The Iroquois Steeplechase Hires New Director of Sponsorships & Business Development
Autumn Eklond to lead sponsorships for race meet
NASHVILLE, Tenn. –The Iroquois Steeplechase sponsored by Bank of America, benefiting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, is pleased to announce the addition of director of sponsorships and business development, Autumn Eklond. Eklond’s role will include fostering current sponsor relations as well as selling new sponsorships as the race meet grows.
“We are excited about Autumn joining our team as the director of sponsorships & business development. Her diverse and successful past makes her the perfect candidate to grow the Iroquois Steeplechase brand,” said Chairman of Iroquois Steeplechase, Dwight Hall. “Her role will focus on bringing in new strategic partners and continuing to build benefits for our current sponsors.”
Eklond is a Lipscomb graduate who has more than 10 years of sales experience. Throughout her career, she has gained valuable experience at Prudential Financial Insurance Company where she rose to vice president of account management of national accounts. She exceeded new business revenue goals and was named the project leader focused on operational improvements. She also has founded her own business, ReNEWal Lab, a business consulting firm on social media, website design, and online activity training for small businesses. Additionally, Eklond founded a charity that empowers and encourages high-school girls by recruiting mentors in various industries to create an educational program for the students to follow throughout their time in the program.
About The Iroquois Steeplechase
The Iroquois Steeplechase is an iconic sporting event that has been Nashville’s rite of spring since 1941. Held the second Saturday of each May at Percy Warner Park, the annual event attracts more than 25,000 spectators and is Music City’s celebration of time-honored traditions, Tennessee hospitality and southern fashions. The event also supports several philanthropic causes and has donated more than $10 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt since 1981. To learn more about Steeplechase, visit www.iroquoissteeplechase.org.
About Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals, treating and helping to prevent a full range of pediatric health issues from colds and broken bones to complex heart diseases and cancer. The Department of Pediatrics within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is currently ranked third in the nation in the total receipt of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Children’s Hospital’s physicians are nationally recognized innovators in their fields who are discovering new ways to cure and prevent a host of childhood diseases. Their work is preventing and finding new treatments for diseases such as premature birth, cancer, heart disease, spina bifida, trauma and many other conditions, and is an investment in the future. Achieving 10 out of 10 nationally ranked pediatric specialties in 2019, Children’s Hospital was again named among the nation’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” for the 13th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit organization, opened in 2004, expanded its physical space in 2012, and is currently adding four new floors and 160,000 total sq. ft. The new expansion will help advance the size and scope of the hospital’s mission. To learn more, visit https://www.childrenshospitalvanderbilt.org.
