{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nJonathan Saad serves as the executive director of The Forge Nashville, an arts nonprofit organization [1]. In this role, he manages grant programs and community support initiatives to further the organization's mission of fostering creativity and innovation [1]. Prior to joining The Forge, Saad worked as a grants manager for Metro Arts [1].\n\nSaad is running in the 19th District primary election for the Tennessee Executive Committee in 2026. His campaign follows a legal dispute with his former employer, Metro Arts, where he alleged racial discrimination, hiring bias, and workplace retaliation after being passed over for three full-time positions [2]. The city of Nashville agreed to a $150,000 settlement without contesting Saad's claims in the lawsuit filed against former Metro Arts director Daniel Singh [2].\n\n## Career\n\nPrior to his appointment as executive director of the arts nonprofit The Forge Nashville in June 2024, Saad served as a grants manager for Metro Arts [1]. His professional background includes roles in visual arts, state and local government, management, and technical advisory positions for community nonprofits and artists [1].\n\nSaad previously filed a legal complaint against his former boss at Metro Arts, Daniel Singh, alleging racial discrimination, hiring bias, and workplace retaliation after being passed over for three full-time positions [2]. City attorneys described Saad as a victim of these issues in court documents, noting that the city did not contest his version of events despite a lack of direct evidence [2]. The city agreed to a $150,000 payout to Saad less than two months after he filed suit [2].\n\n## Office history\n\nJonathan Saad previously served as a grants manager for Metro Arts [1]. In that role, he managed grants and provided community support for the agency's mission [1]. He was passed over by then-director Daniel Singh for three full-time positions within Metro Arts [2]. Following his departure, Saad filed a legal complaint alleging racial discrimination, hiring bias, and workplace retaliation against Singh and the city [2]. The city did not contest Saad\u2019s version of events and agreed to a $150,000 settlement less than two months after the suit was filed [2].\n\nIn June 2024, Saad was appointed as the executive director of the arts nonprofit The Forge Nashville [1]. In this capacity, he oversees the organization's mission to support creativity and innovation within the artistic community [1]. His background includes roles in state and local government, management, and technical advisory positions for community nonprofits and artists [1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nJonathan Saad filed a lawsuit against his former supervisor, Metro Arts director Daniel Singh, alleging that he was passed over for three full-time positions due to racial discrimination, hiring bias, and workplace retaliation [2]. Although court documents noted there was no direct evidence supporting these specific claims, the city of Nashville did not contest Saad\u2019s version of events and agreed to a settlement [2]. Less than two months after filing the suit, Saad secured a $150,000 payout from city lawyers [2].\n\nPrior to his legal action against Singh, Saad served as the grants manager for Metro Arts before transitioning to the private sector [1]. He later joined The Forge Nashville as executive director in June 2024, bringing experience in grant management and community support to the arts nonprofit [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [On the Move: June 6, 2024 | People | nashvillepost.com](https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/people/on-the-move-june-6-2024/article_a06d93ba-23fd-11ef-b038-1f7484aa7f85.html)\n[2] [Metro Bleeds Another $150K in Metro Arts Cleanup | Pith in the Wind | Nashville News | nashvillescene.com](https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/metro-arts-saad-legal-complaint/article_f3038c3a-7469-11ef-a2d5-07b33a9e3c25.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"tn_exec_committeeman_19","county":"Davidson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 19"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Jonathan","fullname":"Jonathan Saad","lastname":"Saad","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"tn_exec_committeeman_19","contest_title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 19","county":"Davidson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"tn_exec_committeeman_19","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"D","primary":{"contest":"tn_exec_committeeman_19","contest_title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 19","county":"Davidson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"tn_exec_committeeman_19","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"tn_exec_committeeman_19","office_title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 19","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Jonathan Saad was appointed executive director of The Forge Nashville and previously settled a discrimination lawsuit against Metro Arts.","terms":[],"token":"fOYSCNc6zR"}