Executive Director of the Ned

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography by Kristina Only.

Exciting things are happening at The Ned McWherter West Tennessee Cultural Arts Center (The Ned). The new Executive Director, John Kimbrough, brings over 47 years of instructing music, directing shows, teaching music theatre, running lights and sound, overseeing and being an entrepreneur in Middle Tennessee. He has spent his entire career working with young people in various capacities, and he will always consider himself young at heart! All of these experiences make Mr. Kimbrough uniquely qualified to step into this role, and he is ecstatic at the opportunity. He is our real-life Music Man!

John Kimbrough is no stranger to the fine arts scene in Jackson as he was the Director of the Choral Program at Jackson Christian School for 10 years. He has served as chairman of the All-State Men’s Choir for 5 years and the chairman of the All-Northwest Honor Choir.

John is a graduate of David Lipscomb University, where he double majored in vocal and instrumental education. Although he has primarily directed vocal programs in his career, he has also enjoyed directing various groups, teaching and playing percussion.

John Kimbrough is not one to sit still! He is always looking for new territory to explore, and he loves meeting new people. He has organized trips for students and families to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, and most of Europe.

John and his lovely wife, Brenda, who was also a teacher, started a childcare center in Griffin, Georgia in the fall of 1978 and eventually moved to Cookeville, Tennessee, where they built Creative Learning Childcare and raised their children. Mr. Kimbrough went back to teaching in 1981 and Brenda took over running the childcare business, which she still oversees remotely.

John and Brenda have been married 48 years, spending the majority of those years in Cookeville, TN. They have two children: Jenna Britt, PHD,LPC/MHSP in Jackson and David Kimbrough LPTA in Goodlettsville, TN. They have four grandchildren, all of whom love to perform.

John is thoroughly enjoying working for the City of Jackson and has found each individual to be exceptionally kind and professional. He has what he considers an incredible team to work with him at The Ned. The team he has put together has countless ideas of things to do and is always looking for new opportunities that The Ned can help accomplish for the city and the people of this area.

John strongly believes that all of the various experiences he has been blessed to have in his career have led him to this place and prepared him to serve in this capacity. He knows what it’s like to be entrusted with the leadership of others and also what it’s like to be under someone else’s leadership, and he wants to make it his mission that anyone who works with him or for him feels supported and encouraged and is given room to spread their wings and fly.

Another one of Mr. Kimbrough’s biggest desires is to use his talents to enrich the lives of the people in this area in a season so starved for performance and involvement.

He hopes to provide Jackson with quality performances and to provide children with the very best opportunities possible. He has worked with Mayor Scott Conger to develop a budget that allows him to bring different directors into the fold each year.

“I’m blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love, and I hope to make a positive difference in the lives of people who cross my path. I hope we will provide the visitors at The Ned with everything they need and they have a great experience and will return. I want to be a good facilitator and the kind of person I would want helping me if I were in their place.”

— Johnny Kimbrough, Executive Director of The Ned

VIP: You began serving in your new role as Director of The Ned on July 1. What appealed to you about accepting this position?

Johnny Kimbrough: When offered this position from Mayor Conger, I was very excited because I wasn’t ready to stop working. I feel like I still have something to give to the community, and this is everything that I know to do. I’m very at home and comfortable with every part of this job.

VIP: What are your chief duties as the new Director of The Ned?

JK: My mandate from Mayor Conger was pretty simple: utilize the facility more, offer more diverse activities, and address diversity. We have already started on these goals. My main duty is to facilitate and assist my staff in whatever they need and make sure we are staying busy. We have discussed bringing back movies (perhaps show a Halloween movie on Halloween night) old silent movies with piano, and even outdoor concerts. Everything is on the board! We’re not opposed to doing anything that will bring people downtown.

VIP: Aren’t we fortunate to have a state-of-the-art facility like The Ned in Jackson, Tennessee?

JK: Not only is the theater such a fine facility, but this 1924 building is so interesting. We need more things going on in the old City Hall like mother-daughter teas, wedding ceremonies and receptions. It is amazing how many people have never been in this building.

VIP: What challenges do you face at The Ned, especially during COVID-19?

JK: We’re meeting the challenge of the new spread and have implemented mitigation before mandates. I don’t anticipate a shutdown, but we want to stay safe and make sure everything is clean and sprayed daily. All of our kids attending rehearsals now are wearing masks and spread distantly.

VIP: Tell our readers about your current Ned staff.

JK: There are five members on our Ned staff at present. I want to let them do their job so that everything will be done professionally. Within the next three weeks I will fill the last position—a technical/rigging/lighting/sound person. We have a Marketing Director, Office Manager, Building Engineer and an Art Curator. We plan to expand our art gallery show times and reach out to schools for their artwork so more people will visit the gallery. It’s all about increasing the flow of people coming to The Ned, which will increase the flow of people coming downtown.

VIP: You have been quoted as saying you want to see something always going on in downtown Jackson. Do you plan to introduce some new offerings at The Ned?

JK: We have introduced Ned Talks (with a new Ned logo) on Facebook. Our first of many speakers will be Eric Dozier, who is in great demand across the world. He will be coming to Jackson from New York the week of August 23-29. I’m sure he will be a huge success. Our marketing director, Tamara Waller, is coordinating a VIP reception. And we are working on The Lion King, Jr. on the stage September 2-4 followed by Hairspray in October . There will be open nights featuring bands, adult groups and all kinds of music. We hope to set up tables outside The Ned with tables/chairs like you see in Italy and have an in-house coffee shop at The Ned for before and after shows. The coffee shop will offer desserts, coffees, cheese and international foods.

VIP: How important to The Ned is the announcement about Doe’s Eat Place opening at the former Greyhound Bus Station across the street from The Ned?

JK: I talked to the owner of Doe’s Eat Place, and he plans to open by late October. We discussed some VIP dinners and theater shows with combined ticket sales. It will be great to go across the street after a fine show at The Ned!

VIP: What are your passions in the arts?

JK: I majored in both instrumental and vocal education. Music has always been something that came easy to me in school, and I excelled in any form of music. I played almost all instruments, but I don’t specialize in any. My experiences have given me the opportunity to dabble in all aspects of the arts. I have been comfortable around lights and sound since I was a kid doing garage bands. My primary focus became choral music, and fine choral music is my passion. But I love giving kids the opportunity to shine. It builds their self-image and self-confidence and makes them better people, and they use their musical talents their entire life.

VIP: Where is your birthplace. and where have you lived prior to moving to Jackson?

JK: I was born in Nashville. My dad was a department store manager for W.T. Grant’s, a store like Woolworth’s. We lived all over the Southeast. I grew up moving about every 1 ½ or 2 years. We lived in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Georgia. I enjoyed being the new guy. My wife and I moved to Jackson from Cookeville.

VIP: Talk about your work at Jackson Christian School.

JK: I was director of the choral activities at Jackson Christian, and I was the musical director for the HS theater and director of the middle school theater. I was on the staff at JCS for 10 years.

VIP: What are your hobbies?

JK: My work is my hobby! I’m pretty bad at golf, but I like to play. I am active in my church family at Campbell Street. I’m a big traveler. I enjoy taking groups around the world. My favorite place to visit is Italy going to small towns in the north. I think it’s the food and music and good friends that I have made there. I would like to offer some multi-cultural tours through The Ned. I will travel at the drop of a hat!