People

“Life is good in Belle Meade; I just want to help make it better!”

Neal Clayton is a lifelong resident of Nashville, specifically Belle Meade. Neal appreciates the quality of life the City of Belle Meade offers to its citizens and he wants to make sure the growth of Belle Meade is conducted with prudent and careful diligence. As a Realtor for more than 40 years, he has been involved in hundreds of real estate transaction in Belle Meade and understands what people want in their community.

Neal is married to Marguerite Huggins Clayton. They have two sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law and four amazing grandchildren.

Neal earned a degree in advertising and public relations from the University of Alabama. He jumped into real estate immediately and never looked back. He has been president of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, the president of the Tennessee Association of Realtors, and on the board of director for the National Association of Realtors. He is owner of Engel & Völkers Nashville, a global real estate firm where his son, John, has taken over the presidency so Neal can devote his time to the City of Belle Meade.

Serving and giving back is the foundation that Neal lives by. He is the past vestry member of St. George’s Episcopal Church, a past trustee of Curry Ingram school, past president of the Nashville Humane Association, and an alumnus of Leadership Nashville. He is a member of the Economic Club of Nashville and serves on the ECON Charity Board of Directors. In the aftermath of the Waverly flood, Neal and his firm organized a supply drive and donated a U-Haul truck load of supplies, tools, water and clothing to disaster victims.

Neal wants to listen, learn and serve the citizens of Belle Meade.

Haley moved to Belle Meade when she was five years old and has been a resident ever since.  She is a graduate of Harpeth Hall School and the University of Alabama, where she majored in Psychology and Early Childhood Development.  Haley married her husband, Brye Dale, in 2005 and together they have three girls; Shaffer, Sara Paige and Liza.

As an adult, Haley’s life has revolved around state and local government in one way or another, where she arrived through a specific interest in education policy. She has been working as a contract lobbyist at our state Capitol for the past 10 years, initially working for Bivens & Associates, where together they lobbied for statewide policies for companies like UBER, Chattanooga Gas, Bayer Corporation, eBay, StubHub and the Tennessee Forestry Association.  In 2017,  she decided to focus her efforts solely on her passion for education policy and took a job lobbying for the Tennessee Charter School Center.  Haley has a strong belief that an excellent education should not just be a privilege for those wealthy enough to afford to pay for one, or those that can pay to live in certain zip codes.  Her work at the Charter School Center focuses on the creation of schools that will serve as pockets of innovation in large school systems where new teaching strategies and educational theories can be used without some of the limitations placed on traditional public schools in order to give parents choice within the public school system.  Haley believes very strongly that a thriving business community depends largely on the strength of our public schools and she works tirelessly to pave the way for new successes.

She is keenly aware of the unique position cities like Belle Meade are in as Nashville continues to grow at breakneck speed.  Land preservation, beautification, and historic architecture are particular interests of Haley’s, and she is also well versed in her knowledge of stormwater issues, building codes, even short term rental policies.  Her hands-on experience at the legislature has made her keenly aware of how both state and local governments must work together to create an environment where cities like Belle Meade can thrive and flourish.  Haley has served as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals for the city of Belle Meade since 2019,  is a former member of the Kindergarten Advisory Board of St. George’s Church, and has served as the Vice President of Policy for Julia Green Elementary School for 11 years.

Haley has reached a point in her career and in motherhood that awards her the time to serve our community in a very meaningful way.  She is eager to engage and respond to Belle Meade’s residents and hopes to bridge the gap between generations as our beloved city grows and changes.

Rusty Moore is committed to preserving the uniqueness of our community, maintaining our property values, and helping keep our neighborhood safe for future generations. He and his family have been residents of the City of Belle Meade for over 25 years. Rusty and his wife, Beth, have two children, Roe, a third year law student and Ellie, a freshman, both at the University of Tennessee.

