KRISTIN STARLING
President

Kristin’s passion for music, service and the power of the arts led her to SongwritingWith:Soldiers in the fall of 2017. Her career spans more than 30 years across arts and culture, nonprofit grantmaking and advancement. Kristin has led the transition of SW:S from a founder-led organization into a sustainable nationwide organization that has offered thousands of veterans and their families ways to find hope in the face of challenges and bridge military and civilian understanding and communities.

During her tenure at the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY Foundation/Museum, she drove grant-making in the areas of music preservation and music research working with leading research and cultural institutions. She also managed development initiatives and campaigns for both the GRAMMY Foundation/Museum and MusiCares. Ms. Starling’s experience also includes the Nashville Opera, as Director of Development and the flagship Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW where she supported a wide range of membership programs as it anchored its preeminence in the greater Southern California and global market.

Scott O’Neal
Vice President, Advancement

Scott is a lifelong Nashvillian. After graduating from Vanderbilt University with a degree in English and Fine Arts, he entered the 30+ year family wholesale florist business. As a graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy, Scott returned to MBA as a faculty member and executive leader spending 14 years as Director of Alumni and Development and Director of Athletics. In 2015, knowing the imperative of philanthropic legacy planning, Scott joined The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. He led and advanced the development of affiliate programs in the 40 covered counties of middle Tennessee and transitioned to Chief Operating Officer in 2019. In that role, he coordinated the planning and execution of a new $20M facility. In 2022, Scott became Director of the Jewish Foundation of Greater Nashville. After a year in that role Scott pivoted to focus on the growth of his family farm’s cattle and quarter horse business in Columbia, TN. Scott is married to his wife of 36 years, Anna-Gene, and has 2 adult children, Ayla and Bates.

Daryl Evans
Vice President, Operations

Daryl Evans is an accomplished and versatile leader with a proven track record of success in diverse environments. He thrives in dynamic, challenging, and fast-paced settings, demonstrating assertiveness, enthusiasm, and a strong business acumen. Daryl’s career has spanned the for-profit sector, where he has worked with a wide range of organizations, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. In 2018, he earned his MBA from the University of Alabama, which marked a pivotal shift in his career trajectory as he transitioned into nonprofit leadership. Driven by a passion for making a positive impact, Daryl is committed to leveraging his extensive knowledge and skills to support organizations focused on helping others.

Jay Clementi
Music Director

Music brought Jay to Nashville, where he found songwriting chemistry and friendship with acclaimed artist/writer Radney Foster. His songs and voice have been featured on five Foster records. They also worked together singing harmony on Willie Nelson’s Grammy-nominated album The Songs Of Cindy Walker. Jay was the lead singer of The Lucky Bucks signed by Warner Brothers Records and produced by Paul Worley in 2006. Since 2008, Clementi has been a full-time songwriter/producer on staff first with Warner Chappell and now Sony ATV in Nashville. He had a Billboard #1 with Luke Bryan’s “Move” in 2017 and has had songs recorded by Dierks Bentley, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Darius Rucker, Sunny Sweeney, The Josh Abbott Band, CB30 and a song featured on the hit show Nashville, totaling over 5 million records sold.

Jordyn Hay
Program Director

Jordyn was raised in a military community which included members of her own family. She has a heart for helping others and has diverse experience in event management, content creation, and brand campaign management. After graduating with a degree in Film Production and Event Management, she began managing productions for Caesars Entertainment. She has developed and managed more than 300 events across 23 countries for brands such as the Cannes Film Festival, Super Bowl Music Festival, EA Sports, NFL, and Bud Light. In 2019, Jordyn worked with Microsoft and the band MUSE and developed award-winning experiential events for their world tour. From small intimate events to multi-city music tours, Jordyn takes pride in bringing each piece of the puzzle together to create an exceptional experience.

Kevin Reeder, PHD
Program Facilitator / Special Advisor

Kevin currently serves as the Program Manager for the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. He specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and readjustment issues of returning Veterans.

Meredith Krygowski
Data Manager

Meredith has diverse experience in community development and civic engagement through the arts. She graduated from Michigan State University’s Residential College of Arts and Humanities with a BA in Arts and Humanities with a focus on Art and Public Life. Post college she honed her programming and development skills with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. She has been in Nashville since 2015 and has worked with festivals and organizations such as Defy Film Festival, Mile of Music (Wisconsin), and Girls Write Nashville.