Empowering Minds: Women entrepreneurs two-step through funding and mentorship to the beat of intellectual property (IP)

Lindsey Cox, Chief Executive Officer at Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN), a public-private partnership empowering Tennessee’s most promising entrepreneurs with capital, connection, and commercialization opportunities. The organization also enables collaboration among startups, federal agencies, entrepreneur support organizations, universities, and investment firms to foster innovation and growth throughout all 95 state counties. 

Cox spent six years at LaunchTN before rejoining the organization as CEO in April 2022. She previously served as LaunchTN’s finance, accounting, and compliance manager; innovation manager; director of its 3686 Entrepreneurship Festival; and director of operations and government affairs. 

She brings deep, valuable experience in supporting entrepreneurial endeavors. From 2019 to 2021, Cox worked at the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the United States Economic Development Administration (EDA) — a bureau of the Department of Commerce, where she led the restructuring of a $225 million federal grant program supporting tech-based economic development initiatives. She then joined The Company Lab — Chattanooga’s regional entrepreneur center — as their CEO, where she led the organization's rebuilding, including staffing and fundraising efforts.

Cox earned both her MBA and bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Tech University. 

Toni Hickey, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Atmus Filtration Technologies, a global technology leader that designs, manufactures and sells filtration, media, and chemical technology products. Having more than 4,500 employees and a presence in more than 150 countries, Atmus serves customers across truck, bus, agriculture, construction, mining, marine, and power generation vehicle and equipment markets.

In her current role, Ms. Hickey successfully led the spin-off of a wholly- owned subsidiary, known for sixty-five years as Cummins Filtration, valued at $1.8 billion. Defying one of the most volatile markets in a decade, Ms. Hickey successfully navigated the complex transaction, an initial public offering with a debt-for-equity exchange, with the parent company, Cummins Inc., retaining an approximately 80.5% of the total outstanding shares of Atmus common stock. She remains the lead deal lawyer as Cummins and Atmus prepare for the former parent’s full divestiture of its interest in Atmus.

Prior to her role with Atmus, Ms. Hickey served as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel with Cummins Inc., where she had principal responsibility for the global function that manages the Company’s intellectual property portfolio and associated interests. Prior to joining Cummins, Ms. Hickey was Senior Counsel in the Washington, D.C. Office of an AM100 law firm, where her practice focused on global intellectual property protection, monetization, and enforcement.

Ms. Hickey transitioned to private practice from the USPTO, where she held various roles, including as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Agency (2009-2011), where she served as a key advisor to the political appointee, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. Ms. Hickey also served as an intellectual property rights attaché to the United States Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. Earlier in her career, Ms. Hickey was an examiner with the USPTO.

In 2012, Ms. Hickey was recognized by the Legal 500, was honored by the National Bar Association and IMPACT as one of the “40 Under 40” Nation’s Best Advocates, and was named to InsideCounsel’s Ready to Rise R3-100. She is a 2019 Indianapolis Business Journal Woman of Influence and the 2020 Women & Hi-Tech Woman of the Year Award recipient. She also was selected to participate in Cummins’ CEO-led two-year Executive Development Leadership program. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Girls Scouts of Central Indiana and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Urban League.

Ms. Hickey earned her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she was a President’s Leadership Class Fellow, with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and accounting. She also studied at the Institut Savoisien D’etudie Française in Annecy,-France. Ms. Hickey is admitted to practice in the states of North Carolina and Indiana, as well as the District of Columbia. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the District of Columbia Bar, and the National Bar Association.

Cris Lacy is Co-Chair and Co-President of Warner Music Nashville alongside Ben Kline. She and Kline guide the highly successful country division of Warner Music Group that includes such chart-topping artists as Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Cole Swindell, Zac Brown Band, Ashley McBryde, Cody Johnson and an array of skyrocketing talent who represent the genre's next generation, including Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, Bailey Zimmerman, Ian Munsick and Avery Anna.

Lacy graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in English before beginning her first full-time industry job at Tom Collins Music Publishing. She continued her publishing experience at Rick Hall / FAME Publishing, Island Bound Music and Warner Chappell Music before accepting an A&R position at Warner Music Nashville in 2005.

She rose through the ranks at the label, and was promoted to SVP of A&R in 2017 and EVP of A&R two years later. While leading A&R at Warner Music Nashville, Lacy was the driving force behind the signing of many of the label’s most prominent artists, including Chesney, Swindell, McBryde, Johnson, Barrett and Zac Brown Band.

Lacy's accolades include multiple spotlights on Billboard's Country Power Players and Women in Music lists, as well as MusicRow's Rising Women on the Row honor in 2016.

Kayla Rodriguez Graff, MBA is the CEO and co-founder of SweetBio and a thought-provoking business leader specializing in disruptive business models. Her background includes 8 years of medical device venture development and 6 years customer experience and operations strategy at Target Corp. Kayla brings a fresh perspective to the medical device space and is responsible for spearheading strategy and fundraising ($7M) to bring SweetBio's advanced wound care products from development through patenting, FDA clearance, and recently Medicare coverage and lives changed for hundreds.

Kayla is a fierce advocate for women and diverse entrepreneurs and serves on several boards including Epicenter, LifeScienceTN, Shelby Farms Park Conservatory and Agape. Kayla was named an Inc. Magazine 100 Female Founder, presented at the U.S. Senate on Women Entrepreneurship, and had highlights by Apple, Forbes, HOLA! Magazine, and People en Español Magazine. Most importantly, Kayla is married to her soulmate, and proud mom to her 6- and 3.5-year-old sons and 10 month-old daughter.

Shannen Stewart, Founder, Heels & Handshakes, an organization that fosters community through in-person events and digital experiences for entrepreneurs, women in business, and their allies. Through membership, this community of professionals gets access to industry leaders, mentorship, and business collaboration opportunities.

Shannen created Heels & Handshakes in 2013 after returning to her hometown of Nashville and missing the community of women within the hospitality industry. She noticed the lack of opportunities to network. Shannen wanted to ensure that the women who made up the Greater Nashville workforce would all have positive and collaborative interactions to enrich their lives professionally and personally. What started as a ten-person meeting for cocktails and conversations has evolved to over 3,000 women and men in the Middle Tennessee community.

Since founding the organization, she has curated over 240 events for the Heels & Handshakes members. Shannen's event brand partnerships and collaborations include BetterHelp, Kendra Scott, TEDx, Ballet Ball, Tiff's Treats, and the Nashville Young Leaders Council to execute thoughtful activations for the Heels & Handshakes community.

Her work in hospitality has received accolades and awards, including the 2023 Nashville Business Journal Women of Influence, the 2021 Nashville Lifestyles Women in Business Recipient, The 2019 Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce NELA Awards Hospitality & Tourism Recipient, the 2019 Meeting Professionals International Tennessee Chapter Supplier of the Year and the 100 Leading Persons in Personal Services, Food, and Hospitality in 2018. Shannen volunteers for Nashville-based organizations Thistle Farms and the YWCA in her spare time while serving on the TEDx Nashville Committee.

Shannen graduated from Tennessee Technological University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences in Mass Communications. After graduation, she moved to Orlando, Florida, to begin her career in hospitality. In addition to her passion for events and connecting women, she loves spending time with her husband, son, and two fur babies.