Collaborate. Educate. Empower.

These three words best describe the work OutCentral will be doing in the Middle Tennessee area. Our vision is to create a cultural center—a hub, if you will—that welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex individuals and their friends and families into a positive energy-filled environment where organizations can collaborate, where enduring relationships can be created, where there is integration rather than isolation, and where
recreation and education flourish.

OutCentral will be a safe, welcoming, friendly space for the GLBTQIF community of Middle Tennessee. Four key values for our organization will be as follows:

1. Service to the whole community.

2. Respect for every individual and household.

3. The development of positive, healthy relationships.

4. Encouraging everyone and every group to achieve their fullest potential.

Events & Programs – OutCentral will offer a variety of opportunities for education, social activities, and dialogue and conversation. High quality programming will encourage and invite people from all parts of the community to return time and time again. We will provide a variety of conferences, concerts, lectures, readings, theater, film, community forums, panel discussions, workshops, and celebrations of interest to the GLBTQIF community.

Meeting Space – OutCentral will offer meeting space (as available) to organizations. The Great Room will be able to seat 60 people (100 for a reception). Each Conference Room will seat 15-18 people, and will be able to open into one large conference room seating 30-36 people.

Office Rental –OutCentral will offer offices, lockers, and a work area to nonprofit organizations serving the community. Groups having offices at OutCentral will also have meeting space available to them. We believe that there will be a significant increase in collaborative efforts when these groups are housed in the same building. We also believe that recruitment will greatly increase in these organizations because of the high visibility that a Church Street location will afford.

The members of the Board of Directors are committed to serving the larger community. In our effort to discover how we could be of service, we met with individuals from throughout the community. During our conversations, there were a number of needs articulated and many wonderful ideas raised. There were four needs raised that we felt challenged by and capable of addressing:

1. Collaboration. Space is needed where individuals and organizations can collaborate on issues of mutual concern.

2. Significant Relationships. Space is needed where individuals and organizations can intersect with one another to develop significant relationships.

3.Recreation and Education. Space is needed where individuals and organizations can explore and celebrate our own culture.

4. Visibility. Space is needed where people can gather as a statement of our presence in the cultural and political life of Nashville.

Ultimately, we discovered that each of these needs were centered in one common need—the need for space. Based on our work, we felt that we could be of greatest service by creating that space.

OutCentral, Inc., was incorporated in the State of Tennessee on March 2, 2007. The organization has temporarily attached itself to The Stonewall Mission Church so that financial contributions will be tax-deductible. OutCentral’s Board of Directors are in the process of applying for separate 501(c)(3) tax recognition with the Internal Revenue Service. Detachment from The Stonewall Mission Church is anticipated to occur Fall of 2007.

The organizational structure provides for three distinct elements working together to create and maintain a successful corporation. These elements are listed below:

Board of Directors & Committees

The organization will have a five-member (minimum) Board of Directors who will have general oversight. The Board of Directors has the power to establish standing and temporary committees. Initially, the following standing committees have been established: Facilities, Programming, Marketing, Volunteer, Finance, and Development. A member of the Board of Directors will chair each of these committees.

Members of the Board of Directors include Stephanie Barger, Adam Barnes, Wade Jones Lloyd Lewis, Julia McAninch, Kate Nelson, and Lety Pérez. Officers for the Board of Directors shall include the following:

Moderator: Lloyd Lewis
Vice Moderator: Stephanie Barger
Treasurer:
Secretary: Julia McAninch

Executive Director

The Board of Directors has selected James R. Hawk to be the First Executive Director. Jim will have responsibilities for the day-to-day oversight of the organization. In the past, he has served in a wide variety of leadership positions. As a full-time paid employee, he has served as Customer Relations Manager, Marketing Director, and Corporate Vice President in the Digital Print Industry. Within the Nashville community, Jim serves as Founder and Presiding Pastor of the Stonewall Mission Church. He has served on the Board of Directors for The Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Transgender Life in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Pride Committee (past Chair), and Dick Dialogues–a Gay & Bisexual Men's Weekend (Founder and Chair). As a former pastor in the United Methodist Church, he challenged the denominational stand against “self-avowed and practicing homosexuals.” He is a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity and Scarritt Graduate Schools. He has served tirelessly as an advocate for community.

Advisory Council

Within the first 6 to 12 months, an Advisory Council will be established to make recommendations to the Executive Director and Board of Directors. The council will be comprised of community leaders, donors, and space users. One additional function of the council will be to complete a separate audit of OutCentral’s financial records on an annual basis.