Meet the NBC Team
NBC Board Members
Dru Bredesen, MSN, RN, PNP-BC
Dru is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with a passion for infant and early childhood development, maternal and public health, and promoting wellness. She currently works at Nurses for Newborns, providing family home visits so every baby can be healthy, safe, and achieve their full potential.
As these infants become school-aged, there is a natural transition to the work NBC does to support and grow their reader identities. Supporting security, agency, social-emotional health, and opportunities to connect through reading are the ways to nurture curious, resilient, amazing kids, a goal we all share!
Katie Bridges
Katie is the Exceptional Education Coordinator for the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (TPCSC), and oversees special education compliance. Katie began her career as a 5th grade teacher. She has taught math, science, writing, and EL classes at the elementary and middle school levels, and served as an instructional coach and assistant principal at several charter schools in Nashville, TN.
Katie is excited to join the team at NBC because she believes that everyone can learn to love reading once they find the right books. She is passionate about literacy and ensuring that children develop the reading skills necessary to succeed. Her favorite NBC activity is writing book notes. Her reader identity statement is “I’m a reader who has a paperback, an ebook, and an audiobook in progress.”
Clare Levy Clarke, Ed.D.
Clare is the Founder and Executive Director of Nashville Book Connection (NBC). She was lucky enough to fall in love with teaching and learning and pretty much “all things” school early in life. She started her career as a high school history teacher and advisor in new, progressive schools (in NYC and Los Angeles) where authentic, student-centered teaching and learning were core practices. From there, she dove into the world of education reform, working as a curriculum designer, school reviewer, teacher advocate, and adjunct professor.
In her pursuits toward building multiple avenues for student success, Clare launched NBC in 2019. She firmly believes that starting with elementary literacy–in conjunction with nurturing children’s agency in their own learning–is essential to guiding them toward an adulthood full of aspiration and meaning.
Caroline Curtis
Caroline is an Audit Senior Associate with KPMG and a former collegiate golfer at both the University of Alabama and the University of Notre Dame. After moving to Nashville in 2023, she quickly fell in love with the city's energy, growth, and sense of community. Caroline is passionate about supporting students and promoting literacy. Through her volunteer work at elementary schools over the years, she has witnessed the important role reading plays in a child's development and confidence. She is excited to join the Nashville Book Connection team and contribute to creating meaningful opportunities for children across Nashville. Her favorite NBC activity is helping students discover their reader identity and find books that align with their interests. Caroline loves seeing the excitement that comes from connecting children with stories they genuinely enjoy and want to keep reading.
My Reader Identity: I am a reader who can't resist a plot twist and is always trying to predict the ending.
Kimberly Danson
A native of Wisconsin, Kimberly brings over 20 years of experience in education, having served as a classroom teacher, literacy coach, curriculum specialist, and educational consultant. She currently serves as an administrator at an independent school in Nashville, where she continues her commitment to literacy and student success. Kimberly's deep expertise in literacy and curriculum development uniquely supports the mission and leadership of Nashville Book Connection, helping to advance its goal of inspiring a love of reading in all children. Her favorite NBC activity is the Classroom Program—an initiative close to her heart as a former classroom teacher who understands the lasting impact of bringing engaging literacy experiences directly into students’ learning environments.
Polly DuBose
Polly is an accountant who thinks everything is better in a spreadsheet! As the child of two writers and the grandchild of a librarian, she grew up surrounded by books. As a mother she is surrounding her own child with books and passing on the love of reading. Helping put more books in the hands of more children is why Polly is excited to join the team at NBC. Through expanding literacy we develop more critical thinkers and empathetic humans.
She has a long history of volunteerism with a focus on environmental issues, political campaigns, the elderly, and children's causes. She now continues that work with her family by her side.
Devin Dunkley
Devin Dunkley is an attorney in the Labor and Employment Group at Holland & Knight LLP. Devin represents employers in litigation matters and provides day-to-day advice and counseling on a broad range of workplace issues. Devin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Educational Studies from Rhodes College and her Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. She is also a graduate of Nashville’s Young Leaders Council. A native of Murfreesboro, she currently lives in East Nashville with her husband, Chandler Vaught, and her cat, Penny.
Devin is a reader who loves mysteries and stories (both fictional and biographical) that share the perspectives of women across the globe. Her favorite NBC program is the Book Cart and helping children create their own reader identities.
Katie Elam
Katie is the Director of Statewide Initiatives for the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) where she oversees all of the Foundation’s community-based initiatives, including Statewide Early Literacy Education Collaborative of Tennessee (SELECT), Literacy Lights, Book Buses, and Storybook Trails. Prior to GELF, Katie was a school-based educator. She started her career as an early childhood teacher at a developmental preschool, taught Pre-K blended with Metro-Nashville Public Schools, and later served as a dean and assistant principal at an elementary charter school in Nashville, TN.
Katie applies her interests and expertise to NBC by leveraging her experience in education and literacy to support planning and design of NBC's innovative programs. She is also a data lover who jumps at every chance she gets to dig into student surveys and feedback.
Mackenzie Gimbel
Mackenzie Gimbel is the Donor Relations Coordinator in Belmont University's Office of Stewardship, where she creates meaningful donor communications and helps connect philanthropy with student impact. A proud Belmont alumna with a background in social entrepreneurship, she is passionate about relationship-building, storytelling and strengthening community through thoughtful communication.
As a member of the NBC Board, Mackenzie brings experience in nonprofit engagement, communications and event planning. She is excited to help foster meaningful connections among readers and expand opportunities for Nashville's youngest book lovers.
Her favorite NBC activity is the book carts because it is where she first started volunteering with NBC. She got to see the true magic of the organization while helping kids browse for their new favorite book!
Reader Identity Statement: I'm a reader who believes every book has the power to build empathy and understanding, inspire curiosity and connect people through shared stories.
Jeneisha Harris
Community Organizer, Writer and IT professional. Jeneisha is an Informational technology Project Manager at HCA managing a wide array of data migration and nursing technology portfolios. She serves as the Founder and Operational Director of the Free Community Food Program based in Nashville TN. Jeneisha's favorite NBC activity is the Book Cart program as it provides diverse book choices for student readers to collect and enjoy. Her multifaceted professional expertise offers NBC valuable skills within the areas of community, programming, literacy and youth advocacy.
Lauren Melancon
Lauren is an avid book lover and mother to a voracious reader. She is currently the Education Director for a non-profit dance collective in Nashville, TN. Nashville Book Connection (NBC) allows Lauren to share her passion for books and reading with young readers through robust, mission-centered programming. After years of working in higher education, Lauren is thrilled to utilize her project management, grants management, and communications skills to benefit the mission and vision of Nashville Book Connection.
Kate Senkier
Board Intern
Kate Senkier is the Director of Sales at BMI, where she enjoys coaching teams, developing others, and helping people reach their full potential. Growing up, one of her favorite days of the school year was always the book fair, it sparked a lifelong love of reading that she now enjoys sharing with others through Nashville Book Connect. Her favorite NBC activity is the Book Cart, giving readers the opportunity to build a library of books they can call their own.
Reader Identity Statement: I'm a reader who loves stories about a princess who grows into her best self and finds love along the way.