Board of Directors

Luke Pell | Board Chair

Prior to entrepreneurship Luke gained experience in the Professional Coaching/Leadership industry with the Flippen Group and an additional 2 years in the oil sector with Chesapeake Energy, a US leading producer of oil and natural gas. Prior to his time in the oil industry Luke spent 5 years in the United States Army leaving active duty as a Captain in 2012. His time in the military was spent in several different organizations and leadership cultures including units within the 101st Airborne Division and Division West First Army. He spent the last two years of his military time working with senior military leaders across the country in US Army Reserve Commands and multiple National Guard units developing unique deployment plans and training programs to fit the US Army’s rapidly evolving mission. Now Luke owns a moving company and is a partner in a commercial real estate firm out of Nashville TN.

It is Luke’s personal mission to spend everyday making a positive, purposeful, impact on all the relationships and interactions in his sphere of influence.

LARRY FELTS | Treasurer

Larry’s 44-year career includes serving as an assurance and office managing partner for KPMG, Coopers & Lybrand and PwC. After retiring from national firms, he has continued to serve middle market growth companies with assurance and strategic services for regional CPA firms located throughout Tennessee.
Larry’s obsession with providing excellent services to customers led him to join The KF Group’s partners in growing a firm focused on excellence by providing and coordinating a full suite of outsourced back office accounting and financial services to owners and their companies.

WILL PARKER | Secretary

Will is a Senior Quality Improvement Consultant at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he works with hospital leadership to develop, implement, and coordinate effective systems to evaluate and improve patient outcomes and quality care within the Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pulmonary Medicine, and Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Divisions. Before coming to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Will worked at Cardinal Health where he was a graduate of Supply Chain EMERGE, Cardinal Health’s rotational leadership development program. During his tenure with the company, he worked in various roles including Project & Program Management, Operational Excellence, Operations Management, and Strategic Global Sourcing. Prior to his career in healthcare, he served as a Sergeant in the United States Army for six years where he was responsible for leading a communications department through various technical and tactical installation projects, as well as two combat deployments to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Will earned his bachelor’s degree in Applied Management from Ohio University, and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Kaizen Leader, & Project Sponsor. In 2018, Will was selected as a Presidential Scholar with the George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran’s Leadership Initiative, where he worked with leaders across the country to improve Post 9/11 Veteran outcomes.

LINDA TARRSON | Co-Founder & Board Member

Linda Tarrson is a co-founder of CreatiVets. Residing in Chicago, IL, she has extensive philanthropic and volunteer experience including serving on the University of Southern California (USC) Presidential Ambassador Board and the UCLA Foundation Board of Governors, as well as serving with USC’s Presidential Associates. Linda is also the former Chairman of the Board of Visitors and the Dental Foundation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her passion in support of our veterans is deep and unwavering, stemming from her father, a U.S. Marine veteran who served in the Pacific during WWII, and her brother, who served honorably for 26 years as a U.S. Naval Aviation Officer.

KELLY RICH | Board Member

Kelly joined Amazon Music in February 2017, ensuring Nashville’s priority releases have a direct advocate, are properly set up within the Amazon eco-system and that Amazon’s global reach is leveraged on all of their properties for Nashville’s multiple genres. Honored as a Billboard Women in Music (2010-2013), MusicRow Rising Women on the Row (2014), NBJ Women in Music (2014-2015 and 2017-2019), Billboard Country Power Player (2017-2020) and Variety’s Women Who Power Country Music (2018). Her more than 31 years of experience includes time at Big Machine Label Group, UMG Nashville, DreamWorks, Arista Nashville, BMG and Western Merchandisers.

