2021 April Mag

To celebrate 2021 International Black Women’s History Month, we celebrate the women and girls of the Sheats family. Based in Brentwood, Tennessee, the women and girls of this family exude excellence and confidence, demonstrate their commitment to service and the community, and value family. The matriarch of the family, Mrs. Simone Sheats is a native of Buffalo, New York. It was in Nashville, Tennessee at Fisk University, however, that she met her late husband of 48 years, Dr. Jimmy B. Sheats. Together, they built a legacy based on the notion that “the more you give, the more you receive.” And with that, they have been extremely blessed.

Simone Sheats is the CEO and President of Sheats Endodontic Group (SEG), a premier, family-owned, endodontic practice network specializing in root-canal therapy founded by Jimmy in 1984. Today, the practice is led by their eldest of four children, Drs. Jimmy, II (J.) Sheats and Jan-Néé Sheats-Mathis. Jimmy and Simone’s twins, Dr. Jylana Sheats and Jamaal Sheats—university professors, also reside in the area and are excelling in the fields of Behavior Science and Art and Museum Leadership, respectively. Outside of SEG, Simone is known as a community leader and the unofficial “welcome wagon” to Nashville-area newcomers. While she is a mother of four, it has been said that she is “a mother of more,” in that Simone is known to be a great listener and mentor to her children, their friends, and other young professionals all over the country. She passionately believes that the “baby boomer” generation should think and go outside of the box to help young people of today be the leaders of tomorrow. Simone believes that just being there for your kids is not enough— and founded the Williamson County Area Chapter of Jack and Jill, Incorporated, in the 1980s to boost inter- and intra-family relationships among local African Americans. She is a member of the Parthenon Chapter of The Links, Incorporated where she has devoted more than 20 years of community service, and the Nashville Chapter of the Circle-Lets. Through SEG, Simone and the family have supported philanthropic activities with non-profit and faith-based entities. In addition to an endowed scholarship at Fisk University, they also have an endowed scholarship at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry awarded to outstanding students. These, as well as other efforts are a testament to the values that the family holds dear to their heart. 

Dr. Jan-Néé B. Sheats-Mathis is a Nashville area endodontist. A magna cum laude graduate of Spelman College, she was recognized for exemplary scholarship, leadership, and service as a member of the Mortar Board National Honor Society. She completed her Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry with honors from University of Louisville, Kentucky. Jan-Néé then continued her advanced studies at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine for an Endodontic Specialty Certificate. As a practicing endodontist at SEG, she is loved by her patients and dentist peers—having been voted as a “Nashville’s Top Dentist” for the past 7 years. Jan-Néé is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Association of Endodontics, American Dental Association, National Dental Association, and the Capital City Dental Society, where was past president. With a strong commitment to service, Jan-Néé is involved with several organizations and is a member of The Circle-Lets, Inc., The Girlfriends, Inc., Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and The Links, Incorporated, where she has held several leadership roles. Jan-Néé’s effervescent spirit allows for the perfect work-life balance. She is also a Beautycounter consultant and enjoys travelling, spending time with family, and “veganizing” recipes in her spare time   She and her husband of 20 years, retired veteran-Ken, are proud parents of an energetic six-year-old daughter, Zoë Simone.  While Zoë aspires to be a dentist like her mom and uncle, in the interim, she enjoys being her mom’s fashion consultant and make-up artist. As a family, they are involved with and lead health and wellness efforts across Middle Tennessee.

Dr. Jylana L. Sheats is an applied behavior scientist and educator. Following in her sister’s footsteps, she was an honor student and magna cum laude graduate of Spelman College. Jylana received a Master of Public Health (nutrition) from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She then obtained a doctorate in Health Behavior and Public Affairs at Indiana-University-Bloomington and a Post-doctoral Certificate in Behavioral Medicine from Stanford School of Medicine. Jylana’s educational background and expertise have enabled her to work across public, private, and non-profit sectors to promote equitable health and wellbeing and reduce health disparities. Currently, she is the Managing Director of Health and Wellbeing at the California-based startup, See Change Institute, which is devoted to studying and shaping behavior change programs for the greater good. Like her mother, Jylana has a passion for mentoring and holds simultaneous faculty appointments at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, the University of California-Berkeley, and Rutgers University. Given her commitment to education and service, Jylana is a member of the Spelman College “Guardian Society,” the Central New Jersey Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and the New Jersey Chapter of the Circle-Lets. A servant leader, she is an Executive Board member of the Greater Princeton Chapter of Junior League and volunteer Manager of Organizational Effectiveness for the international non-profit, Code to Hope. Jylana recently relocated from New Jersey to Brentwood, Tennessee where she loves spending time with family, travelling, and exploring her artistic skills.

Christie Sheats resides in Brentwood, TN with her wonderful husband of 21 years Dr. Jimmy B. Sheats II (J.) and their three amazing children, Jordyn, Jadyn, and Jimmy III (Tré). Christie is the founder of Naturally U, Inc. a non-profit organization created to educate and improve self-esteem of young girls through professional hair care services and education. The premise and passion behind Naturally You delve into the core of Christie, what makes her who she is; one that sees the best in everyone, although they may not see it or feel it…YET! She also demonstrates this trait as a business and training consultant. Christie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University and maintains a SHRM-CP Certification.  Christie is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Circle-Lets, Inc. and has held several leadership positions in The Girl Friends, Inc., Nashville Chapter and Jack and Jill of America Inc., Williamson County Area Chapter.  She loves spending time with her family, reading/listening to books and learning to sew. The Sheats II family are active members of their church and continuously serve and give to their community and surrounding areas. J. and Christie’s two beautiful daughters Jordyn and Jadyn pictured here are a freshman in college and a junior in high school, respectively. They both have achieved outstanding academic success and have held multiple leadership positions in community and school organizations, as well as in the Williamson County Area Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Jordyn is pursuing a degree in Psychology on the pre-med track and Jadyn is considering a career in Orthopedics. They both enjoy spending time with their family and friends and are actively involved in community service.

Marcya Carter-Sheats is an Indianapolis, Indiana native but has called Nashville her home for almost 20 years. Happily married to her best friend and artist extraordinaire, Jamaal Sheats, she considers being a wife and mother her greatest gift. Jamaal and Marcya are proud parents to Juliana (aka “GiGi) and are expecting their second child this summer. When Marcya is not enjoying family time, she is working hard as the Global Operations Excellence Manager at Cummins Inc. She feels fortunate to work for a great company and has worked in various roles and lived/worked in various countries and cities for the last 19 years with Cummins Inc. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and has two Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degrees with a focus on International Business from Purdue University in Indiana and the TIAS School for Business in Tilburg, Netherlands. Marcya is also very active in her community, serving as a Board Member on TennGreen Land Conservancy, a Board Member of ClearPath Equitable Development, the Foundation Chair for the Williamson County Area Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, member of the Frist Gala Advisory Committee and member of the Cummins Black Network leadership team. Both Jamaal and Marcya, while they work hard, feel it is vital to continuously give back to their community and set a good example of leadership and engagement for their children. They believe family is the most important gift and feel blessed that they get to spend every weekend with their family. 

The Sheats women – across the generations from girls to women, wear many hats. Yet family remains a priority. The love and admiration that they have for one another is exemplified every week when they all gather and rejoice during family dinners. Moments like these remind them of a sentiment expressed by their late patriarch, Jimmy B., when he once said, “You know, the older we get, the closer we become as friends.” For the Sheats family, truer words have never been spoken.