ROCK THE VOTE!
2024 Board Nominees | Ballots Coming in November Be sure to vote in the upcoming 2024 NBA Board Election! Renew your membership at NashvilleBar.org/Renew no later than October 31 for eligibility Josh Burgener co-chairs Dickinson Wright, PLLC’s litigation practice in the south, where he focuses on complex commercial and business litigation, employment disputes, class action litigation, and real estate litigation. Born and raised in New York City, he received his undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University. After law school, Burgener clerked for the Honorable Thomas W. Brothers in Davidson County Circuit Court. Burgener’s involvement with the Nashville Bar Association started in 2014 as a member of the Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum’s inaugural class in 2014, and he’s been active ever since. In the years that followed, Burgener has held numerous leadership positions for the NBA, including chairing the Circuit and Chancery Court Committee (2018-2020), serving as the organization’s Secretary (2021), and chairing the CLE Committee since 2021. He is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation (2020) and a member of the Marion Griffin Chapter of LAW. He was recently invited to participate in the ABA TIPS Leadership Academy and was selected to mentor the most recent NBF Leadership Forum class. Burgener is focused on growing the NBA and ensuring the organization continues to provide outstanding social and CLE programming to its members. He is committed to the NBA’s leadership serving its members and the greater Nashville community with passion, integrity, and diligence. Beau Creson is a commercial litigator at Sims|Funk. Creson attended Vanderbilt Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif and served as the President of the Honor Council. He earned his undergraduate degree from Clemson University. Creson has been involved with the NBA since he began his legal career in 2013. He currently serves as the President of the NBA Young Lawyers’ Division, and he has served on that Board since 2013. He 14
also serves on the Steering Committee of the NBF’s Leadership Forum, and he became an NBF Fellow in 2023. Creson believes membership and engagement are key issues for the NBA in the coming years. The NBA is a fantastic bar association, and its focus should be demonstrating the strengths we all love to the growing legal community so that they understand the fellowship and service opportunities offered by the NBA. Flynne Dowdy is an employment attorney at Holland & Knight. As a trial lawyer, she represents employers against allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful discharge. Her practice also involves providing advice and counsel and wage and hour litigation, including collective and class actions. Dowdy graduated from Howard University with a degree in Journalism and received her law degree from the University of Miami. Dowdy is a past Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer of the NBA Board of Directors and currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum. She is a Fellow of the NBF Leadership Forum (Class of 2019) and has been a member of the NBA Diversity Committee. She is a member of the Napier Looby Bar Association and serves on the Nominating Committee. Dowdy also serves on the Board of Directors for PENCIL and other local organizations. An advocate of bar service, Dowdy would like to continue her involvement with the NBA as a Board Member. She is passionate about mentorship and creating professional growth opportunities for minority attorneys and working parents. Outside of work, Dowdy enjoys reading suspenseful thrillers and spending time with her husband, Ronald, and their two young girls. Shellie Handelsman, owner of Handelsman Law, practices estate planning, probate, conservatorship law, business law, entertainment, and IP law. She received her Bachelor of Music in Performance summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music and earned her law
NASHVILLE BAR JOURNAL | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023
