Community Advisory Council

The Community Advisory Council (CAC) ensures that community voices help shape the work of the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) and the Community Engaged Research Core (CERC). The Council helps make sure research efforts reflect real community needs and priorities.

The CAC brings community members and researchers together to learn from one another and build strong, respectful partnerships. Council members help identify important community health concerns, guide how resources are used to address them, and support research that improves health. The Council also helps ensure that community-engaged research is conducted ethically and with meaningful community involvement at every stage.

The CAC members are advisors who live and work across middle Tennessee.

Community Advisory Council Members

Aaron Marble, BSBA, MBA, MDiv

Bishop, Jefferson St Missionary Baptist Church

Amy Richardson, MPH

Chief Community Health & Programs Officer, Siloam Health

Courtney Cook, BSN, MSN (ACNP), DNP

Associate Professor of Nursing, Belmont University

Darlene Jenkins, DrPH

Retired, Senior Director of Programs at National Health Care for the Homeless Council

Ingrid Cockhren, BS, MEd

Owner, Cockhren Consulting

Katina Beard, MSPH

Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Inc.

Neely Williams, EdD

Co-Investigator, STAR Clinical Research Network

Patrick Luther, MHS

Sr. Advisor for Community Partnerships & Investments, Wounded Warrior Project

Rochelle Carpenter

Lead Outreach Ambassador, Clark Communications

Ted Cornelius

Executive Director, Tennessee State Alliance of YMCAs

Sipal Haji, Teaching Associate Degree

Social Worker, Catholic Charities of Nashville

Tene Hamilton Franklin, MS

Principal and Founder, Hamilton Franklin Strategies, LLC

Yolanda Vaughn, MS, PMP

Senior Program Coordinator, Tennessee Board of Regents