State Executive CommitteeMan & CommitteeWoman Office

State Executive CommitteeMan & CommitteeWoman Office

The objective of the Democratic State Executive Committeeman and Committeewoman is to promote the ideals and principles of the Democratic Party and identify party supporters within their district that will help elect Democratic nominees. In addition, one man and one woman from each State Senate District are elected every four years to serve on the State Party’s Executive Committee. These are volunteer positions that serve as the liaison between the district and the party.

The committee oversees all party functions, budgets, and committee work. It plans the party’s conventions and establishes procedures for selecting nominees and delegates. It operates party headquarters and provides recordkeeping, including, but not limited to, a list of all county parties and committees, minutes of meetings, and financial reports from the Treasurer. The committee members hold leadership positions within their boards but can also be active for the state.

HELENE SINGER CASH, Committeewoman D17

Helene Singer Cash was raised in Tampa, Fla., and moved to Nashville in the early 1990’s. She studied Business at The University of Tampa, and holds an associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies.

After working a variety of marketing and sales management jobs for national retail brands, Cash opened the Crystal Couture Store in Nashville. In 2010, she moved her business to Lebanon, Tenn., and became involved in local leadership. In 2015, she served as Lebanon’s Economic Development Director, creating a branding program to help grow the city. Cash is a member of the Wilson County

Chamber of Commerce, holds the Executive Board Secretary chair for the Republican Women of Wilson County, and is Vice President of Republican Women of Tennessee, Area 5B. She currently works as a realtor and marketing manager at Agee & Johnson Realty.

On her campaign website, Cash writes that “Tennessee is changing” due to a “new surge of people fleeing California and other liberal states.” She is running to “defend conservative values” and ensure that Tennessee remains “a Republican-led state.”

TERRI NICHOLSON, Committeewoman D17

A sixth-generation Tennessean, Terri Nicholson was born and raised in Middle Tennessee. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business from Middle Tennessee State University and now operates her own home health business, Nicholson Therapies, with her husband.

Her extensive experience in the Republican Party includes serving as Chairman, Treasurer, and Vice-Treasurer of the Wilson County Republican Party. She is a member of the Republican Women of Wilson County, the Republican Women of Action, and the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women. Nicholson strongly supports the tenets of the Republican party, naming specifically the Second Amendment, the right to life, and “respecting the conservative Republican Party platform.”

MARY ALICE CARFI, Committeewoman D17

Mary Alice Carfi is running for District 17’s State Executive Committeewoman. After growing up on a farm in Smith County, she graduated Cum Laude from Middle Tennessee State University, and earned her Juris Doctor degree from Nashville School of Law. Mary Alice sings in her church choir and with the Bert Coble Singers, of which she is also an advisory board member.

Carfi is admitted to practice law in the Middle District of Tennessee’s Federal Court. She is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the 15th Judicial Bar Association, and is a Rule 31 Listed Mediator. Carfi is currently a practicing attorney with Kane & Crowell, PLLC in Lebanon, and practices in the areas of family law, business law, wills and probate, landlord/tenant law and general civil litigation.

Mary Alice believes that her understanding of both the law and of working families is what sets her apart from other candidates. In the past, she has advocated for the expansion of Medicaid, and access to strong education for all of Tennessee’s children.

LULU ROGERS ELAM, Committeewoman D20

A native Nashvillian and 7th-generation Tennessean, Lulu Rogers Elam graduated from Stanford University in 1985 with a B.A. in French Language and Communications. She returned home to Tennessee and for the past 34 years has been a full-time homemaker.

She is a member and sponsor of both church and outreach organizations. Since March 2017, she has volunteered with CASA Nashville as a court-appointed child advocate for children in DCS custody. She previously served as the president of Nashville Right to Life. She is a trustee of the Restoration Foundation, which is a private grantmaking foundation founded in 1999.

Elam is a Christian prolife advocate and believes that fetuses have rights as citizens. She supports gun rights, foreign defense, veterans, and economic freedom. Her campaign goals are recruiting candidates to represent conservative values, involving the community to grow and enrich the party, protecting the integrity of elections, and promoting fair rules for candidate qualification.

KAREN MOORE, Committeewoman D20

Karen Moore has been a Nashville resident for over thirty years. Moore holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Lipscomb University and spent more than a decade working in the public library system.

