Fisk University Names Longstanding Metro Nashville Council Member and Fisk Alumna Jennifer Gamble as New Director of Alumni Affairs

Councilwoman Gamble brings decades of leadership, communications and community engagement experience to the role, where she will focus on enhancing alumni engagement and guiding its evolution while honoring Fisk’s enduring legacy and culture.

November 6, 2026 (NASHVILLE, Tenn.) – Fisk University announced today that longstanding Metro Nashville Councilwoman Jennifer Gamble has joined Fisk University as Director of Alumni Affairs.

Gamble, a Chicago native, graduated from Fisk with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1991 and has long remained involved with the university. In addition to being an active member of the General Alumni Association of Fisk University (GAAFU), she returned to campus in 2003 to host a show on Fisk’s radio station, WFSK 88.1 FM, called “All things Fisk.” She also spent several years working in the university’s Office of Student Affairs and as a Prospect Research Manager in the university’s Office of Advancement. In 2024, she joined the business administration department as an adjunct professor.

“Leading Fisk’s Alumni Affairs Office is a unique and significant responsibility,” said Crystal Evans, Fisk’s VP of Development and Alumni Affairs. “This role sits at the intersection of nostalgia and innovation. It requires an exceptional leader who can effectively collaborate with our alumni—someone adept at communicating, even better at listening and committed to honoring Fisk’s legacy while guiding its evolution. Jennifer Gamble exemplifies this rare skillset. We are proud to pass this torch to one of our own.”

In addition to her work at Fisk, Gamble has spent more than 30 years in the marketing and communications industry. She earned a master’s degree in mass communication from Middle Tennessee State University and held several public relations roles before joining Prevent Blindness Tennessee, a nonprofit committed to education, awareness and advocacy to fight blindness, where she served as VP of Marketing and Development. She then led the organization as CEO for four years before launching her own communications firm, Nelson PR & Communications, in 2012.

Gamble was elected to the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Council in 2019, representing District 3, which includes Brick Church, Goodlettsville, Madison and Whites Creek. She has served as chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee and has been a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, the Planning Commission and the COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee. Gamble is active in a number of community organizations, including the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the National Urban League, the NAACP Nashville Chapter, among others.

“Jennifer Gamble knows what it means to represent and advocate for a community, particularly one tasked with balancing growth and change with preservation—characteristics of her constituency as well as our storied institution,” said Dr. Agenia W. Clark, Fisk University President. “When we began the rigorous search for this position, we looked for a strategic thinker who could map out an innovative plan for enhanced alumni engagement at Fisk without losing sight of who we are as an institution. Councilwoman Gamble has the experience and vision we sought. She is highly engaged across multiple communities, and with her vision and skillset, we are confident that the Alumni Affairs Office is in great hands.”

The institution established a search committee that included alumni and university leaders to conduct a rigorous nationwide search for the Director of Alumni Affairs.

“As a Fiskite, I feel extraordinarily privileged to have been selected to lead Fisk’s Alumni Affairs,” Gamble said. “I first set foot on campus in 1987 and have felt a connection ever since. Fisk is more than an institution from which I earned my degree, it’s a foundational part of who I am today. When this opportunity was presented, I realized it was time to come home. My interest in this role is rooted in gratitude and service. I am grateful to the selection committee for this opportunity and assure my fellow alumni that I accept it with great appreciation and my wholehearted dedication.”

Gamble and her husband reside in Nashville.

About Fisk University

Fisk University, a highly ranked, historically Black university, is the oldest institution of higher learning in Nashville, Tennessee. Fisk’s outstanding faculty and students enhance the university’s international reputation for academic excellence. Fisk offers more than 20 undergraduate and graduate programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and clinical psychology. For more information, visit Fisk.edu.

For more information, contact:

Maya Brown, Fisk University

mcbrown@fisk.edu