United4Hope is delighted to welcome two new MNPS program managers to the team! Sandra Putnam-Broadway and Cassietta Russell joined the United4Hope team in early November and are already wonderful assets to our team. Sandra comes to us with extensive experience in the nonprofit world and Cassietta brings over 12 years of experience working with MNPS. Please take some time to read their bios below to learn a little more about them and join us in giving them a warm welcome! 

Sandra Putnam-Broadway

United4Hope Program Manager

Sandra Putnam – Broadway is simply God’s servant. Sandra joins United4Hope as she continues her career journey of working and serving with nonprofits in the city of Nashville. As a native, she has seen the city evolve but knows one thing that remains the same, is the need to unite, partner, and love our community.  

Early in her career, Sandra worked in the hospitality industry. Sandra worked as a Senior Sales Manager for the Marriott and Sheraton brand, tourism manager for the city of Nashville, and a Project Manager for the National Baptist Convention, USA Incorporated.   

Most recently, Sandra has worked and served for over fifteen years in the nonprofit community; working for United Way of Metro Nashville, United Way of Williamson County, Nashville Rescue Mission, and Meharry Medical College. Her passion is to help the most vulnerable among us in various capacities.  

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This Scripture found in Jeremaih 29:11 is one of Sandra’s favorite scriptures and one that she lives by.    

When Sandra is not working, she finds tremendous joy and fulfilment in her ministry work, community clubs, reading, spending quality time with family and friends, and taking care of her precious fur baby, Miracle.    

Cassietta Russell

United4Hope Program Manager 

Cassietta comes to us with 12+ years’ experience in Metro Nashville Public Schools. When she began her education journey toward becoming a teacher, she had an assignment to write about her philosophy of education. Struggling on how to start, she asked her father how she could start her paper. He said, “Education is like a blank sheet of paper where the teacher is the pencil”. That stuck with Cassietta as an educator and in life. Whoever she influences, it is up to her on what they walk away with. Thus, it became vital that when it was her time to mold young minds that she instilled positivity, love, and an attitude of excellence. 

Ever since Cassietta became an educator, she always heard about United4Hope and Operation Andrew Group. Every year as a teacher she was able to experience the kindness of churches and the organization itself. Whether it was surprise donuts for breakfast, cool teacher swag, or a group of ladies coming to pray over her room, United4Hope and their partners always showed up.  

Cassietta also has the dream of owning her own school. She has a wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of the school building, but what about beyond? She wants to see all perspectives so she can be the best principal and school founder to push her students above and beyond their expectations.       

Before becoming an educator, Cassietta was a makeup artist. She worked for MAC Cosmetics as an artist, and she owned her own business Now Serving Face. She loves the world of beauty and fashion.  In addition, Cassietta has grown into an artist outside of beauty but in different ways. She loves to paint and create things. People and life are her favorite subjects to paint or color. Painting nature scenes also brings calmness to stressful times. 

This year, Cassietta is excited to work toward getting back into hot yoga to meet her fitness goals. As a professional, she is most excited to work toward becoming more well-rounded as an educator and to network with Nashville’s school leaders while helping to connect them with their local United4Hope churches.  

To maintain momentum in her personal and professional life, Cassietta relies on the Word of God. The verse that she leans the most for this year is Jeremiah 29:11. 1 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”