2025-2026 Board of Directors
Tom Zei
President
Tom retired after 32 years in the Federal government managing accounting, computer support and project management. He was a licensed CPA in Florida. Stones River NB volunteer since 2014 in interpretation and is on the tour guide team. Awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2021 for research conducted on the National Cemetery. Tom joined the board in 2019 and was Treasurer for two years before becoming President.
Chase Sinquefield
Vice-President
Chase has been in the Insurance business and with Pinnacle Financial Partners for 25 years and has received various industry awards during this time. Chase serves on various community boards and serves as a Deacon at New Vision Baptist Church.
Gia Trevino, CPA
Treasurer
Gia Trevino is a proud Murfreesboro native with a passion for our National Parks. As a CPA specializing in nonprofit organizations with LBMC, PC’s tax department, she brings valuable financial expertise to the board. Her connection to the Friends of Stones River National Battlefield runs deep as her grandmother was one of the organization’s founding board members.
Amanda Shields
Secretary
Karen Havill Bingham
Board Member and Membership Coordinator
Karen has been a recreational user of the Battlefield for over 30 years. She trained here as a long-distance runner and now walks the trails 4-5 times weekly. She is a passionate devotee of the Park’s beauty and unique natural resources and joined the Board in 2017 as a dedicated advocate of those hallmarks of the Battlefield. Before retirement three years ago, she enjoyed two disparate careers—as a public and academic librarian for 30 years, then as a coordinator for the Rock n Roll Marathon Series for 20 years.
Gib Backlund
Board Member
Gary Burke
Board Member
Gary Burke is a native of Nashville, and a 2021 retiree of the General Mills Company. He has been a living history presenter at the battlefield over a decade. He serves on various other boards connected with Civil War history. He is VP of the African American Historical Society of Rutherford Co.
He is the 2023 recipient of the Fletch Coke Award for preservation.
Susan Myers-Shirk
Board Member
Susan is a history professor at Middle Tennessee State University and is the director of MTSU's General Education/True Blue Core program. Author of many books and papers focusing on cultural history.
Peggy Nelson
Board Member
Retired high school teacher. President-elect of MoreTreesBoro, a local non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and growing the urban tree canopy and sponsoring educational programs to increase awareness of the value of trees and green spaces for a healthy and beautiful community.