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June 13, 2022

Cole becomes first person to hold DEI post at Nashville Entrepreneur Center

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, recently announced that it is expanding its C-suite with the addition of Brittany N. Cole, as its first-ever Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer. The EC will partner with Career Thrivers, a company founded by Cole focused on helping businesses attract and retain diverse talent.

“Brittany is a trailblazer who knows what it takes to build equity and inclusion within organizations,” said Jane Allen, CEO of the EC. “She’s done it for some of the biggest companies in the world and in fact started her own company, Career Thrivers, where she and her team work to develop inclusive leaders for equity. It is important for our entrepreneurial community that we continue to advance our inclusion priorities, and having Brittany on our leadership team is truly a gift, especially as we expand our Tennessee Twende program for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. Her experience, poise, and knowledge will help us reach our goals and continue to help entrepreneurs of color grow and sustain their businesses. Her work at the EC will touch both inside and outside our organization, and we’re confident it will have an impact for years to come.”

As Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, Cole will be responsible for further enhancing the ECs Twende’ program, a Tennessee initiative working to amplify the voices of entrepreneurs of color and make it easier to connect them to resources in the state. She will spearhead an internal strategy that further accelerates inclusion and equity strategies across the EC while also leveraging her expertise to provide resources and tools to entrepreneurs to help them cultivate inclusive leadership skills and build equitable organizations.

Cole brings more than 15 years of experience to the EC. Prior to founding Career Thrivers, she held a series of commercial leadership roles at the pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer. Cole earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“It’s an honor to have the EC partner with Career Thrivers to elevate the equity and inclusion priorities for both entrepreneurs and the organization at the same time,” said Cole. “As a former graduate of the preflight program, the opportunity to build my business while also partnering with entrepreneurs to prioritize inclusion and equity as a core business imperative from the start is exciting! I look forward to our Twende’ program is recognized as the #1 accelerator for Founders of Color in TN!”

The EC will host an inaugural summit on June 24th called The Twende’ Summit: Amplifying Black Entrepreneurs. The series of events will bring together founders, investors, professionals, and more for networking opportunities and educational sessions focused on funding opportunities, developing corporate & government partnerships, and tips for creating a thriving business. The event will be held at the EC. Find more information about the event here.

To learn more about this program and how to support emerging Black and LatinX-owned businesses across Tennessee, click here.

About Nashville Entrepreneur Center

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 2010 by business leaders who wanted to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and to celebrate the spirit and tenacity of the entrepreneurial community. The EC serves as Nashville’s center for entrepreneurship, supporting visionaries—from every background, in any industry, and at all phases—by connecting them to critical resources and championing their desire to change the world. Learn more about the EC by following @entrecenter on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at www.EC.co.