Nashville CARES Announces New Development Positions Appointed

Dakerri Rhone, Community Engagement & Volunteer Manager
Karen Gregg, Special Events & Strategic Partnerships Coordinator

Nashville, Tenn. – Nashville CARES is pleased to announce the appointments of Dakerri Rhone as the new Community Engagement & Volunteer Manager and Karen Gregg as the new Special Events & Strategic Partnerships Coordinator.

For the past several years, Rhone has been coordinating volunteers and empowering Nashvillians to serve throughout the city while serving as a board member for the Human Rights Campaign, Nashville Pride, the Tennessee Equality Project and as the founder of The STAND Movement. Rhone also is a member of Beta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc.

“When I accepted the Volunteer and Community Engagement position at Nashville CARES, there was no doubt in my mind that it was God and the universe that brought me here,” says Rhone. “CARES is home for me. It’s where I got my start when I began organizing and planning events in Nashville. While in this role, my goal is to reach new communities with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion {DEI) focus. I want to bring more health education and resources to black and brown communities, and more specifically Black women.”

Gregg is a recent transplant from Pennsylvania and has 10 years experience in the non-profit world. She is accustomed to wearing many hats in a fast-paced environment and has coordinated and organized nearly 400 annual events.

“After meeting the team I would work with,” Gregg says. “I decided to join Nashville CARES because the staff are impressive and very supportive. I look forward to raising funds for this great cause!”

Nashville CARES will have a full roster of special events in 2022, starting with Dining Out For Life® on May 17, followed by the 31^st Annual Nashville AIDS Walk on Oct 1. CARES is bringing back Artrageous in November and will host the 2^nd Annual Health Alliance Luncheon in December.

“I am thrilled to complete the Development team at Nashville CARES,” says Ken Hinman, the Development Director at Nashville CARES. “With such passionate and experienced people like Karen and Dakerri, our goals will be readily achieved in the areas of events, donor relations, and volunteers. We will be increasing all of these areas to support our expanding programs.”

To learn more about events and volunteer opportunities visit us at NashvilleCARES.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Our Mission: Nashville CARES mission is to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Middle Tennessee. We work to achieve this through education, advocacy and support for those at risk for or living with HIV.

Our vision is a community where HIV infections are rare, and when they do occur, everyone with HIV/AIDS has access to the care, treatment and support to achieve optimal health and self-sufficiency without stigma or discrimination.

Last year, Nashville CARES served more than 50,000 Middle Tennesseans at risk of or living with HIV providing: $650,000 in financial assistance; $400,000 in nutritional support; $120,000 for 750 clients transportation; 17,000 hours of case management support; and 7,000 HIV tests.