OZ Arts Nashville has announced an impressive lineup of community leaders and vibrant personalities as conversation hosts for its annual fundraiser, “Conversations at OZ.” The unique signature event returns Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 6:30 pm in OZ’s expansive creative warehouse ahead of the renowned arts organization celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Conversations at OZ is one of the most dynamic annual benefits in Nashville, inviting guests to engage in an evening of cocktails, dinner and insightful dialogue on a range of contemporary topics, including arts and culture, social issues, business and government.

The list of hosts who will guide the conversations at each table is now live on the OZ Arts website and includes prominent figures like MNPS Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle, Jacky Akbari, Judge Sheila Calloway, Dr. Agenia Clark, John Seigenthaler, Clarence Edward, alongside three mayors – Mayor Freddie O’Connell, former Mayor Karl Dean and newly-elected Memphis Mayor Paul Young, and more.

The event is co-chaired by a diverse group of local leaders who have had an extraordinary impact on the Nashville community, including Sherri Neal, Chief Diversity Officer at HCA Healthcare and OZ Arts Board Member, Ryan McLaughlin Wood, South Central Market Executive at UBS and OZ Arts Board Member, and Barrett Wood, Real Estate Consultant at The Parker Group, Frank M. Garrison, Jr., and Amy Garrison, community volunteers and David Ewing, Nashville historian.

The full list of Nashville’s most prominent leaders as table hosts for Conversations at OZ includes:

Jacky Akbari, Founder & Managing Principal of Worthington Advisory and Memphis Mayor Paul Young

Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of Schools for Metro Nashville Public Schools

T Bone Burnett, Famed musician, record producer and former guitarist for Bob Dylan

Judge Sheila D. J. Calloway, Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge

Dr. Agenia Clark, President of Fisk University

Karl Dean, Former Nashville Mayor and Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University

Clarence Edward, Founder of Cë Gallery and Shabazz Larkin, Visual Artist

Rick Ewing, Director of Customer Success – Health Sciences at Oracle Corporation

Hank Ingram, CEO of Brown Water Spirits

Milton Johnson, Former CEO of HCA and Gregory Jones, President of Belmont University

Derek Jones, Vice President WHS, Global Transportation and Retail Services at Amazon

Justin Kanew, Editor In Chief at The Tennessee Holler

Janet Kurtz, Editor-in-Chief of Nfocus Magazine

Katie Marchetti, Co-Founder and Executive Board Member at Voices for a Safer Tennessee

Anna Myint, Owner of International Market and Myint Estates LLC

Freddie O’Connell, Mayor of Nashville

Mary Laura Philpott, Bestselling Author

Jason Ridgel, Founder of Guidance Whiskey

John Seigenthaler, Former NBC anchor

Kathy Sinback, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee

Julia Sullivan, Chef & Co-Owner, Henrietta Red and Erin Byers Murray, Editor-in-Chief of the Local Palate

Nada Taha, Radio Host at Apple Music and Co-Founder of GoodCopBadCop

Molly Tuttle, GRAMMY-Winning Musician

Cameron Weiss, Master Watchmaker and Founder of Weiss Watch Company

Sally Williams, President, Nashville Music & Business Strategy at Live Nation Entertainment

All proceeds from Conversations at OZ support OZ Arts’ mission to create innovative and accessible artistic opportunities for artists, audiences and students in Middle Tennessee and beyond. To get your seat at a table, or learn more about upcoming performances at OZ, please visit https://www.ozartsnashville.org/.