Banker Jim Schmitz Chairs TPAC Board
Nashville operators tied to the East Bank cultural campus should watch how new board leadership shapes its timeline and partnerships.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center named Jim Schmitz, president and CEO of Citizens Savings Bank & Trust, as chair of its 2026-27 Board of Directors. The appointment comes as TPAC advances plans for a new cultural campus on Nashville's East Bank.
Why it matters
Board leadership at a major Nashville cultural institution signals who will guide a large capital effort on the East Bank waterfront. For local businesses, the campus and its governance are relevant to downtown and East Bank commercial activity and the professional networks that form around such projects.
Schmitz brings 23 years of experience at Regions Bank, including 11 years as area president covering 15 Middle Tennessee counties, and six years as Nashville market leader for Elliott Davis. The planned TPAC campus will include four performance venues.
The players
Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC)
Nashville's largest performing arts organization, operating major stages and presenting Broadway and touring productions.
Citizens Savings Bank & Trust
A North Nashville bank founded in 1904, recognized as the nation's oldest continuously operating minority-owned bank.
The details
Schmitz leads Citizens Savings Bank & Trust, a North Nashville institution founded in 1904 by Black businessmen and recognized as the nation's oldest continuously operating minority-owned bank. His earlier banking and advisory roles gave him regional lending and market-leadership experience across Middle Tennessee. The TPAC board also named Rhonda Taylor vice chair, J. Reginald Hill treasurer and Alexia Poe secretary, and added six new members.
Timeline
2026-27: Schmitz serves as chair of the TPAC Board of Directors for the 2026-27 term.
Market Landscape
The East Bank campus extends Nashville's pattern of cultural infrastructure investment downtown. Leadership appointments at major institutions like TPAC shape how such capital projects are financed and governed.
Operators with ties to Nashville's East Bank or downtown cultural district should track the campus's development and partner opportunities as the project advances. Businesses in banking and professional services may find new networking channels through the institutions involved.
The takeaway
Leadership changes at anchor cultural institutions often precede major capital decisions, so operators in construction, hospitality and professional services should watch the East Bank campus timeline. Check TPAC's published board and project updates as the 2026-27 term begins.
Further reading
For more on the leaders shaping the city's business community, see People coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Broadway World.
