Our Board
Dr. Josh Yates - President & Chair
Josh is the Founder of Thriving Cities Group. He is also the Executive Director of the Belmont Innovation Labs at Belmont University. Trained as a cultural and community sociologist, he integrates over two decades of academic research and practical experience to explore what it means and takes to thrive in contemporary communities. Previously, Dr. Yates served as a Research Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia, where he founded Thriving Cities. He then moved to Duke University to lead the Ormond Center, focusing on initiatives to support thriving congregations and communities. Dr. Yates earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of Virginia and a B.A. from the University of Montana. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with his family.
Dr. Aaron McKethan
Aaron is the CEO of Aledade Plus, where he leads the development of new services and business lines to support value-based primary care. Previously, he co-founded and led NoviSci and RxAnte, two healthcare data science companies, and served as Director of the Beacon Community Program at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, overseeing health IT initiatives aimed at improving care quality and reducing costs. He has held research and policy roles at the Brookings Institution and Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and is an Adjunct Professor in Population Health Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. McKethan earned his undergraduate and PhD degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill. His research has been published in leading medical journals, and he serves on nonprofit boards, including the Samaritan Health Center in Durham. He lives in Durham, NC, with his wife and four children.
Bryce Butler
Bryce is the founder and managing director of Access Ventures, an impact investment firm dedicated to building a more inclusive and creative economy. Before establishing Access Ventures, he served as the executive director of the BlueSky Network, a venture philanthropy firm. Bryce has also held roles as an executive pastor and as a captain in the U.S. Army's Armor Branch. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Iowa State University and a master's in theology. Additionally, Bryce has taught social enterprise as an adjunct instructor at the University of Kentucky and serves on multiple boards, including Village Capital and Greater Louisville Inc. He resides in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife and four children.
Tom Baldwin
Tom serves as the VP of Fund Strategy for Solving the World’s Greatest Problems. Tom spent 20 years driving growth and building brands. At Stanley Black & Decker, he co-led the team that architected the DEWALT 20V MAX cordless platform, now a billion-dollar product line. At Mars, he led a decade of revenue growth across the pet nutrition category. At Belmont University’s Innovation Lab, he leveraged an innovative venture philanthropy model to deploy $1M to six organizations supporting youth transitioning out of foster care.