NASHVILLE  – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee (BBBSMT) has appointed Sherrill Stratford as its Director of Volunteer, Recruitment, and Community Engagement. Stratford will lead the development and implementation of comprehensive volunteer mentor (Big) recruitment strategies. 

“We are thrilled to have Sherrill join our team of talented professionals,” said Melissa Hudson-Gant, CEO of BBBSMT. “Her leadership, community engagement skills and deep commitment to young people and families will be an asset as we work to inspire the community to invest in our young people and their future.”

In her new role, Stratford will identify and steward key relationships within the community to aid and advance BBBSMT’s mission and recruitment goals. In addition, she will work to increase the volume and strengthen the diversity of volunteer mentors (Bigs).

“I am humbled and honored that I am able to be a part of a mission organization that impacts the children in our Nashville Community,” Stratford said. “The excitement of fostering lifelong relationships is the greatest opportunity.”

Stratford brings over four years of experience in recruitment and community engagement to her new role at BBBSMT. She most recently served as the Assistant Director of Regional Recruitment & Community Engagement at Rocketship Public Schools, where she exceeded student enrollment and retention projections by 45%.

Along with her recruitment experience, Stratford also has experience organizing and leading community support initiatives. For 18 months during the COVID pandemic, Stratford led a community food drive that provided 2,800 boxes of food to local families earning her an Advocate of the Year nomination from the Tennessee Charter Center.

Outside of her work at BBBSMT, Stratford serves as a trainer and lead facilitator for NAMI, a caregiver support group. She also works with Tennesseans for Student Success and advocates for parents of children with disabilities and learning challenges in the Davidson County School District. In her free time, Stratford enjoys DIY crafts and shopping.

BBBSMT is excited to welcome Sherrill Stratford to the team and looks forward to the success she will bring both internally and to the community.

About Big Brother Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee

Since 1969, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is incredible potential. As a part of the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, BBBSMT makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages six through young adulthood, in eight counties throughout Middle Tennessee. Their mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.