Nashville Zoo Welcomes Three New Board Members
Nashville Zoo is excited to announce the addition of three new board members for 2023. This brings the total number of Nashville Zoo’s Board of Directors to 33. Learn more about each of the new members below.
Adam Dretler is a principal in Diversified Trust’s Nashville office where he is responsible for serving both institutions and families. Before Diversified Trust, Adam worked at Ziff Brothers Investments, a multi-billion-dollar, single-family office based in New York City. Adam traded a wide range of global macro products for the family including currencies, equities, ETFs, interest rates, futures and commodities. Prior to his time at Ziff Brothers, Adam worked as an equity trader for Deutsche Bank and started his investment career as a broker on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Adam attended Duke University where he was captain of the lacrosse team and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He is a board member and chairman of the investment committee of the Jewish Federation of Middle Tennessee. Adam’s wife, Julie Riven Dretler, co-chaired a successful Zoo fundraiser and the couple has been instrumental in helping the Zoo identify and cultivate relationships with new Nashville residents.
Laurie Gold Eskind has been actively involved in Nashville’s non-profit community for the last 40 years, serving on many boards including Nashville Humane Association, YWCA, Junior League of Nashville, National Council of Jewish Women: Nashville Chapter, Ensworth School, Metro Arts Commission (specially appointed commissioner by mayor Karl Dean), Family and Children’s Services, Arts and Business Council, Nashville Jewish Film Festival (Co-founder and Co-director), Nashville Ballet and Nashville Zoo. Laurie has also co-chaired several fundraising events including Ballet Ball (2005), Symphony Ball (2011), Leadership Nashville Arts and Entertainment Day (2007), YWCA Academy for Women of Achievement (2006), NCJW Ways and Means (1999), Nashville Zoo’s Call of the Wild (first dinner co-chair in 2018) and Bowtie Awards Fundraising Luncheon for ABC (co-chair).
She grew up on Long Island, New York, with a love for all animals. She received her bachelor’s in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Laurie and her husband, Dr. Steven J. Eskind, have lived in Nashville since 1977 and have two children, Michael and Julie. Laurie and Steve are proud grandparents to four grandchildren and have a 9-year-old white, English lab named Ferris Bueller Eskind.
Patrick H. Johnson previously served as senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Meharry Medical College. He is an advocate for historically disadvantaged populations and has directly engaged the White House and the Congressional Black Caucus to address health disparities plaguing communities of color. Patrick secured Meharry’s president to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee and served as an advisor in regular meetings with the White House to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Patrick was appointed to the Mayor’s Metro Nashville Coronavirus Task Force, where he was integral in developing the city’s COVID-19 response strategy. Currently, Patrick is the co-founder and chief operating officer at Recover-Health.
Patrick is the founder and chair of Nashville Baseball Investment Group (NBIG), an alliance of African American business leaders seeking to diversify the ownership of a potential Major League Baseball franchise in Nashville. Mr. Johnson has served on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Kidney Foundation, Smithson Craighead Academy Charter School and served as a senior consultant at Campbell & Company. He is a graduate of Fisk University and Belmont University and served in the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
In addition to the newly appointed members, Nashville Zoo’s Board of Directors includes Chairman Ed Goodrich, Secretary Terry Bruggeman, Treasurer Samantha Boyd, Lee Beaman, Clara Belden, Mike Bracken, Meg Crofton, Ryan Flury, Tony Giarratana, Alice Goldberg, Jimmy Granbery, J.R. Greene, Barbara Hagood, Allie Hall, Scott Hamilton, Diane Holloway, Rhonda Scott Kinslow, Karen Moore, Sandra Morgan, Trish Munro, Wilson Patton, Michael Peacock, Tim Schoettle, Laurie Seabury, Alexandra Sollberger, Barbara Turner, John Weisenseel and Larry Wieck.
Ex-Officio Board Members include Director of Metro Board of Parks and Recreation Monique Horton Odom and CEO of Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp Butch Spyridon. Nashville Zoo sincerely thanks those members ending their term on the board including Lauren Curry, Will Fitzgibbon and John Lueken.
The Zoo has also comprised a group of Advisory Directors that includes former board members and longtime supporters that will serve as advisors to the board chairman and Zoo president and CEO. The Advisory Directors are George Armistead III, Cynthia Arnholt, Renée Chevalier, Neely Coble III, Kelly Crockett, Lauren Curry, Missy Eason, Lily Followill, Jennifer Frist, Karyn Frist, Carl Haley, Chris Holmes, Jim Hunt, Mark Johnson, Kent Kirby, David Manning, Richard McRae, Larry Papel, Robin Patton, Tracey Rogers, Brian Smallwood, Charles Sonnenberg, Richard Speer and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