Rusty received his undergraduate degree in Public Administration and his law degree from the University of Tennessee. Prior to law school, he was appointed to the position of Staff Assistant to Senator Jim Sasser in the senator’s Washington D.C. office. In 1985, he joined the firm of Stokes & Bartholomew, P.A. in Nashville where his practice focused in the area of real estate and commercial transactions. Rusty is currently the president of Bankers Title & Escrow Corporation, a residential closing and title insurance company. Bankers Title has offices in Nashville, Brentwood, Dickson and Clarksville and serves as the closing agent to a variety of lenders and realtors throughout Middle Tennessee. Rusty is a frequent speaker for professional groups on issues related to real estate closings and title issues.

Active in our community, Rusty served for over ten years as a volunteer instructor for W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School, as president and board member of Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity and president and board member of American Heart Association Heart Gala. He is an active member and an Elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church. He has been an involved member of the parents associations for the Oak Hill School, Montgomery Bell Academy and the Harpeth Hall School, including leading the Harpeth Hall Fathers’ Network. The entire Moore family supports MyLifeSpeaks, a mission located in Neply, Haiti where they visit annually.

In addition to closing real estate transactions, Rusty enjoys boating, skiing and assisting friends with home improvement projects.

Louise Bryan, born in New Orleans, first arrived in Nashville as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University. Pursuing a career in finance, Louise worked in London, Charlotte, and Chicago, where she completed her MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In 2001, Louise and her husband John, a native of West Point, Mississippi, purchased Savannah Food Company, a Tennessee-based food manufacturer, and soon after made Belle Meade their home.

Louise is principal of Bryan Communications, working with nonprofits in marketing and communication strategy. She is also a writer for Belle Meade Living Magazine. Active in local organizations, Louise is Area Block Captain for Neighborhood Watch and currently serves on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Middle Tennessee Board, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Parent Advisory Board, and previously served on the Women’s Fund Board of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Leveraging her background in finance and marketing strategy, Louise would like to serve the community as Commissioner by helping to create a long term vision for Belle Meade, while remaining responsive to residents and their current needs. Louise believes strongly that local issues matter because neighborhoods, the foundation of our larger communities, should
be safe, beautiful and fiscally sound. Given the opportunity to serve, she will pursue areas of opportunity while ensuring that the long-term viability of the City’s budget remains stable.

Louise and John have three children and enjoy hiking the trails throughout the Warner Parks.

Jim Hunt has served as a Commissioner of the City of Belle Meade since 2008 and as its Mayor since 2012.  He attended Battle Ground Academy and Vanderbilt University.  He and his wife Sally Beasley Hunt, formerly of Franklin have been married for 53 years.  Jim is a retired Captain in the US Navy.  He has two sons, Jim Jr. and Allan.  Jim Jr lives in Belle Meade with his wife, Betsy and their three children.  Allan, lives in Oak Hill.

Jim retired in 2011 after selling the business he founded in 1981.  Jim Jr. working in the company since 1995, purchased control of that business, Benefit Communications Inc.   During his active years in business, Jim earned numerous insurance awards: Local, State and National, including election to the Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame. In his earlier years, Jim served on multiple boards and held numerous leadership positions in community, civic and business organizations, including presidency of The Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce, a co-founder and President of Buddies of Nashville (now Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America) and President of the American Cancer Society of Davidson County, Jim was a participant in the initial year of Leadership Nashville in 1976 and is an active member of its Alumni Association.

Jim’s major passion for the past 24 years has been the Nashville Zoo. He served as chairman of the Zoo’s Board of Directors for eight years from 2000-2006 and 2010-2013 and currently serves on the Zoo’s advisory board. Jim and his family foundation have funded two exhibits, Lorikeet and Kangaroo, and is a major donor to the new veterinarian hospital, dedicated in November 2018.

Jim has also served as president of The Downtown Exchange Club (now Economic Club of Nashville) in 2007-2008. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee and a Board Member of the Belle Meade Plantation, Operation Stand Down Tennessee and Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  At Cheekwood, he currently serves as Chairman of the Board having become its board chairman in 2018.

Jim enjoys his role as Commissioner and Mayor of the City of Belle Meade and is committed to continue the time and effort to assure Belle Meade maintains its character and independence.

Jim and Sally are communicants at The Cathedral of the Incarnation Catholic Church.  Jim, Sally and Bear, their cherished cockapoo, live on Enquirer Ave.