Nashville First Baptist Church entrusts a body of lay leaders, called trustees, to collaborate with the members, pastors, staff, deacons and standing committees to oversee the work of the church. The nine trustees hold staggered terms. Per the church by-laws, a Trustee Selection Committee was convened at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Trustee Selection Committee hereby nominates and submits the following individuals for trustee service from January 1, 2026, and ending December 31, 2028:
- Chuck Cagle
- Melinda Cullen
- Bill McKee
Read more about each nominee below.
Chuck Cagle
Chuck Cagle has served Nashville First in the following roles: General Counsel to the Church, Deacon, Deacon Chair, Personnel Committee and Committee Chair, Finance Committee member, and teacher in two Sunday School departments. He and his wife, Sandra, have been members since 2001. He was also on the special committee appointed by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board to formulate a procedure for use by all Tennessee Baptist churches for reporting and responding to allegations of sexual abuse in churches.
Professionally, Chuck is the chair of the Lewis Thomason, P.C. Education Law and Government Relations Practice Group and practices statewide from the Nashville office of the firm. The education law group represents over 70 public boards of education, private schools, charter schools, five private universities and a private medical school. He also serves as the general counsel for the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS) and the Tennessee College Association. In addition, Chuck served for over fifteen years as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development and at Tennessee Technological University teaching master’s and doctoral level courses in K-12 education law, public policy, and the law of higher education.
Melinda Cullen
Melinda Cullen is a lifetime member of Nashville First. She and her husband, Kevin, were married at the church 34 years ago and have been active members ever since. They have two children, Blake (26) and Katie (24). Melinda has served on the Pastor Search Committee, Chair of the Nominating Committee and is a teacher in the Pathfinders Connect Group. Melinda is well known as a hard worker, wise leader, and team builder with experience both in the church and the professional world. She is a CPA and has worked for the past 25 years as Co-Chief Financial Officer of a private equity investment firm in Brentwood.
Bill McKee
Bill has been a member of Nashville First since 1995. He has served the Church as a Deacon, senior adult Sunday School Department Leader, member and Chair of the Personnel and History Committees, as well as a member of the Finance Committee. Bill is responsible for the collection of the offering each Sunday and currently is a member of Connecting Sunday Morning Group.
Beyond the Church, Bill is involved in the greater Nashville community as a Commissioner of the Nashville-Davidson County Historical Commission and as Chairperson of the 15th Judicial District Child Advocacy Board which serves a five-county area. Professionally, he is Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs for Cumberland University. As a committed volunteer to higher education, Bill serves as President of the Tennessee College Association, and as a Trustee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the accrediting agency for eleven states. A proud UT graduate, he also serves on the Advisory Board of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences in Knoxville.
Being a servant at Church, in the community, and professionally provides Bill opportunities for serving God through serving people.
Voting for nominated Trustees ends Friday, Dec. 5, at noon. Church members are encouraged to vote online or may request a written ballot from the church office. Each trustee must be voted on individually according to church by-laws. To be selected, a nominee must receive at least two-thirds (2/3rds) approval by the church members voting. Results will be announced at the Dec. 7 Members’ Lunch.
Current Trustees
- Terms expiring on December 31, 2025: David Clay, Brad Dunn, and Joy Harris. Each of these trustees will rotate off at the end of this year. (All have already served a renewal term and are not eligible to serve as a trustee in 2026.)
- Terms expiring December 31, 2026: Andrew Cotten, Andrea Overby, and Wes Turner (All potentially eligible for a three-year renewal term)
- Terms expiring December 31, 2027: Barry Roberson, Linda Tullock, and Jason Shull (All potentially eligible for a three-year renewal term, except Linda)