring, Advocating, Nurturing, Determination, Empathy (CANDLE).  He received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the American Lung Association of Tennessee in 2004.

He has also served as an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University since 2001.
           
Dr. Miller received his B.A. from Colorado College. He graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1982. He is board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care.

Dr. Dwight Montgomery

Pastor Dwight Ray Montgomery attended Memphis City Schools and graduated from Hamilton High School in 1968. He attended Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, where he became a proud member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Pastor Montgomery was voted president of Student Government for several years. He was also recognized by Who’s Who Among American College Students.

After graduating in 1972, Pastor Montgomery returned to Memphis and began work as an active community servant. He formed COBY, Coalition of Benevolent Youth, in 1974. COBY set the framework for many housing initiatives that still exist. He became a board member of the Memphis Housing Authority, serving in a volunteer capacity for 9 years and as chairman for 2 years. He was recognized as an Outstanding Black Young Man in America and was featured in Ebony Magazine.

In 1975, while actively working with COBY, Pastor Montgomery answered his calling to spread the Gospel. He delivered his first sermon in September 1975 and was ordained in December of that year. He accepted the call from New Zion Missionary Baptist Church to serve as its pastor and faithfully led his flock there for seven years. In 1985, Pastor Montgomery became pastor of Annesdale Cherokee Missionary Baptist Church. He established a successful weekly radio ministry, weekly bible study, and outreach ministries. He is the founder and chairman of the Faith-based Public Education Initiative (FBPEI) and the chairman of the Educational Committee for the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association.

Pastor Montgomery’s presence is felt throughout the community in his fight against gangs, homelessness, poverty and other social ills. As President of the Memphis Chapter of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Pastor Montgomery has been a visible and vocal Faith-Based Leader advocating on behalf of Tenncare enrollees in the State of Tennessee.  His work on the board of the Tennessee Justice Center continues this tradition.

A. Gregory Ramos

Gregg Ramos is an attorney who specializes in employment law, workers compensation, civil litigation, insurance litigation and sports law.

Mr. Ramos is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, and served as its President in 2004. He was on the board of directors from 2001 through 2003. He also is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the State Bar of Arizona and the American Bar Association.

In addition to his position on TJC’s board of directors, Mr. Ramos also is on the Board of Directors for United Way of Metropolitan Nashville and Conexion Americas. He is President of the board of Catholic Charities. Mr. Ramos also is on the Tennessee Education Lottery's Advisory Council for Minority Business Participation and the State of Tennessee's Workers' Compensation Advisory Council.

Mr. Ramos majored in Political Science at Arizona State University, graduating magna cum laude. He received his law degree from Arizona State University College of Law in 1980.

Reflecting on his decision to join the TJC board of directors, Mr. Ramos said, “With everything that’s going on in the healthcare system, it’s easy to forget the people who are left out.”

Sandra Roberts

Sandra Roberts served as managing editor of the opinion pages for The Tennessean newspaper for 19 years prior to joining the our board. Roberts is well-known and respected for her editorial leadership at The Tennessean, where she guided the newspaper’s efforts to make the city and state a better place to live during a period of dramatic growth in the greater Nashville area and throughout Tennessee.  Roberts retired from The Tennessean in September 2006, where she had worked for more than 31 years. Except for an eight-month stint at USA Today, Roberts spent her entire career at The Tennessean, joining the newspaper as a library clerk and rising through the ranks to the position of managing editor in 1987 until her retirement.

Some of her professional honors include the National Headline Award and a Green Eyeshade Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and several Best Editorial Awards from the Tennessee Press Association. She also received the Amicus Award from the American Association of Trial Lawyers. Roberts earned her B.A. degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a Master of Library Science degree from Peabody College, Nashville.

Sandra says that it is an “honor to play any role in an organization that has demonstrated such a selfless commitment to the welfare of Tennesseans and of Tennessee.” She says, “I hope I can help the organization develop strategies to be even more effective in the years to come.”

Marilyn Robinson

Marilyn Robinson, who joined the TJC board because “I believe in the work of the Tennessee Justice Center and I admire the courage of the staff to fight for what's right,” is the executive director of Nashville Minority Business Development Center.

Ms. Robinson is the immediate past president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan Nashville Chapter and President of the NAACP, Nashville branch. She serves as co-moderator of the economic and community development task force of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators, Legislative Retreat and Training Conference. She is Nashville Coordinator of the African American Economic Development Coalition and of Minority Enterprise Development Week.

Ms. Robinson is on the community board of advisors for the Meharry Medical College, Center for Women's Health Research.  She was appointed to the Nashville Electric Service board in 2000. She received Governor appointments to the Minority Business Development Advisory Committee and the Title VI-Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Oversight Committee.

