Vision Statement
To connect, develop, and inspire Catholic Professionals to live their faith at work, at home, and in their community. (Adopted April 20, 2009)
Mission Statement
Providing opportunities for Catholic Professionals to engage in fellowship, catechesis, service, and philanthropy. (Adopted April 20, 2009)
Guiding Principle
Empowering Faith, Fulfilling Work, Improving Life
Operational Statements
- We embrace everyone; regardless of faith, title, or employment.
- When networking we conduct ourselves with professional courtesy and respect.
- We support the Diocese of Nashville.
Board of Directors
President Amy Sutton
Principal, Health & Benefits Consultant,Marsh People and Investments
Chief Financial Officer Drew Rogers
Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking, First Horizon Bank
Chief Administrative Officer Margaret Smith
Assistant General Counsel, CoreCivic
Career Transitions Team Leader James Gurman
Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial Services
Board Member Deb Varallo
President, Varallo Public Relations
Board Member Dwayne Keller
Senior Vice President, Vizient Advisory Solutions
Board Member Pat Lawson
Regional Affiliate Coordinator, Childcare Tennessee
Board Member Cole Crocker
Financial Advisor, Strategic Financial Partners
Our History
In 2007, Greg Mays had his world turned upside down. His boss and mentor for the past decade had sold the company for which he had worked for 12 years. He had a job with the new company, but guaranteed for only two years. Then, after a few months with the new company, Greg discovered there was no intention of keeping him on. They re-assigned most of his accounts and limited his territory.
Knowing that there was only a little over a year left, Greg started to network with as many folks as he could. He met so many different people for coffee that his wife used to call Panera his satellite office.
At a Parish social gathering that summer, Greg espoused the generosity of the Catholic Community in Nashville and that “someone should start a networking group for Catholics.” One of the other guests responded, “Why don’t you do it”. Having the time and need for direction, it became his daily focus for the next year.
After much prayer and one silent retreat, Greg formed a steering committee during the summer of 2008 that met at Holy Family Catholic Church in Brentwood, TN. When would we meet? What would be the format? Would we have speakers? Even the logo, were all a result of those Steering Committee Meetings.
The first Prayer Breakfast was held on October 9th, 2008 at the Martin Center in Brentwood, with 70 attendees. Over a year later, the CBL counted 160 paying members amongst our number, with an average monthly meeting attendance of 60.
Also, the networking worked. Greg received a job offer two months before his guarantee expired. The new position was a career direction that he never could envision previously (and continues to progress in his new role).
Two years after our founding, the location of the monthly meeting was moved into the center of the Diocese, the Cathedral of the Incarnation in downtown Nashville. This allowed the Catholic Business League to be accessible to professionals from throughout the Diocese. The move cost some turnover in membership, but has since grown and diversified our membership as well as offering Mass before the meeting.
In recent years our paid membership has grown over 200 and attendance has reached to over 100 for a breakfast meeting. With our mission to support Catholic Education the Board of Directors has recently decided to offer scholarships to the Nashville “JA Biz Town” for schools that would not normally be able to afford the expense. This program gives students the opportunity to run a mock town for two days, giving real life business, banking, and management experience.
The future of the Catholic Business League is unlimited. We hope to expand our mentorship work and better assist those in Career Transition. The belief of the Board is that continued focus on the monthly meeting will foster more involvement in organizational leadership, which will promote our mission.