Jason Rittenberry | Board Member

Co-Founder of Music City Grand Prix and CEO/Managing Partner of Tristar Production Group

Jason Rittenberry, CVE, Chief Operating Officer of the Music City Grand Prix and Managing Partner of Tristar Production Group, is a 20+ year veteran of the motorsports and live event industry with experience at all levels of production of events from small local shows to major events such as NASCAR, the NHL Stadium Series and internationally with MotoGP and Formula One. He is a proven successful senior level executive who drives organizational and revenue growth. As a Certified Venues Executive (CVE), with expert knowledge of venue operations including racetracks, stadiums, amphitheaters, and convention centers, he has overseen some of the largest venues in motorsports, entertainment and the live event industries. Jason has extensive expertise in all facets of business operations, live entertainment, event management and as a promoter of live events, concerts, festivals and two of the top trade shows in the US.

Most recently Jason has been instrumental in launching INDYCAR’s newest street racing event – the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville. As one of three partners who had the vision to develop this three-day international festival of racing, music and food, the Inaugural Music City Grand Prix was held August 6-8, 2021. The event drew 110,000 fans and was a major economic engine for Nashville coming out of a pandemic.

Rittenberry’s Tristar Production Group has become the go to event production companies in Nashville. TPG is now the official production of the Tennessee Titans and Nissan Stadium, the Music City Grand Prix, the Nashville original Whiskey Jam events and recently produced the music stages for the NHL Stadium Series in Nashville.

As an active industry representative, Rittenberry currently serves on the Road Racing Industry Council (RRIC) Board of Directors and the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), where he currently serves in several leadership roles including: the Board of Directors, Past-Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees, Industry Affairs Council and Leadership Development Committee. Jason previously served as Chair of the Florida Facility Managers Association (FFMA), the Louisville Sports Commission Board of Directors, the Louisville CVB Board of Directors, the Kentucky Derby Museum Board of Directors, the Kentucky Derby Festival Board of Directors, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Board of Directors, the Board of Advisors for the Honda Classic PGA Tournament at PGA National, Austin Sports Commission Board of Directors, Memphis Sports Council Board of Directors and the Memphis CVB Board of Directors.

Rittenberry has been recognized by the Memphis and South Florida Business Journals as a Top Forty Under 40 recipient, has received the Chairman’s Citation by the International Association of Venue Managers and was awarded the first annual ‘Innovator of the Year’ award by the Racetrack Business Conference at the 2014 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show for his innovation in the motorsports industry and just received the award for a second time in 2021 for the success of the Inaugural Music City Grand Prix.

Christopher Cook | Board Member

Christopher Cook resides in Louisville, KY and works as an Endodontist at Louisville Endodontics and is a partner with HighFive Healthcare based out of Birmingham, AL.

Chris was the first in his family history to join the military. He joined the Navy while in dental school. During his 6 years of active duty, he was stationed in Newport, RI, Patuxent River, MD, Camp Lejeune, NC, Washington DC, and Key West, FL. He deployed with 22 MEU in 1997 with the Marine Corps, served as an Administrative Assistant to Chief, Navy Dental Corp in 1998. He worked with the Special Forces Underwater Operations School 1999-2001. His final rank was Lieutenant Commander.

Chris first met Richard Casper in 2015 while attending a gala in Austin, TX. This was the first time Richard sang “They Call Me Doc” in a large group setting. He saw the passion Richard had for Creativets and was immediately hooked. As a disabled veteran himself, Chris has a passion for helping veterans at work as well as anywhere he can. He knows Creativets is the gold standard to which all charities should be compared.

SHEILA YEPSEN | lifetime Board Member

Sheila Yepsen is a Gold Star Mother of the fallen hero, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Luke Yepsen (December 2006, Fallujah). Luke served as a .50 Caliber machine gunner with Richard Casper, co-founder of CreatiVets. Residing in Houston, TX, Sheila is a retired Cardiovascular Nursing Specialist with over 30 years of experience, primarily working at the Texas Medical Center at the cutting edge of cardiac care. She now volunteers extensively in Pastoral Care at hospitals in her community. Since 2006, Sheila has maintained friendships with the men who served with Luke. After watching them struggle and grow after their time on active duty, Sheila continues her commitment to helping veterans on their journey to recovery and wholeness.