In 2005, she received the "Harriet Tubman Award" from Youth About Business, the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship "Drum Major Award", the U.S. Department of Commerce, Atlanta Regional Office, "Director's Award", the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership "Candlelight Award" and the U.S. Small Business Administration, Tennessee District Office, "Small Business Advocate of the Year Award".

Ms. Robinson grew up in Memphis, TN. She received the Bachelor of Business Administration degree from LeMoyne-Owen College. She has additional business certifications from Management Concepts, Atlanta, GA and the U.S.D.A., Farmers Home Administration.

“It is a blessing to have an organization like the Tennessee Justice Center that works tirelessly to ensure that government representatives do the right thing. With the Tennessee Justice Center, we have an organization with the courage and perseverance to stand and fight for those that are voiceless,” Ms. Robinson said.

Ellen Vergos

Ellen Bronaugh Vergos is a partner in the Memphis, Tennessee office of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, where she is a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group.  She concentrates her practice in the areas of creditors’ rights, business bankruptcy and commercial litigation.  Ms. Vergos is certified as a specialist in business bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification Specialization and Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and is listed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Rule 31 general civil mediator.

She received her B.A. from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law.  Her career includes public service in the U.S. Department of Justice as United States Trustee for Region 8 (Tennessee and Kentucky) by the appointment of former Attorney General Janet Reno, from 1995 to 2003; private law practice in Memphis and Nashville, and a judicial clerkship in the U.S. District Court for the Honorable Harry W. Wellford (retired Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals judge.)

            Her pro bono service includes membership of the Shelby County Health Care Corporation, which oversees the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, a safety net hospital; service as the Memphis District Representative to the Tennessee Economic Council on Women, a state council created to address the economic concerns and needs of Tennessee’s women; and the Memphis Cook Convention Center Board of Commissioners, responsible for supervision of the city’s convention center.

            Ms. Vergos is pleased to have the opportunity to serve on the board of the Tennessee Justice Center, with its long tradition of committed community service and dedicated volunteers.  She looks forward to helping the TJC have an increased presence and role in West Tennessee.  The work of the TJC fits well with her interests in promoting health care services for those who cannot afford them and in advancing the economic status of families in Tennessee. 

Matthew A. Wiltshire

Matthew is a Director at Avondale Partners, a full-service investment bank based in Nashville. At Avondale, Matthew provides advice on mergers and acquisitions and raises capital for middle-market companies.

Prior to returning home to join Avondale in 2005, he was an investment banker in New York and San Francisco. Matthew received a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Dartmouth College.

Matthew also serves on the Boards of Hands on Nashville and GenTN.
Matthew co-founded the Kitchen Cabinet, a group which seeks to facilitate communication and coordination between progressive activists, organizations and legislators. A member of Belmont United Methodist Church, Matthew chairs the Belmont-Edgehill Partnership. Previously, Matthew served on the executive committee of the Sennet Society of the United Way of Middle Tennessee. Matthew is married to Lisa Wiltshire and they have two sons, John Ashley and Alex.

Matthew is deeply honored to help in any way the incredible staff at TJC. "TJC is a powerful voice and advocate for the less privileged members of our community. I am continuously awed by how efficiently the organization uses its resources to effect substantial policy changes that improve - and in some cases save - the lives of people across the state."

Cindy Wyrick

Attorney Cynthia Richardson Wyrick, a shareholder in the law firm of Ogle, Gass & Richardson, P.C., is well-known in the Tennessee legal community, currently serving as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) Programs Committee and as a member of the Board of Governors.  She is also a Past President of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, a graduate of the TBA Leadership Law program, and a 2006 TBA President’s Award recipient.

Wyrick joined Ogle, Gass & Richardson in 1996 and became a shareholder in 1999. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Houston M. Goddard of the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Honorable Gary R. Wade, a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Wyrick is a member of the Sevier County Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the American Bar Association (ABA) and the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA). Wyrick is the Retiring Chair of the Law in Public Service Committee for the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and is a past member of the ABA House of Delegates. She was honored by the ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section during the 2004-2005 bar year with the Small Firm Practitioner of Merit award, one of the Section’s highest honors. Wyrick has been named a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, the TBA Young Lawyers Division and the ABA Young Lawyers Division.

Wyrick graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. degree in Political Science. She received her J.D. degree in 1994 from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

“While I had admired the amazing work that the Tennessee Justice Center does for the underprivileged in our state for years, until I met some of the hard working families that TJC has assisted in obtaining the basic needs of life, I did not begin to grasp the magnitude of TJC’s work.  I am convinced that anyone who sits down with one of the TJC families will immediately ask the same question that I did:  ‘How can I help the TJC assist more families with such dire needs?’  I want to share the stories of the TJC’s work with these worthy families with others across the State, in order to encourage my fellow Tennesseans to support the TJC with their time and financially,” said Wyrick of her goals as a board member.