Board

Gail Carr Williams - Chair

Gail Carr Williams has been a member of the Nashville MTA board since 2002 and is Associate Director of Community, Government and Neighborhood Relations in the Division of Public Affairs at Vanderbilt University. She is responsible for building community relationships on behalf of the university. Prior to her work with Vanderbilt, Williams had similar responsibilities at Ohio State University. She also has been a Human Resources Employee Relations Specialist with an emphasis on conflict resolution and mediation, and she practiced law in Oakland County, Michigan for 10 years. Williams also is a member of the following public service and community boards: University School of Nashville, The YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and Frist Center for the Visual Arts. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1979 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1982.

Jessica Dauphin - Member

Jessica Dauphin, who was named to the Nashville MTA board in May 2021, is the President and CEO for the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee and has served on the Transit NOW Nashville Board for three years. Dauphin has spent her time working to support nonprofits and the individuals and communities they benefit. She is particularly passionate about public transit and believes it is the key to sustaining growth, building economic competitiveness, and preserving a high quality of life. Born in Nashville and raised in Pegram/Kingston Springs, she resides in Bellevue near the Riverwalk Greenway where you can find her out with her husband, son, and their poodle, Buster. If she’s not out walking, she’s running on her treadmill or lifting weights. For fun, Dauphin enjoys reading, singing, and sometimes drawing with charcoal. She received her undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State.

Kathryn Hays - Member

Kathryn Hays was named to the Nashville MTA board in 2023 and is Vice President-Litigation for HCA Healthcare, a New York Stock Exchange listed healthcare company with operations in the United States and England. She has been with HCA Healthcare for five years and leads the Litigation Section of the Legal Department. Prior to joining HCA, Hays was the Vice President-Litigation for LifePoint Health and a partner in the Nashville law firm of Walker, Bryant & Tipps. She is a native of Louisiana and received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Louisiana State University. Hays has lived in Nashville since 2001 and has two daughters, who are currently making their way through middle school and high school.

Aron Thompson - Member

Aron Thompson, who was named to the Nashville MTA board in August 2023, is the Executive Director of the Real Estate Developers (R.E.D.) Academy, a program of the Urban League of Middle Tennessee (ULMT). He is responsible for overseeing the program's direction and assists with developing opportunities that allow local developers of color to tap into the program's resources and produce projects that produce equitable development in Nashville. Thompson has more than 20 years of experience in the architect field with numerous project types such as student-focused, student housing, sports and recreation, justice, aviation, healthcare, industrial, and corporate projects. He has worked as a senior project architect and project manager for local architectural firms. Thompson is a member of professional organizations such as NOMA, ULI, NAIOP, NMHC, and NAHB and is a deacon in his church and a board member for Bethlehem Centers of Nashville. He received his undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Architecture, from Prairie View A&M University.