OUR LEADERSHIP
Co-Founder: Bill Weaver
Time to Rise is the ongoing legacy of an incredibly passionate and driven man, Bill Weaver, who along with David Whitfield co-founded the organization in 1992. Time to Rise began as a dream of Bill’s and its long-term success has been a result of his initial vision and intensity. Although Weaver was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1977 and passed away in 2007, he was often quoted saying, “I have MS, but MS doesn’t have me.” That attitude has been the inspiration for the mission of Time To Rise: not to let challenging life circumstances limit the potential for our city’s youth. Under Bill’s leadership, Time to Rise earned its reputation for civic excellence and over twenty years later that reputation continues to stand.
Co-Founder & Executive Director: David Whitfield David Whitfield has been a leader in both the educational and non-profit sectors of Nashville for many years. After earning his B.A. at Tennessee State University and his M.A. in Social Studies at the University of Chicago, David joined the faculty at Montgomery Bell Academy. At MBA, David taught English and History. David and Bill Weaver co-founded Time to Rise, and David has served as its Executive Director ever since. In 2005, David moved from MBA to Ensworth High School to take on the role of chairman of the Seminar Department. At Ensworth David continues to teach courses in Seminar, African-American Literature, British Literature and The Civil Rights Movement. David also received his MLAS from Vanderbilt University.
Chairman of the Board: Will Weaver
A Nashville native and graduate of the University of the South, Will Weaver has spent his entire professional career focused on the design and development of web-based products with an emphasis on solving complex problems via simple, friendly user experiences. He served as cofounder and director of product development for Smallbusiness.com in the late 90s. In 2001, Will cofounded the email marketing company Emma (myemma.com) where he honed his expertise in product development to build Emma's award winning SAAS-based platform for email communications. Feeling the call of the startup again, Will left his day-to-day role at Emma in April of 2011 to cofound RoundingWell (roundingwell.com), a healthcare technology platform focused on integrated care management. Assuming the position of Chairman of the Board of Time to Rise in 2014, Will is continuing the legacy begun by his father by leading the organization with dedication and a strong strategic vision.
Program Director: Maurice Hopkins
Maurice has been a member of the Time to Rise team since the summer of 2004. He began his work with the program as a bus supervisor and has climbed the ranks to his current role as Program Director. Maurice is a product of the Metro Nashville Public School System and a proud graduate of Fisk University. In addition to Maurice’s vital role at Time to Rise, he is also a teacher in the history department at the Ensworth Middle School.