An organizational leader with close to two decades of experience in the creative industries, Jonathan Harwell-Dye is the director of programs for the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville. He was previously senior communications manager for a global art and design university and director of communications for a nonprofit arts organization and local arts agency. He began his career as a graphic artist in the newspaper industry and went on to be an online manager, creative director, and editor.Â
Trained as an illustrator, Jonathan co-founded the Three Cities Group Artist Collective with artists Michale Marks and Mark Watkins, and he curated the gallery at the Contemporary Arts Exchange in Macon, GA. An advocate for the economic and social benefits of the arts, he was named a GeorgiaForward Young Gamechanger and commissioned as a regional leader by the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.
Jonathan holds a B.F.A. in interdisciplinary studies/scientific illustration from the University of Georgia and certification in creative placemaking from The Ohio State University in partnership with the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking. He studied business design and arts leadership at the Savannah College of Art and Design completing graduate-level coursework in business, finance and accounting, and strategic decision-making. Jonathan is married to Stacey Harwell-Dye, pastor of mercy and justice ministries at West End United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. The two share their home in Nashville with a sweet dog named Cici and an adorable toddler.
Photo by Matt Odom.