TPAC Names Jim Schmitz Board Chair for 2026-27
Citizens Savings Bank & Trust CEO Jim Schmitz will lead the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's board as it advances plans for a new cultural campus.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center has appointed Jim Schmitz as chair of its 2026-27 Board of Directors. Schmitz is President and CEO of Citizens Savings Bank & Trust, and TPAC is advancing plans for a new cultural campus on Nashville's East Bank.
Why it matters
The appointment places a banking executive with long regional finance experience at the head of the organization overseeing TPAC's expansion. It signals leadership continuity for a major Nashville arts institution as it moves its campus plans forward.
Schmitz spent 23 years at Regions Bank, including 11 years as area president overseeing 15 Middle Tennessee counties, and six years as Nashville market leader for Elliott Davis. The announcement does not address the campus budget or construction timeline.
The players
Jim Schmitz
Jim Schmitz is President and CEO of Citizens Savings Bank & Trust, a Nashville bank founded in 1904 by Black businessmen and recognized as the nation's oldest continuously operating minority-owned bank. He is a 2009 Leadership Nashville graduate.
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center is Nashville's major performing arts organization, operating venues in downtown Nashville and advancing a new cultural campus on the East Bank.
The details
TPAC's 2026-27 board officers are Jim Schmitz as chair, Rhonda Taylor as vice chair, J. Reginald Hill as treasurer, and Alexia Poe as secretary. Mary Cavarra, David Crenshaw, Brent Leatherwood, Erin Merrick, Katherine Mills and Kelly Unger were also newly appointed to the board.
Timeline
2026-27: Schmitz serves as TPAC board chair.
Roadmap
Schmitz's appointment connects TPAC's governance to Citizens Savings Bank & Trust, a Nashville institution founded in 1904 by Black businessmen and recognized as the nation's oldest continuously operating minority-owned bank. The move places a regional banking executive at the helm during the organization's push for a new campus.
For Nashville arts patrons, the leadership change may shape how TPAC handles ticketing, programming and the East Bank campus rollout over the coming season. Residents tracking the project can watch for board decisions as the campus plans develop.
The takeaway
Leadership appointments at major cultural institutions often signal the priorities that will guide large capital projects. Readers following Nashville's arts expansion can track board decisions to see how the East Bank campus takes shape.
Further reading
For more on Nashville's leadership figures, see People.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Broadway World.
