The Nashville Symphony announced today the appointment of Jenneen D. Reed (formerly Kaufman) as the organization’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Reed comes to the Nashville Symphony with more than 30 years of experience in executive finance. She has served in leadership positions with Arthur Andersen, LLP; the American Cancer Society; the Tennessee Titans; and, most recently, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, where she served as the Deputy Finance Director and Chief Accountant.

Reed’s nonprofit leadership and experience includes current and former board member positions with United Way of Middle Tennessee, Downtown Partnership, Tennessee Society of CPAs, Music City Grand Prix, and US Figure Skating Championship. She has also served on committees and advisory boards for Ascension Saint Thomas, Lipscomb University, University of Tennessee, and First Lutheran Church.

“Jenneen’s credentials are impressive. She brings exactly the right combination of finance leadership skills, a thorough understanding of the non-profit sector, relevant industry experience in a closely related field, and the civic commitment necessary to help us shape and realize the vision and aspirations of the Nashville Symphony,” said Nashville Symphony President & CEO Alan D. Valentine. “The icing on the cake is that she’s a lifelong Nashvillian who knows and loves our city and understands both its history and its trajectory. We can’t wait to welcome her to the team.”

Reed was a Finalist for Nashville Business Journal’s CFO of the Year Award (2018); recipient of University of Tennessee’s Alumni Professional Achievement Award (2018); a Forbes NFL Female Financial Scorekeeper (2015); and recognized by Nashville Post as one of Nashville’s Most Powerful Women (2011).

“I’m thrilled to become a part of the talented team of board, staff, and musicians at the Nashville Symphony, a cultural institution with incredible local and international impact,” said Jenneen D. Reed. “Nashville is my home, and I’m excited to continue working in the community I love with an organization I am honored to join. Thank you to Alan Valentine and the search committee for this amazing opportunity.”

Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, Reed will actively participate in structuring, developing, and maintaining the Nashville Symphony’s status as a sustainable major performing arts organization with a current annual budget of $28 million. The CFO is a strategic thought partner with the management team as well as with the executive and finance committees of the board of directors. Supporting the key mission of the organization in its presentation of live orchestral music, Reed will collaborate with C-Suite colleagues on the aspirational vision outlined in Nashville Symphony’s recently adopted strategic framework and guide critical investments while overseeing cost controls. The CFO leads the organization’s Finance and IT teams and is responsible for the business and financial operations of the organization, including financial planning, control, and reporting. The CFO is also responsible for the preparation of the annual operating budget and various financial projections, monthly financial statements, banking relations, and, in collaboration with the Vice President of HR and Inclusion, administration of payroll and employee benefits.

Jenneen Reed (nee Kaufman), the Nashville Symphony’s new Chief Financial Officer, was most recently Deputy Finance Director for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Reed joined Metro in June of 2021 and in her current role oversees the Division of Accounts, Payroll, Accounts Payable, Treasury, Procurement, and the Public Property Divisions of the Finance Department. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President and CFO of the Tennessee Titans and worked for the Titans for 24 years. Reed graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Haslam College of Business in 1992 with a degree in business administration.

After graduating, Reed was an audit division senior accountant for three years at Arthur Andersen. From 1995 to 1997, she served as vice president of finance and human resources for the American Cancer Society. It wasn’t long before she became the Titans’ controller for her first 11 seasons with the team. As the Titans’ CFO, she managed the CBA Audit, all player cost accounting, financial reporting and budgeting as well as the accounting of ticket and suite sales, sponsorships, broadcast revenues, player and staff payrolls, along with other special events. In addition, she oversaw the accounting for Nissan Stadium events, such as concerts like the Rolling Stones and the Music City Bowl.

Kaufman serves on the United Way Board, Ascension Saint Thomas Finance Committee, the Downtown Partnership Board, the Tennessee Society of CPA State Board and Nashville Chapter Board, Inspiritus Board, and is a regular volunteer at her church, First Lutheran. She was named one of Nashville’s Most Powerful Women in 2011 by Nashville Post, recognized by Nashville Business Journal as one of the 2018 CFO Awards honorees, received the 2018 Alumni Professional Achievement Award from the University of Tennessee, and is featured in a video produced by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Founded in 1946, the Nashville Symphony is the primary ambassador for classical music in Music City and throughout Middle Tennessee. Led by Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero since 2007, the ensemble is internationally acclaimed for its focus on contemporary American orchestral music through collaborations with composers including Jennifer Higdon, Terry Riley, Joan Tower and Aaron Jay Kernis; commissioning and recording projects with Nashville-based artists including Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, Ben Folds, and Victor Wooten; and for its 14 GRAMMY® Awards and 27 nominations. In addition to its core classical series, the Orchestra performs concerts in a wide range of genres, from pops to live-to-film movie scores, family-focused presentations, holiday events, and jazz and cabaret evenings, and also serves as the official orchestra for the Nashville Ballet.

An established leader in the Nashville and regional arts and cultural communities, the Symphony spearheads groundbreaking community partnerships and initiatives. The organization’s Accelerando program prepares students of diverse ethnic backgrounds to pursue professional orchestra careers. Signature programs have included Violins of Hope Nashville in 2018 which engaged tens of thousands of Middle Tennesseans through concerts, exhibits, lectures by spotlighting a historic collection of instruments played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. In 2023, the Orchestra commissioned and presented the world premiere of Hannibal Lokumbe’s epic opera The Jonah Project: A Legacy of Struggle and Triumph. Confronting the topic by retracing his own family’s ancestry from the beginning of slavery to the present, Hannibal’s related work with students, HBCUs, and other community partners throughout the region focused on the strength found in knowledge and the spiritual power of music to heal and unite. More at nashvillesymphony.org

In addition to support from Metro Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission, Nashville Symphony is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.