Joycelyn Stevenson becomes first African American woman elected chair of MNAA

Joycelyn Stevenson

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), which owns and operates the Nashville International Airport (BNA) and the John C. Tune Airport (JWN), has announced the election of officers for its Board of Commissioners, including:  Joycelyn Stevenson as board chair; James W. Granbery as vice-chair; and Andrew W. Byrd as secretary. In accordance with the commission bylaws, the officers will serve the remainder of the current term, which expires on June 20, 2024.

“The MNAA Board of Commissioners are an integral part of BNA and JWN because they help establish policies not just to ensure we’re meeting the needs of travelers, but that we provide an unmatched experience as a world-class airport,” said Doug Kreulen, president/CEO of BNA. “With Chair Stevenson at the helm, I have the utmost confidence that her leadership will help us continue to soar to new heights.”

Stevenson is the first African American woman to be elected board chair.

A native of Macon, Ga., Joycelyn A. Stevenson graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and received her law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville. Joycelyn was appointed to the MNAA board in 2020 by Mayor John Cooper. She previously served as board secretary and vice chair. She also worked in the role of vice chair of the board’s Diversity Committee, secretary for the Management Committee, and a member of the BNA Vision and Finance Committee. Stevenson, an attorney, is the Nashville office managing shareholder for Littler Mendelson, a law firm with the largest global employment and labor practice. Previously she served as executive director of the Tennessee Bar Association. Prior to her role there, she was a shareholder at Littler Mendelson, P.C. and partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP. She attended Howard University and earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. Stevenson’s prior board service includes serving as president of the Nashville Bar Association, the Lawyers’ Association for Women-Marion Griffin Chapter, and AgeWell Middle Tennessee.  

The seven-member Board of Commissioners, appointed by the Nashville/Davidson County Mayor and confirmed by the Metropolitan Council, governs and sets policies for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. The board is comprised of three business and finance representatives, two pilot representatives, one engineering representative, and one legal representative. In addition to the newly elected officers: Robert J. Joslin, William H. Freeman, Nancy Sullivan, and Dr. Glenda Glover serve as commissioners.

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