Avenue Bank vice president wins Dean Institute Business with a Purpose MBA Scholarship
Janel Shoun-Smith |
Business with a Purpose Scholarship awarded to employee of local company serving as a model of leadership and integrity
April Britt, learning manager and vice president for Nashville-based Avenue Bank, has been selected to receive the Business with a Purpose full-tuition scholarship for a Master of Business Administration degree at Lipscomb University.
The inaugural Business with a Purpose Scholarship was awarded by the Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity and the Lipscomb University College of Business as a follow-up to the Dean Institute’s Leadership and Integrity Awards presented this past March. The scholarship is fully funded by Dean Institute donors and supporters who attended the awards event.
Seven Nashville companies were honored for having demonstrated a commitment to mission as well as business success. Each company was invited to submit one applicant for the Business with a Purpose Scholarship for this coming fall.
The 2012 award-winning companies were:
- Ron Samuels/Avenue Bank
- Bridgestone Americas Inc.
- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
- Jackson National Life Insurance Company
- Lave MD (Mobile Medical Disaster Relief)
- Nashville Business Journal
- William Morris Endeavor
Avenue Bank CEO Ron Samuels was selected as the 2012 individual recipient of the Dean Institute Leadership and Integrity Awards, created to recognize the challenges in ethical business practices and innovative ways to overcome them. Avenue Bank has been recognized as a leader in concierge banking and local community involvement, creating a level of customer service not usually seen in the banking industry.
“Avenue Bank is a shining example of how to operate effectively and profitably with integrity and with a true concern for customers. It's whole reputation is built on customer care,” noted Turney Stevens, dean of the Lipscomb College of Business and executive director of the Dean Institute. “So it’s exciting to see our scholarship recipient is one who is intimately involved in helping employees to carry out that stellar customer service and continually improve their business skills.”
The Dean Institute’s Leadership and Integrity Awards Program has been coordinated for the last two years by Dan Harrell, Lipscomb alumni, local music entertainment executive and chairman of the Dean Institute Advisory Board. Presenting sponsor for the March awards ceremony was the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the evening sponsor was The Pursell Institute, the nonprofit foundation of FarmLinks at Pursell Farms in Sylacauga, Ala.
About April Britt
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| April Britt, Avenue Bank |
Avenue Bank’s applicant was Britt, who was nominated because she leads by example in her role of learning and development manager. Britt “walks the talk” that education is important for career growth and success, and she is enthusiastically committed to the development of others as well as herself.
“Being able to provide this opportunity for one of our employees is priceless,” said Ron Samuels, chairman and CEO of Avenue Bank. “I have no doubt that April will fully embrace this opportunity and leverage it to benefit our company far into the future. It’s a gift not just to her but to our entire company.”
Britt, who began her banking career as a teller, is now the learning manager for Avenue Bank, which she joined in 2008. Britt develops and carries out educational and professional development programs at a company-wide level for all associates. During her time at Avenue, she created the framework, strategy and business model for an internal learning and development program known as Avenue YOU.
Prior to her current position, Britt was the branch manager for the Franklin branch of Avenue Bank, where she led its opening and its successful growth for almost three years. She also has career experience at First Tennessee, Wilson Bank & Trust and Union Planters Bank.
Britt is active in the community, serving on the board of the March of Dimes of Middle Tennessee and on the board of the American Society of Training & Development (ASTD) as vice president of community relations, as well as involvement with the Young Leaders Council, Habitat for Humanity, CABLE and the Red Cross.
About the Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity
The Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity at Lipscomb University is a national forum for integrating best practices in governance with integrity and faith to benefit public and private company executives, board members and other top-tier corporate leaders. The institute seeks to address the root issues at play: namely, how character and integrity inform the decisions, actions, culture and performance of corporations.