NASHVILLE, TENN. – November 16, 2020 – The board of directors at NECAT (Nashville Education, Community, & Arts Television) has elected Sheyla Paz to be the new Chair effective February 2021.  Paz will join Seannalyn Brandmeir (Vice Chair), Aisha Lbhalla (Treasurer), and newly appointed Dana Schroering (Secretary) to complete the slate of NECAT’s board officers.

The non-profit offers classes in TV and film production as well as overseeing programming and content for three public television channels that have served the community since 1972. Music City Arts, iQtv, & Access Nashville broadcast 24 hours a day via Comcast channels 9, 10, and 19 in Davidson County and via AT&T U-Verse channel 99 in 19 middle Tennessee counties.  The channels also stream online at www.necatnetwork.org 

“I have had the pleasure of working with Sheyla over the last couple of years and found her to be incredibly engaged and insightful,” said Tyler Pittman, outgoing chair. “She brings vast industry experience to the table as well as firsthand knowledge of NECAT’s programs having started her own career at the network. I can think of no one more suited to take on this role. “ 

Paz, who had her own show on Telemundo Nashville, has served on the board for eighteen months, succeeds Pittman, who is rolling off the board after two consecutive three-year terms.

“NECAT was my home before I started my TV show on Telemundo Nashville,” said Paz. “It was my foundation where I learned about television, and they instilled in me a passion for making television, and it has been a great joy to serve on the board this past year. I can’t wait to continue supporting an organization that provided a path for me to become who I am today in the world of film and television.” 

About Sheyla Paz 

Sheyla Paz was born and raised in Cuba. She moved to the United States 20 years ago after meeting her husband at her beloved island when she was performing with a band at the Riviera Hotel in Havana. She is the host and producer of Entertainment Circle, an entertainment TV show, actress and photographer who has a passion for travel. Paz launched the tour agency to Cuba out of her desire to share her culture, music, dance, and homeland architecture with others. Her agency provides travel arrangements to all Latin countries and the Caribbean Islands. Her company Paz Communications has produced several award-winning short films. She was recognized as a leading media personality in the Latino community in Tennessee with the “Beacon of Light” award in 2019. Paz was one of the few Cuban-American journalists selected to travel to Cuba with President Barack Obama in 2016 as part of the White House Press Corps.

About Seannalyn Brandmeir

Seannalyn Brandmeir is a licensed attorney and serves as the director of procurements and contracts for the State of Tennessee, Department of Finance and Administration, Division of Benefits Administration.  Throughout her career, she has dedicated her time to working in public service and non-profit organizations in her community. She has worked for the State of Tennessee for more than fourteen years.  Her previous positions include serving as a communications professional and as an outreach coordinator for Constituent and Legislative Services with the Cover Tennessee programs.  She also serves as chairperson of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville Board of Directors, membership co-chair for the American Bar Association Public Contract Law Section, and is a member of the Harry Phillips Inn of Court.  She is a graduate of Nashville School of Law and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

About Dana Schroering

Dana Schroering is an award-winning writer, producer and communication professional. She launched her career in public television before spending a decade working as promotions producer in TV news. She has an Emmy for her work on the documentary, “Where the River Bends: A History of Northern Kentucky” and two Emmy nominations for her work at WSMV-TV. Since leaving TV in 2014, Schroering has spent time on the development team at Nashville CARES, a local HIV/AIDS service organization, and on the corporate communications team at Brookdale Senior Living. She now serves as the Marketing Director at Contessa Health, the country’s leader in home hospital care. She lives in Madison with her husband and young son, Barret.

About NECAT

Nashville Education, Community, and Arts Television (NECAT) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission that is two-fold: To expose middle TN viewers to arts and education programming created both locally and around the world, and to teach individuals and organizations who wish to make TV shows how to do so, let them use our equipment and resources, then broadcast those shows for them.

NECAT runs three public television channels that have served the community since the 1970s. These channels are Music City Arts (our arts channel), iQtv (education channel), and Access Nashville (our community access channel). All three channels are 24 hours a day and are broadcast on television via Comcast channels 9, 10, and 19 in Davidson County, via AT&T U-Verse channel 99 in 19 middle TN counties*, and live streamed on the internet 24 hours/day.

A very affordable, one-of-a-kind outlet for individuals and organizations learning to express their ideas and perspectives via television, NECAT is also, from the viewers’ perspective, a window into music, theater, dance, environmental science, conservation, multi-cultural and organic cooking, politics, humor, alternative energies, healthcare services, and business strategies—from our own community as well as in other regions, ideologies, countries, and languages.

For more info please go to www.necatnetwork.org

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