Archives: Our Team

Staff member since: 1998 As Executive Director of Humanities Tennessee, Tim Henderson leads the organization’s efforts to foster community and civility throughout the state. He works with the board of…

Staff member since: 1999 Melissa Davis oversees Humanities Tennessee’s Shared Futures Lab programs. Melissa earned a B.A. in Creative Writing and Anthropology from the University of New Mexico, and an…

Staff member since: 2026 René Dillard serves as Humanities Tennessee’s Director of Development, overseeing fundraising strategy and stewardship. A former public school teacher, she specializes in using data and strategic…

Staff member since: 1997 Serenity Gerbman has been the director of literature programs at Humanities Tennessee since 2001, overseeing the Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word…

Staff member since: 2005 Paul McCoy is Deputy Director of Humanities Tennessee’s Shared Futures Lab programs.  Paul grew up in Burkesville, Kentucky, and attended Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green…

Staff member since: 2017 As Deputy Director, TN Center for the Book, Patrick Shaffner coordinates literature and language programs including the Young Writers’ Workshops, Student Reader Day, and the Southern…

Staff member since: 2013 Alexis Stevens serves as Director of Operations, overseeing Humanities Tennessee’s financial administration, technology infrastructure, strategic goals, and day-to-day operations. Alexis earned an M.A. in American Studies…

Maria Browning serves as editor of Chapter 16, Humanities Tennessee’s daily literary publication. She is a fifth-generation Tennessean who grew up in Erin and Nashville. Her work has appeared in…

Caroline joined the efforts of Humanities Tennessee’s new Shared Futures Lab as correspondent in January 2024 to delve more deeply into the stories of our past and present and explore…