In 2015, Moore was appointed to the By-Laws Committee of the Davidson County Republican Party. She was then elected as the Regional Vice Chair, South of the Davidson County Executive Committee in 2017, a county role that functions similarly to the State Executive Committee. From 2020 to 2021, she served as President of the Music City Republican Women. Moore fought against the Metro Council’s 2020 decision to increase property, gas, and income tax, as well as the metro transit plan.

If elected, Karen Moore will represent conservative values on the State Executive Committee, including protecting election integrity; fighting for school choice; investing in free-market economic policies; protecting Second Amendment rights; and enacting pro-life legislation at the state level. She is endorsed by Utah Congressman Owens and Tennessee Congressman Dr. Mark Green.

JOLIE GRACE WAREHAM, Committeewoman D21

Jolie Grace Wareham holds a B.A. in Political Science from Rhodes College, where she founded The Rhodes College Democrats, and was a member of the ​Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature. She began her political career in Illinois, working on the digital engagement team for Congressional candidate Leslie Coolidge. She went on to become a campaign staffer for State Representative Deb Conroy, and an intern for State Senator Tom Cullerton.

Wareham is an active member of the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP). She served as President of Tennessee Young Democrats, is President of Davidson County Democratic Women, and founded the TNDP’s Cyber Safety Committee. Wareham works at Vanderbilt University as an Executive Project Coordinator. She is also the CEO of protasec, a cyber security firm. She currently serves as the State Executive Committeewoman in District 20, and is running in District 21 due to redistricting.

On social media, Wareham writes that she wants to “continue speaking up and shaping a party that walks the walk on being anti-racist, anti-classist, pro-feminist, pro-LGBTQ+, and pro-equity in all other forms.”

BEVERLY B. KNIGHT, Committeewoman D21

Beverly B. Knight attended Cohn High School and went on to graduate from George Peabody College in 1967. She works as an independent real estate professional. She has also served as the recording secretary for the Davidson County Republican Party since 2011, helping with a variety of administrative tasks.

She has never held public office, but has twice served as the President of the Nashville Republican Women’s (NRW) executive committee and has been an active member for several decades. She was selected as one of former President Trump’s alternate delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention. As a member of the NRW organization, she supports individual responsibility, limited government, equal rights and opportunities for all races and creeds, foreign defense, and preservation of the Constitution.

JERRY BEAVERS, Committeeman D17

Jerry Beavers is running for reelection as State Executive Committeeman in District 17 after winning the seat in 2018.

Beavers is an air force veteran and retired from the United Parcel Service after 38 years. He also attended Trevecca Nazarene University.

He has been involved in the Wilson County Republican Party for the last 28 years, organizing and opening a Mt. Juliet headquarters for the last four presidential campaigns. He was also chosen as a delegate for the Trump campaign at the 2016 Republican National Convention, along with his wife, former state senator Mae Beavers. He helped his wife in her election and went door to door for many other candidates and they both served as co-chairs for the 6th Congressional District for the Trump campaign.

Beavers advocates for closed primaries, meaning voters would have to commit to a party and only be able to vote for that party’s candidates in primaries, instead of the current system where voters may choose their party and ballot in each election, and would support legislation on the issue.

AUBREY T. GIVENS Committeeman D17

Aubrey T. Givens grew up in Lebanon, Tenn., and majored in aerospace/aviation marketing at Middle Tennessee State University, graduating with honors in 1991. He graduated from Nashville School of Law in 2001.

Now a Nashville resident, Givens founded Aubrey Givens & Associates in 2004. He also served as an intern at the District Attorney’s office in Wilson County, and worked at Underhill, Blackwell, Underhill & Givens. Besides his interest in the law, Givens is a farmer, raising beef cattle for several years.

Givens notes that his law firm supports several charities, including the Nashville Zoo, the March of Dimes, the American Cancer Society, and Faith Family Medical Center. His law firm concentrates on civil matters and criminal cases, including automobile injuries, workers compensation, real estate law, and Social Security Disability representation. In 2010, he lost in the Democratic primary for District 17 of the Tennessee State Senate. In 2014, he ran unsuccessfully for 15th circuit court judge.

CHARLES “CHASE” MONTGOMERY, Committeeman D19

Charles “Chase” Montgomery is running for re-election as the Republican State Executive Committeeman for District 19, a position he has held since 2020. Montgomery attended high school in Huntsville, Alabama and received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Alabama in 2011.

In addition to his current post, he also has served as the director of media relations for the Tennessee Republican Minority Coalition since 2013. Outside of politics, he has worked as a financial advisor at Waddell & Reed since 2011. He is also a member of the Nashville City Club and participates in multiple events in the Nashville Sports League.

