The Battle of Nashville Trust has announced historic organizational and leadership changes in its non-profit structure as it moves forward with plans to expand preservation of the Battle of Nashville battlefield.
For the first time in its 34-year history of preserving battlefield ground, BONT has retained the services of an Executive Director who will join the Officers and Board of Directors to drive the efforts to upgrade the acquisition and interpretation of battlefield sites.
The BONT Board voted unanimously to elevate then-BONT President Bobby Whitson to the position of Executive Director of the Trust. Vice President Brad Gericke, a retired U.S. Army Major General, was elected president, and Brandon Hulette, a Vanderbilt University professor, as vice president. The new leadership structure went into effect as of May 5, 2026.
Bobby Whitson, Executive Director and former President, Battle of Nashville Trust
“Our objective is to advance the operations of the Trust to meet the urgent demands of historical preservation in a growing metropolitan region where development pressures continue to press against the imperatives to preserve our history,” said Gericke. “The Trust is looking for new ways to tell the story of the campaign and Battle of Nashville to today’s communities that may not realize a major battle and turning point of the Civil War was literally fought across Nashville’s neighborhoods.”
He added, “We are looking for volunteers to help us — all are invited and welcome. In the coming months the Trust will initiate a major fundraising campaign to preserve key properties that are at risk of being lost forever. We must act aggressively and act now!”
Bobby Whitson, who began 2026 as President of BONT and now moves into the ED position, noted that he was grateful that he will get to continue in an effective role to help move BONT forward to achieve the Board’s new objectives to save more of the dwindling remnants of the battlefield.
“Over the last two years, we have accomplished unparalleled growth. With our new leadership and structure, I am more confident than ever of our ability to drive greater awareness and raise more funds to honor those that served while creating valuable green space for all Nashvillians to enjoy,” said Whitson, a Nashville sports and education technology executive involved in recruiting and athletic team data management from the high school to professional levels. “I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. Every day I get to work alongside some of the best people in Nashville and engage with people about how important Nashville was to the Civil War. At the same time I get the opportunity to honor all of those who fought and sacrificed here.”
All three of those in the new leadership structure emphasized the core values set forth in the Battle of Nashville Mission Statement:
“The Battle of Nashville Trust (BONT) protects the memories, land, structures, and artifacts of the Campaign and Battle of Nashville to honor the history of all who fought and lived through the American Civil War in Tennessee by maintaining and interpreting the battlefield through world-class preservation, education, and advocacy.”
The Battle of Nashville Trust, known prior to 2020 as The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, was begun in 1992 by local historians who recognized how quickly commercial and residential development was erasing the original Nashville battlefield. Fortunately, a developer in 1954 had recognized the non-residential value of the summit of Shy’s Hill and allowed its acquisition by the Tennessee Historical Society. Since its renaming in 2020, BONT has acquired ownership of the THS property as well as purchased an additional one acre plus of the lower slope of Shy’s Hill.
For more complete statements by Gericke and Whitson, see the May, 2026, Battle of Nashville Trust Newsletter on this page.
