Nancy VanReece

Carpe Diem Management - Strategy and Waymaking

Madison, TN

IT STARTS WITH A PROMISE - AND ALWAYS HAS A STORY

FROM THE GRASSROOTS UP

Nancy VanReece named the President/CEO of UPSHOT Nashville

This is a signal of where the future of sports is headed in Nashville, where women’s athletics, its cultural energy, and community investment align to create a new model of growth.


Nancy VanReece, former councilmember and part of the Metro Sports Authority’s committee to bring professional women’s sports to Nashville, has been named as President/CEO. VanReece is a respected Nashville leader whose career has been rooted in advocacy, civic leadership, and advancing equity across industries. Her appointment reflects a deliberate commitment to building a league grounded not only in competition, but in community.
Over the past decade, Nashville has emerged as one of the most dynamic sports markets in the country, driven by rapid expansion, passionate fan engagement, and bold civic investment. The arrival of Nashville’s New Home Team represents the next phase of that growth, one that fully embraces women’s professional sports as a central part of the city’s identity and economic future.
“This is not an add on to Nashville’s sports story, it is a continuation of its momentum,” said VanReece. “We are building something that reflects the energy of this city while creating new pathways for athletes, fans, and future generations. In Nashville, we don’t just sit on the sidelines and cheer, we don’t wait for things to happen, we make things happen.

VanReece served three years as the Vice President of Strategic Engagement for LDG Development. 2022-2025 She was essential in helping move affordable and workforce housing forward in TN, LA, NC, OH, TX, and KY and explored expansion in AZ, CO, and OK.

Nancy VanReece is a steadfast champion of Nashville’s evolution and a former Metro Councilmember (2015–2023). She was the Chair of the Convention, Entertainment and Tourism Committee and served on the advisory council to the Nashville Sports Authority, working diligently to bring professional women’s sports to the city. During her tenure, she transformed a landfill into a solar park, shepherded thousands of attainable homes into existence, and integrated local artists into placemaking initiatives.

Nancy also championed the creation of Madison Station Boulevard, the Amqui Station Farmers Market, and the world-class Harken Hall — all while earning an executive certificate in State and Local Government from Harvard Kennedy School. Known for her pragmatic, results-driven approach, she values action over rhetoric.

A former 6×6 basketball player in 1980s Oklahoma, Nancy jokes that she’s still at the half-court line calling, “Give me the ball!” She and her wife, Joan, met in Nashville in 1988, and they live in Madison, TN. Together, they enjoy traveling, during which Nancy creates sought-after street and landscape photography.

During her eight-year tenure (2015-2023) as a Nashville Metropolitan and Davidson County Councilmember, Nancy VanReece championed smart and inclusive development. Her efforts resulted in a significant milestone, with 34% of all new housing in the District being offered at affordable and workforce rates. Her impactful work culminated in the TIF Economic Development for the 37-acre town center development, Madison Station, which garnered support from 27 co-sponsors. This ambitious project has the potential to include up to 1.75 million square feet of business and retail space, 1700 mixed-income residential units, and sustainable green space, further enhancing the community's livability.

Her last legislation was to create a home for The Catalyst Fund at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, where additional short-term loans will be made to assist with gaps created in the housing space. She continues to work diligently to bring professional women's sports to Nashville, particularly the WNBA and AU Sports, and is a superfan of Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball.

Nancy is also an artist whose works are displayed on several university campuses throughout the United States and Canada. She is the proud recipient of the Nashville Arts Coalition's Stein Award for Public Leadership in the Arts. She completed the Harvard Kennedy School's Senior Executive Education certificate in State & Local Government in 2022.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Nancy VanReece recently and was consistently impressed by her strategic clarity and practical insight. She brings structure to complexity, challenges assumptions productively, and delivers thoughtful, actionable guidance. A true value-add as a strategy consultant. Having her input and guidance allowed our organization's board members to keep focused and eliminate mission drift.”

