By Paige Zulandt

The Tiffany Circle of the Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross of Tennessee is welcoming in new leadership for the next fiscal year. This dedicated community of women leaders will be led by Joanne Sowell as the new Chair, and Tracy Wade as the new Vice Chair. These two will help lead the group as they advance the Red Cross mission through an investment of time, talent and treasure with women locally, nationally and internationally.

“I’m thrilled to be leading this year as Chair, and I hope we’ll have a fulfilling and fun year supporting the mission of the Red Cross,” Joanne shared.

While she is originally from Michigan, Joanne’s called Tennessee home for almost her entire life. She settled in Nashville in 1995 to practice law at Waller. Since then, she’s been a community volunteer, development director at a local charity, a small business owner and more. She’s even served on the boards of several organizations, like Impact Nashville, Crossroads Campus and Emerge Tennessee. Joanne has been a member of the Tiffany Circle since 2018 and served as the Vice Chair last year.

“My involvement with the American Red Cross began with the desire to support disaster relief services,” Joanne says. “My involvement in Tiffany Circle began with friendships and an invitation to be more involved.”

The new Vice Chair, Tracy, is also from Michigan, but moved to Nashville in 1984 to attend Vanderbilt University. Aside from a brief stint in Missouri, she has lived in Nashville ever since. Volunteering isn’t new to Tracy, as she has done volunteer work with several organizations such as the Nashville Ronald McDonald House, Nashville Repertory Theatre, Nashville Symphony and more.

Tracy’s involvement with Tiffany Circle began when she was invited by friends to attend the fall luncheon.

“I immediately saw a group of dedicated women and a cause worth the financial and personal commitment required,” Tracy shared. “I joined immediately. I am constantly amazed and inspired by this dynamic group of women.”

Tiffany Circle of the Nashville Area Chapter had an active and productive year for fiscal year 2025, demonstrated by its 1,662 recorded volunteer hours and over $2.7 million raised for the Nashville Area Chapter of the Red Cross. They also signed 500 cards for service members and their families and assembled 1,200 snack packs for veterans. It was also a year of growth, as they welcomed 17 new members.

Keri McInnis, the FY25 Tiffany Circle Chair, says she enjoyed helping to advance the mission of the Red Cross by welcoming new Tiffany Circle members, growing membership engagement and raising funds. Not only did Tiffany Circle double their membership goal for the year, but they also tripled their fundraising goal through their time, talent and treasure. She is ready for another exciting year ahead.

“I look forward to our members continuing to be engaged in the American Red Cross mission and continuing to increase the impact of the Tiffany Circle through the multiple ways that we support the American Red Cross,” Keri shared.

In addition to being a member of the Tiffany Circle Nashville Chapter Executive Committee, Keri will also serve on the Nashville Area Chapter Board as Vice Chair. She encourages the new Tiffany Circle Chair and Vice Chair to enjoy their time serving the mission and expanding the Tiffany Circle.

“My advice is to have fun, participate and enjoy the various Tiffany Circle and American Red Cross activities which provide numerous opportunities to meet new people, see old friends and work together to help our community,” Keri says.

To learn more about Tiffany Circle and how to get involved, click here.