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
Amanda has lived in Murfreesboro for 10 years. She started as a living history volunteer at Stones River in 2017. She is part of the cast of the Hallowed Ground program, as well as a member of the artillery and infantry crews, taking part in demonstrations throughout the year. She is the vocalist for the Home Sweet Home Band, who performs for the Arts in Parks program at Stones River and at their volunteer appreciation event and Christmas party. In 2019, Amanda was awarded Volunteer of the Year. Amanda is also a volunteer for Operation Stand Down in Nashville and Studio Tenn in Franklin.
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
Gib retired as a long-time employee of the National Park Service, including many years as a supervising ranger at Stones River National Battlefield. Gib is an active member of the Rotary and actively networks with the Murfreesboro community.
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 Myers-Shirk, professor emeriti, retired in 2026 from the history department at Middle Tennessee State University. During the last ten years of her career, she served as director of the university’s general education curriculum, the True Blue Core. A US cultural & intellectual historian whose publications focus on religion and psychotherapy in the 20th century, she also is interested in cultural history generally, including the history of the park service--both its wild areas and its historic sites and national battlefields. She sees the park as a critical partner to the Rutherford County community and wants to support and preserve it for future generations. She enjoys walking her dog on the trails and thinks all dogs should become Bark Rangers.
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.
Phila Chandler
Board Member
Phila Chandler has called Murfreesboro home since 1982 and recently celebrated 39 years of marriage with her husband, Ron Aday. A graduate of Lewis County High School, she earned an Associate Degree from Columbia State Community College and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University. Phila spent ten years as an office manager for a local GM dealership before continuing as an accountant for the dealership’s former owner until his passing in 2022. Since 1994, she also operated her own accounting business, providing financial statements, tax preparation, payroll services, and other accounting support to small businesses throughout the Murfreesboro area before retiring in 2023. An active community volunteer, she has long been involved with International Folkfest, including serving as its Treasurer, and also served as Treasurer for Friends of Stones River National Battlefield during the 2023–2024 fiscal year. She is passionate about preserving the Battlefield’s history and enjoys walking its trails. Phila and Ron have two stepchildren and a grandson, and in her free time she enjoys participating in a book club, gardening, and hosting tea parties for friends and family to celebrate special occasions.
Trudy Leigh Hulett
Board Member
Trudy Leigh Hulett was born and raised in Cookeville, Tennessee, and graduated from Tennessee Tech University before moving to Murfreesboro more than 18 years ago. She is the mother of four children and an active member of the Murfreesboro community. Trudy is a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church, where she serves on the preschool board. She is also a member of the Woman's Club of Murfreesboro and a graduate of the St. Thomas Rutherford Commonwealth Society. Her interests include cooking, health and fitness, gardening, pickleball, and volunteering.