- Eric Deems, Nashville Land Advisor | Mixed-Use & Development Sites

“As a newly formed, public-facing enterprise, our organization benefited from Nancy’s deep understanding and valuable experience in Public Affairs. She established community relationships — public and private, near and far — that will prove critical to our company’s success.
She is a positive and dynamic contributor.
Nancy defined the important role of Vice President of Public Affairs and Business Development beyond the scope of our expectations and executed the complex nature of this dual role seamlessly and with utmost professionalism.”
— Fred Kennedy, Harken Hall
“What can Nancy NOT do? Seriously - she approaches any role, job, task, or initiative with integrity, authenticity, and passion. She’s not afraid of the hard work needed to get the job done and is quick to look for wins for all parties. She also shows up with her community. Nancy is not merely well connected; she’s deeply connected and brings that network to any opportunity that has a chance to make the world better. ”
— Sam Davidson, Co-Founder Batch USA, LLC
“I worked with Nancy for 4 years and I can attest that she is a life-long learner, leader, and relationship builder. Nancy has never met a stranger. I’ve probably sat in over 100 meetings with her and she’s always found something to connect with the person across the table- “a virtual connector of dots.” That takes both empathy and emotional intelligence. Nancy is thoughtful in her approach to everything she does which makes her excellent at business development. She is able to think strategically at ten-thousand feet while being detailed oriented in the execution of tasks. Ideas are nothing without execution and Nancy balances those effortlessly. Having Nancy is your corner is nothing short of incredible.”
— RYAN CARTER, FOUNDER/CEO PARCHUTE MEDIA, LLC
“Nancy did a spectacular job rebuilding MDSave’s social media presence. One heck of a turnaround job. She was creative, reliable and has a solid work ethic. She came to the table with fresh ideas, was always on time and always kept a great sense of humor.”
— Chad Blackburn Vice President Business Development MDSave,Inc.

"I came to Nancy because I wanted to build my brand through blogging/social media and had zero knowledge about how to do it. She was the perfect person for the job. Her blend of social media expertise and calm, positive demeanor was exactly what I needed. 

Consultant/coach/patient trainer, she helped me create a path to launching my blog and gave me skills along the way. She made me feel like what I wanted to achieve was possible, and then got me there. There is lots left to do, but I feel confident that we will partner to achieve the long term results I'm hoping for."

- Lisa Pote, Consultant

“Nancy VanReece is the real thing. She knows how to build an effective social media brand/platform. Even better, she makes this complex, arcane world accessible (and dare I say FUN) for her clients. She stands on the valuable ground where social media, branding and marketing intersect. I’m incredibly relieved to have her on my team!”
— Amy Lynch, Generational Edge
“What can be said about Nancy VanReece that you may not already know? There is a general consensus (and a look at her LinkedIn recommendations confirms this) regarding her wide-ranging talent for just about everything at which she tries her hand. As communications director at the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation (GBBF), I was responsible for helping to coordinate a statewide summit featuring thought leaders and communications experts in the non-profit arena. During the planning phase for the event, when charged with finding a presenter for the topic of social media engagement, I knew immediately that Nancy was the best possible choice. Nancy is on the cutting edge when it comes to helping organizations create comprehensive social media engagement strategies. Her presentation at the Tennessee Executive Residence was eloquent, sleek, articulate and – most significantly – effective. Our attendees left the summit invigorated with a real sense of how to implement Nancy’s ideas and reach more of their constituents in the ever-evolving ecosystem of social media platforms. I cannot recommend her highly enough, and I hope to work with her often in the future.”
— Kirk Graves, Communications Director, Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation
“Nancy has completely transformed our social media program, creating a viable and robust presence for us across a variety of platforms, from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to Google+ and Pinterest. She has played a critical role in upgrading and maintaining our website, and she piloted the launch of the Nashville Symphony’s mobile app, which today has been downloaded more than 5,000 times.

Nancy’s commitment to the job has been beyond compare, as she has spent countless evenings tethered to her iPad, monitoring and responding to the outpouring of feedback we receive through our social networks. Day in and day out, she has created, organized and posted dynamic content that represents the full breadth of who we are and what we do here at the Nashville Symphony — our concerts, our musicians, our education programs, you name it. We are a better institution for all of the incredible work that she has done, and she’ll be greatly missed.

In her own words: “I have enjoyed my nearly two years with the organization. Over 16,000 tweets and 2,200 Facebook posts later — totaling 204 million impressions — we have grown a great community on 11 platforms having 500+ conversations a week. I look forward to working with new clients as effectively!””
— Sr. Director of Marketing|Communications, Nashville Symphony
“Nancy put together a intensive 2 day workshop for Engage Kingsport and Kingsport Cultural Arts. The workshops gave individual artists the confidence and tools they need to enter the Social Media world as well as helped regional arts organizations refine and enhance their current social media strategies.”
— Bonnie Macdonald, Director, City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts
“Nancy was fun and informative. As the Luncheon Keynote Speaker for the Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare, Nancy provided great insight to a representation of over 20 different social service agencies. Her presentation spoke to each agency and everyone left with a more forward thinking mindset of social media and how it can be most effective and beneficial in telling their agency’s story! We loved Nancy!”
— LaTamera Woodley, LAPSW