ABOUT
Our Mission
PTM empowers children and youth to discover and live their God-inspired dreams, develop a love for learning, and build joy-filled friendships that glorify Christ Jesus.
Our Core Purpose
PTM exists to journey together to uncover God-created spaces where students can grow and discover the gifts God has placed inside of them.
Our Core Values
Christ-centeredness, Character, Collaboration, Consciousness, Compassion and Creativity.
PTM'S IMPACT
PTM exists to be a place for students to receive support socially, emotionally, academically and spiritually. PTM ended the 2025-26 program year with 168 students enrolled, and 53% of these students were deeply connected through programs ranging from mentorship, enrichment opportunities, summer camps and more. Read more about PTM's impact through the 2025-26 Impact Report.
History
1985
In 1985 Perry McGowan, having just graduated from Pearl-Cohn high school and a resident of the Preston Taylor Housing Development, saw children in his own neighborhood without a safe place to grow and learn. Perry began tutoring 8 children in his mom’s living room. After 8 turned into 16, Perry was able to arrange for space in a mobile trailer maintained by the Preston Taylor Management Office. This program offered tutoring, drug prevention training, Boy Scouts, field trips, fashion shows, and sports opportunities and relied on several Preston Taylor parents as volunteers.
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In 1985 Perry McGowan, having just graduated from Pearl-Cohn high school and a resident of the Preston Taylor Housing Development, saw children in his own neighborhood without a safe place to grow and learn. Perry began tutoring 8 children in his mom’s living room. After 8 turned into 16, Perry was able to arrange for space in a mobile trailer maintained by the Preston Taylor Management Office. This program offered tutoring, drug prevention training, Boy Scouts, field trips, fashion shows, and sports opportunities and relied on several Preston Taylor parents as volunteers.
1990s
1990s
In the mid-1990s, Perry was hired by Metro Parks to run programming out of the Preston Taylor Community Center. In 1997, Patrick Hamilton began volunteering in the Preston Taylor Community. Perry introduced him to students, parents, and community leaders and Patrick connected with a group of church leaders (Warner Durnell, Linda Knott), community leaders (McGowan and Tim Bryant) and parents (Mark McShand and Paula Thomas) in the Preston Taylor community to build on the work that Perry had started. In March, 1998 PTM was formally incorporated as a Christian-based non-profit named Preston Taylor Ministries. PTM met for a summer program in the fellowship hall of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church to offer children living in the community Bible studies, recreation, tutoring, and music instruction. In 1999, PTM moved to First Baptist Church of West Nashville (Pastored by Jordan Ivey). In addition to summer and afterschool programming, PTM added mentoring as a way of helping students connect to even more caring adults.
2000s
In 2007, PTM moved its operations from First Baptist–West Nashville into a building donated to PTM by Martha and Hal Wilson. Named to honor this generous family, the Hal and Martha Wilson Center is located at 4014 Indiana Avenue. This permanent space provided a base for expanding to serve more children through the launching of satellite sites.
In 2008, PTM established a second afterschool site in North Nashville in partnership with Faith United Missionary Baptist Church.
In 2010, PTM began serving high school students through Servant and Leadership Training (SaLT) Program. High school students met for tutoring and life skills training including career exploration, service learning, job training, and college exploration. High school programming began including Dinner and Devo in 2014.
PTM added afterschool sites between 2010-2020 including a partnership with St. Luke’s Community House in 2016 and McGruder Center in 2019.
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Today
PTM serves approximately 190 children and youth in kindergarten-8th grade at five afterschool sites. PTM believes that to be successful in life they need to be connected to a caring adult, a positive peer group, a purpose, and educational opportunity. Perry McGowan and Patrick Hamilton both continue to be involved as volunteers and financial contributors.
THE TEAM
Executive Staff
DWIGHT JOHNSON
Executive Director
AMBER SETTLES
Director of Operations
LISA LENTZ
Executive Program Director
ALYSSA MULLER
Volunteer Services & Community Engagement Manager
ANGELA (ANGIE) BOWERS
North Area Program Director
ANTOINETTE (TONI) COBBINS
Central Area Program Director
CORIANA GRESHAM
Administrative Coordinator
DANIEL MAYER
West Area Program Director
MARC HUDSON
Property and Transportation Director
Our Program Teams
Across our 4 after-school sites, each program team is made up of a Site Director, Site Coordinator(s), and a team of Reading Teachers.
This group is directly working with PTM students each day, supporting them socially, emotionally, academically and spiritually.
Community House
PTM's site at St. Luke's Community House serves 45 students from Charlotte Park Elementary, Cockrill Elementary and Nashville Prep Middle School.
Coriana Gresham
Site Director
Ben Straughter
Site Coordinator
Kathy Stevens
Reading Teacher Lead
Celicia Jhane
Reading Teacher
Raven Bonds
Reading Teacher
Immanuel Church
In partnership with Immanuel Nashville Church, this site serves 15 students from Encompass Community School.
This is our pilot of an in-school program model.
McGruder Center
The PTM McGruder site serves 45 students from Alex Green Elementary, Encompass Community School, Hull Jackson Montessori School, and Robert Churchwell Elementary.
Morgan Jones
Site Director
Bri Estes
Site Coordinator
Mikaila White
Reading Teacher Lead
Ayanna Williams
Reading Teacher
Earl Bloomer
Reading Teacher
Wilson Center
The Wilson Center serves 45 students from Cockrill Elementary, Encompass Community School, Park Avenue Elementary and Sylvan Park Elementary.
MiDeonna Owens
Site Director
Faith Brown
Site Coordinator
Jenny Smith
Reading Teacher Lead &
Literacy Specialist
Bryan Northern
Reading Teacher
Jessica Walker
Reading Teacher
Organizational Support
Jenny Smith
Literacy Specialist
Katherine Carpenter
Grant Writing Consultant
Latausha Stevenson
Social Work Internship Director
Lori Williford
HR Consultant
Transportation Team
PTM programming starts on the bus! We pick students up from 9 schools and offer transportation home at the end of the day as needed. This group of caring staff ensures that students get to and from PTM safely, and that transportation is never a barrier for kids getting to PTM.
Anton Harris
Transportation Team
Christy Baxter
Transportation Team
LaTonya Hughes
Transportation Team
Lydia Robertson
Transportation Team
Necole Roberts
Transportation Team
Interested in joining the PTM transportation team? Contact marc.hudson@prestontaylorministries.org
Board of Directors
John Bearden, Board Chair
Jonathan Conley, Treasurer
Kendall Henderson, Secretary
Aja Batey
Anna Minor Grizzle
Greenlee Flannagin
Dr. Kimberly Glenn-Jemmott
Buck Patton
Warren Norman
Financial Accountability
PTM relies on a generous base of support and is committed to stewarding every donation with integrity and accountability to the glory of God. PTM’s revenue sources include:
40%
Individuals
33%
Grants &
Corporate Giving
7%
Churches
11%
Fundraising Events
8%
In-kind Gifts
1%
Other
(merchandise, interest, etc)
PTM is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent the law allows.
If interested in reviewing PTM’s IRS 990 tax returns, PTM’s external audit conducted by Blankenship CPA Group, or PTM Budgets for the last 10 years, they are published on PTM’s Giving Matters profile.