RON MCDOW, Committeeman D20

Ron McDow, M.D., graduated in 1981 from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He has practiced for more than twenty years, specializing in dermatology, family medicine, and medical genetics. He is also the CEO of CFS Corp, a cryosurgery medical device company.

In 2016, McDow was a delegate to the RNC, representing Tennessee in support of candidate Trump. The same year, McDow challenged Steve Dickerson for the Tennessee Senate District 20 seat. Amidst allegations of abuse from former wife and a controversial political mailer critiquing Dickerson’s stance on asylum seekers, McDow ultimately lost to his incumbent opponent.

Dr. McDow believes in supporting and accommodating small businesses to promote the state’s culture and economy. He opposes the Common Core curriculum, which sets federal standards for education. His platform focuses on discouraging illegal immigration through heightened border security, managing traffic through infrastructure, and creating jobs.

KRIS MURPHY, Committeeman D20

Kris Murphy was born and raised in Nashville. He left Tennessee to earn his bachelor’s degree in politics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C, and later returned to Nashville. Murphy has substantial work experience in Democratic politics, including with electorally focused nonprofits and campaigns.

After college, he worked as an organizer at Tennessee Citizen Action, and later as the political director for the Tennessee American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The AFL-CIO is the largest federation of unions in the United States.

He served as the Executive Director for Tennessee’s Democratic Party until 2019. Most recently, he managed Chancellor Anne Martin’s successful 2022 reelection campaign. He has also served on the board of Tennesseans for Fair Taxation.

LARRY “CHUCK” GRIMES, Committeeman D21

Larry “Chuck” Grimes grew up in Lexington, Tenn. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from the University of Memphis, where he also served as president of the College Republicans.

Chuck began his political career as a legislative intern for Ron Ramsey, who went on to become Lieutenant Governor. In 2007, he moved to Nashville to work as a staff assistant for then State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris. From 2013- 2017, Chuck served as Council District Chair and Southeast Regional Vice-Chair for the Davidson County Republican Party. He has served as District 21’s State Executive Committeeman since August 2021, when he was elected to carry out the term of Robert Duvall.

In 2020, Chuck supported a petition to oppose a 34% property tax increase in Davidson County. On his campaign website, he writes that he was raised in a church devoted to “Biblical preaching” and grew up in a family of “hard working, blue-collar professionals.” As committeeman, Chuck aims to “listen to all Republicans and work hard to accomplish their goals.”

MIKEY PASTRANA, Committeeman D21

Mikey Pastrana holds his Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Northern Illinois University (NIU), along with a minor in Non-profit and NGO Studies. At NIU, he served in various positions, including Student Association Senator, and Director of Community Service.

After college, Pastrana worked in education as an AVID Tutor and a registrar at Hampshire Middle School, providing student tutoring and administrative services. He later worked in healthcare administration at DaVita Kidney Care. He moved to Nashville in 2019 and currently works in the Office of the Dean of Students at Vanderbilt University as an Administrative Coordinator, overseeing logistics, purchasing requests and expense reports, and other administrative tasks for Vanderbilt’s student organizations. This is Pastrana’s first campaign for political office.

JOHN D. RICHARDSON, Committeeman D21

A native Nashvillian, John D. Richardson graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Richardson worked as a comprehensive fee-based financial planner in Brentwood, Tenn., for almost two decades.

Richardson volunteers with the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and several fraternal organizations, including The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and the Nashville Valley Scottish Rite. He is an active member of his church, The Village Chapel, and volunteers for Music City Tres Dias.

Richardson has not held political office before but has served as a poll worker and Officer of Elections with the Davidson County Election Commision for over 20 years. He also served as the campaign manager for numerous political races. He identifies his core values as faith, family, and freedom.

JOHN SUMMERS, Committeeman D21

John Summers obtained a Bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, Master’s degree from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence Law degree from Nashville School of Law.

Summers is currently the President of SailNashville, the only American Sailing Association affiliated sailing school in Tennessee. From 2015-2019, Summers was an attorney and the President of John Summers & Associates, where he helped provide government relations, strategic consulting, fundraising and communication services.

Summers has held several elected Metro Council positions in Nashville, including the 6th District in East Nashville from 1983-1991 and the 24th District in West Nashville from 1999-2007. Summers has acted as the former executive director of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, chair of the Coalition for Nashville Neighborhoods, and has been a lobbyist at the General Assembly. While serving as Metro Council member for West Nashville, Summers faced criticism from constituents on an overlay issue for the Sylvan Park neighborhood.