Head of Private Prison Giant CoreCivic Joins Education Nonprofit Board

The Nashville Public Education Foundation announced today that the head of private prison giant CoreCivic — formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America — will join its board of directors.

Noting in its release that Damon Hininger (and its other pick, Janet Miller, CEO of the Nashville office of Colliers International), will bring partnerships with area businesses, it seems to gloss over what it is that CoreCivic actually does.

The release calls the for-profit prison business "one of the largest employers in the Nashville area." Nowhere in the release does it say, "Oh, and, by the way, this business gets paid for running prisons and jails."

There's also a bit of what you might call a poor choice of wording in a quote from NPEF's president and CEO.

“We know that large employers have a lot at stake when it comes to Nashville’s public education, for both attracting and recruiting employees and for building their future pipeline,” said Shannon Hunt. “That is why it is so important for us to expand our board to include these two business titans, who know that the success of Nashville’s business community is dependent upon the success of our public schools.”

Don't get us wrong: NPEF does good work for Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Hunt probably means pipeline of employees here, but not the best word to use when associating the work of a private-prison CEO and students.

It's worth noting that earning a spot on a foundation like NPEF's board might look pretty good if you're trying to rebrand.

Here's the release in full:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville business leaders and public school graduates Damon Hininger and Janet Miller have joined the Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) board of directors to expand the Foundation’s impact and further its partnerships within the Nashville business community.

As CEOs of two of the largest, most prominent companies in Nashville, Hininger and Miller are distinguished business leaders who will bring invaluable advice and wisdom to the organization’s board. And as proud public school graduates, they can each provide important perspectives and firsthand experience to the Foundation’s work to promote public school excellence in Nashville.

“We know that large employers have a lot at stake when it comes to Nashville’s public education, for both attracting and recruiting employees and for building their future pipeline,” said Shannon Hunt, NPEF president and CEO. “That is why it is so important for us to expand our board to include these two business titans, who know that the success of Nashville’s business community is dependent upon the success of our public schools.”

Hininger is the president and CEO of CoreCivic, Inc., one of the largest employers in the Nashville area. He serves on the boards of directors of several organizations, including the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Metropolitan Nashville and Men of Valor, a rehabilitation program for the formerly incarcerated. He also serves on the board of trustees of Belmont University, where he earned his master’s degree in business administration from the Jack Massey Graduate School of Business. Hininger is a proud graduate of Lansing High School, a public high school in Lansing, Kan.

Miller is the CEO of the Nashville office of Colliers International, a global commercial real estate firm. Prior to joining Colliers, she served as the chief economic development officer for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce for 21 years. Miller is the past president of the Rotary Club of Nashville, chairwoman of the YWCA board, and a board member of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and numerous other boards. She was recently inducted into the NPEF’s Public Schools Hall of Fame in recognition of her work in the community as a graduate of Hillwood High School here in Nashville.

“The additions of Hininger and Miller to the board, and the impressive networks and passion for service they bring with them, will help the NPEF further its connections in the community and its impact in the schools,” said David Williams, NPEF board chairman. “I know I speak for my fellow board members when I say how pleased we are to collaborate with these visionary leaders on the vital work of improving Nashville’s schools.”

Other NPEF board members include:

·         Alfonzo Alexander, National Association of State Boards of Accountancy

·         Gregory Burns, Gregory Burns Consulting Group, LLC

·         Sheila Calloway, Davidson County Juvenile Court judge

·         Ashley Cook, community volunteer

·         Ron Corbin, RBBC Holdings

·         Ralph Davis, Cressey & Company

·         Chuck Denny, PNC Bank

·         Annette Eskind, community volunteer  

·         Howard Gentry, Criminal Court clerk

·         Tony Heard, InfoWorks, Inc.      

·         Orrin Ingram, Ingram Industries

·         Lewis Lavine, The Ingram Group

·         Wanda Lyle, UBS Nashville Business Solutions

·         Robert McNeilly III, Synovus Bank

·         Juli Mosley, community volunteer

·         Tom Sherrard, Sherrard & Roe

·         Byron Trauger, Trauger & Tuke 

·         David Williams, Vanderbilt University

·         Jerry Williams, Leadership Nashville

·         Brenda Wynn, Davidson County clerk