2025 Leadership Awards
Leadership Memphis was honored to host the 2025 Change Makers and Leadership Awards Luncheon, where we recognized outstanding individuals and organizations making a lasting impact in our community.
Each year, we celebrate community leaders and businesses through our prestigious Kate Gooch Leader of the Year, Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, and Community Champion awards. We also recognize 10 Change Makers—extraordinary individuals who are rare and unique forces for positive change. Their work uplifts others, enhances the Memphis community, and exemplifies the true meaning of collective impact.
2025 Leadership Memphis Award Recipients
Kate Gooch Leader of the Year
Jozelle Booker, President and CEO, Mid-South Minority Business Council ContinuumDistinguished Alumnus of the Year
Cassandra Webster, Executive Director, Memphis ChallengeCommunity Champion
Libertas School of Memphis2025 Change Makers
Eric Bourgeois, Packed House Productions
Rose Flenorl, FedEx
Kirbi Maria Tucker, University of Memphis
Adrian Maclin, Cordova High School
Monica Wharton, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Michelle Taylor, Shelby County Health Department
Reverend J. Lawrence Turner, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church
The Reverend Sandy Webb, Church of the Holy Communion
Nikki Gibbs, A Step Ahead Foundation
Cardell Orrin, Stand for Children
We were honored to have Tomeka Hart Wigginton, President & CEO of United Way of the Mid-South, as our keynote speaker, and we appreciate our MC, Reggie Davis, for guiding the event with energy and passion.
We are especially grateful to our Founding President, Kate Gooch, and Board Secretary, Belinda Anderson, for serving as award presenters, adding a meaningful touch to this special occasion.
A heartfelt thank you to David Jordan, President & CEO of Agape Child and Family Services, for leading us in invocation, setting the tone for a powerful and inspiring event.
We are also grateful to city Mayor Paul Young, county Mayor Lee Harris, and the many elected officials who joined us in celebrating these exceptional leaders.
Finally, we extend our deepest appreciation to our event sponsors—FedEx, Regional One Health, Tennessee Valley Authority, and International Paper—for making this celebration possible.
A special thank you to our host, the Renasant Convention Center, our event planner, Events by De, our production team, V2, our marketing and graphics team, MMG, and our photo booth provider, our wonderful photographer Byron Fitchpatrick, Cheers Photo Co for helping bring this event to life.
View the full event album here: https://shorturl.at/rScHwThank you to everyone who attended and helped us honor these remarkable individuals. Your presence and support made this event truly special, and we look forward to continuing our mission of inspiring, developing, and connecting leaders to make Memphis a better place for all.
2024 Leadership Award Winners:
Kate Gooch Leader of the Year Award Winner:
Vernon Stafford, Jr.
Senior EVP/Chief Audit Executive, First Horizon National Corporation
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year:
Rene Bustamante
Executive Vice President & COO/CFO, The University of Memphis
Community Champion:
CodeCrew
2024 Change Makers
(From left to right, starting with the top row)
• Dr. Kennard Brown, Consultant for Shelby County, Tennessee Government
• Dr. Telisa Franklin, Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker, Author, Community Advocate
• Lori Humber, Chief Operating Officer for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis
• Carol Jackson, Executive Director of Families Matter Memphis
• D. Bryan Jordan, Chairman, President & CEO of First Horizon Bank Corporation
• Barbara Holden Nixon, Retired Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• Terence Patterson, President & CEO of Memphis Education Fund
• Dr. Roderick Richmond, Executive Director of Student Support Services for Memphis-Shelby County Schools – MSCS
• Mark Russell, Vice President & South Region Editor for Gannett – USA Today Network and Executive Editor for The Commercial Appeal
• Dr. Vijay Surpuriya, Pharmacist for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare & Founder of Germantown International Festival
2023 Award Winners:
2023 Kate Gooch Leader of the Year: Reginald Porter, Jr., Senior Vice President, Development and Corporate Responsibility, ALSAC
2023 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year: David Williams, Regional Director, Vitalant
2023 Community Champion: Greater Memphis Chamber
2023 Change Makers:
- Sudhir K. Agrawal, CPA, CDFA™, CFP®, Founder and CEO of Ami Financial Group
- Austin Crowder, Founder, Know Your Rights EDU, Commercial Account Executive, Zoom
- Michalyn Easter-Thomas, Founder, Our Grass Our Roots, Memphis City Councilwoman, District 7
- Claudia Haltom, CEO, A Step Ahead Foundation
- David Jordan, President and CEO, Agape Child and Family Services
- The Rev. Dr. Mark Matheny, President of United Methodist Neighborhood Centers of Memphis (UMNCM)
- Dr. Bartholomew Orr, Senior Pastor, Brown Missionary Baptist Church
- Henry Reaves, III, Founder & CEO, Reaves Law Firm
- Sharon Williams, Executive Director, Starting All Over Outreach Resource Center
- Shane Young, Co-Founder/Executive Director, Memphis Inner City Rugby