Luis is originally from Orlando, Florida where he attended the University of Central Florida (UCF), from which he obtained his Bachelors and Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering. He and his wife, Gaby, then moved to Nashville where he obtained work for Bridgestone Americas Inc.; like many Gaby and Luis call Nashville home. At Bridgestone Americas Luis primarily works on sustainability, data analysis, environmental management systems and pollution prevention. He is actively involved in the community, participating in river clean ups hosted by local Tennessee organizations such as Cumberland River Compact and Team Green from Lightning 100. On his spare time, he enjoys hiking in the local state parks, gardening, playing tennis, basketball, and trying all the amazing food the city has to offer.

Meet our Volunteer Chair, Alex Macias. 

Alex joined the Conexión Américas team last September, where he now oversees community development and arts and cultural programming. Before returning to his native Nashville, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer doing community based youth development. 

He is a graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South where he studied International Global Studies and Spanish literature. Civic engagement has always been an important part of Alex’s life and is exciting to join the Conexion Next board as the volunteer chair to help others use their skills and passions to help make the Nashville community a more welcoming place for all people. When Alex isn’t working you can find him trying new food, drinking lots of coffee, reading, traveling or enjoying the outdoors.

Meet our Chair of Communications, Kathryn Bennett

Kathryn moved to Nashville from Boston in 2015 and is a proud member of the Bee Team at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. She loves listening to live music, perusing local book stores and exploring Nashville’s restaurants and breweries. Kathryn is a guest blogger for NowPlayingNashville.com and also serves on the leadership committee for Social Media Club Nashville.

Meet our Special Events Chair, Drew Lamb.

Drew moved to Nashville looking to learn as much as he could and make Nashville home. Started at Belmont University majoring in Entrepreneurship and from there worked for Tennessee Charter School Center, Tesla, and Avenue Bank. Then going back to school to become a CPA getting his Masters of Accountancy at Vanderbilt University is now at EY. Spends free time hiking, enjoying the natural beauty of Middle Tennessee and cooking.

Meet our Chair of Professional Development, Tré Hardin.

Tré Hardin is Public Art and Placemaking Coordinator at Metro Nashville Arts Commission. As a
native of Nashville, Tré seeks to contribute in an authentic way to the swiftly growing city by supporting local artists and working to ensure that all Nashvillians have access to the arts. Tré manages public art projects from inception to completion and supports the agency, the public art team, and community members with city-wide public art development. 

An alumnus of Howard University, Tré studied International Business and received his Bachelors of Business Administration degree in 2016. Tré is a soccer fanatic and often spends time playing in recreational leagues and keeping up with various European cups and competitions. With a strong desire to travel, Tré loves to experience new cultures especially through art, cuisine and music in his destinations.