Honors Bestowed During the 2024 Falcon Awards

The Nashville State Community College Foundation held The Falcon Awards to highlight outstanding Nashville State alumni in recognition of significant professional achievement and service to their community, along with college partners for their steadfast support of student success.

The annual event held on October 1, 2024, at 14Tenn, in The Nation’s neighborhood of Nashville, brought together around 100 attendees for the celebration.

“We love celebrating our distinguished alums and Nashville State’s valued champions of access, completion, and post-completion success,” said Foundation Executive Director Ryan Parker.

With Chief Executive Officer of Threads by Dreads and Nashville State Alumnae Christiana Afotey serving as master of ceremonies, several awards were presented in the categories below.

Nashville State Associate of Fine Arts in Music students and graduates, with the support of Associate Professor of Music David Edington, performed throughout the event. Amazon was the presenting sponsor, while First Horizon was a Friend of the Foundation sponsor.

The Falcon Award

This lifetime achievement award celebrates the culmination of a career, one that has impacted the profession, community, society, and dedication to Nashville State Community College through demonstrated leadership, ingenuity, and service.

Amy Kurland
In 1982, she transformed a defunct Green Hills game room into a cozy little eatery. Just after opening the Bluebird, she became aware that there were a lot of gaps in her education about running a business, so she began taking small business classes at Nashville State. She says classes, especially marketing helped her make the Bluebird what it is today. The Bluebird Cafe became the listening room for songwriters in Nashville and eventually the world. Countless country artists started at the little club and the “in the round” format pioneered there would become the template for acoustic shows everywhere. It has been featured in books, movies, and television, and praised by industry and fans of all genres of music.

Distinguished Alumni of the Year

Presented to a Nashville State alum who has set the standard of excellence in their career, demonstrated exemplary volunteerism leadership, and served as a positive example to their community.

Daniel Ray
Dr. Ray is the director of Community and Corporate Education for St. Johns River State College in Florida. In addition to his academic and professional pursuits, Dr. Ray is deeply committed to community service. He founded SCOLLEGE, a non-profit organization providing second-chance opportunities for lifelong learning. He has mentored numerous individuals, guiding them to achieve their MBAs and other graduate degrees. Ray also works to develop after-school programs to encourage more females to consider IT a profession. Dr. Ray's dedication to education, professional development, and community service has impacted his students and community. He continues to inspire and lead, fostering a culture of continuous learning and excellence.

Outstanding Young Alumni of the Year Award

Presented to an alum who has set the standard of excellence in their career, demonstrated exemplary volunteerism leadership, and served as a positive example to their community. Alumni in this category have graduated from Nashville State within the last 10 years.

Simone Cawl
Simone’s professional experience includes working in independent living housing for young adults. She has held the roles of senior social worker at Metro Nashville Oversight and program supervisor for the Nashville Community Review Board. She has expertise in development and grant writing and extensive training in Handle with Care and Trauma Informed Care. Simone is also a TN Rule 31 mediator.

Outstanding Service Award

Presented to an individual in appreciation of their service to Nashville State Foundation, Nashville State Community College, and their community.

Kathy Cloninger
Kathy has led the largest organization for girls, Girl Scouts USA. After retiring from Girl Scouts USA, she turned to service on non-profit boards, taking on leadership roles in two of her passion areas: women and girls and community colleges. She served on the Nashville State Community College Foundation board for nine years.

Partners in Philanthropy

Recognizes outstanding partners who provide dedicated, sustained support and have made contributions that significantly impact the mission of Nashville State Foundation and Nashville State Community College.

Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas is recognized for supporting various initiatives at Nashville State, having invested more than $240,000, such as campus facility improvements, the Nashville GRAD program, Beyond Financial Aid, The Falcon Market (Campus Cupboard), a scholarship for culinary arts students, and Tennessee Flavors.