Leadership Memphis Celebrates Four Decades of Rich History and Kicks Off 40 More Years of Impacting Change in Our “Place of Good Abode”

The energy was palpable. In a room filled with more than 700 Memphis movers and shakers surrounded by forty years of the city’s rich history – friends, classmates, and colleagues reunited as conversations ranged from catching up to sharing upcoming projects to making plans to work together on a new venture. Whatever the topic of discussion, it all came back to the reason we were in the room – Leadership Memphis was celebrating 40 years of making an impact in this “Place of Good Abode,” and everyone in the room played a hand in reaching that momentous milestone.

Looking back on what has been accomplished, whether in the past 200 years, 40 years, or even two years, one cannot help but be inspired. The volume of great things that have been done in Memphis could seem exhausting, but if you choose to use them as a springboard for exploring the many great things left to do, it is also inspiring. Great things don’t just happen, though; they take great people – great LEADERS – from every corner of our community. Leaders in business, non-profit, government, neighborhood, faith, and more, each of whom bring a different, yet equally valuable, perspective to the table.

There is a priceless synergy that is created by bringing together individuals with unique viewpoints and diverse backgrounds who have a shared passion for impacting change. Organizations like Leadership Memphis, whose purpose is to connect individuals who might not otherwise cross paths, are crucial for building a coalition of civic leaders who can tackle any challenge, obstacle, or issue that our community might face. We don’t know what we don’t know, but the more willing we are to open our minds and learn from each other, the higher our potential to accomplish remarkable things together.

The work that Leadership Memphis does is just as worthy of investment today as it was forty years ago when the founders first envisioned a path to lead Memphis out of the turmoil that had enveloped the city following the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we embark on the next 40 years of our investment in the Bluff City, Leadership Memphis has established three areas of focus:

• Leadership
• Volunteering
• Networking

Each of these is a critical component to our continued commitment to bringing together the movers and shakers of our community for maximum impact. For Leadership, we are partnering with Leadership Tennessee and the University of Memphis for a Leadership Innovation Summit in October 2019 that will explore the impact of artificial intelligence on community. For Volunteering, in 2020, we will be partnering with F&H Solutions to host the Amazing Memphis Bike Build, which will ultimately provide more than 1,000 bikes to local youths. Our goal is to build 200 bikes in the first year. Finally, we are developing a new “Networking for Impact” series that we look forward to launching in the coming months.

Where do you (and we) go next? Your investment in Leadership Memphis is an investment in the next forty years and beyond in this “Place of Good Abode.”  What your investment looks like is up to you:

• Make an immediate impact by contributing to our Founders Innovation Fund, which was established as a means to elevate the organization’s program experience.
• Nominate or encourage an executive leader to apply for the 2020 Executive Program class that will begin in August -> https://leadershipmemphis.org/programs/executive/
• Nominate or encourage an emerging leader to apply for the Fall 2019 FastTrack class that will begin in September -> https://leadershipmemphis.org/programs/fast-track/

Finally – We want your feedback!

We need your input to complete a two-minute survey so we can continue to improve. Your thoughtful responses will help as we develop and plan future events and programs. Thanks in advance for your response! Take the survey HERE.

As Dr. King said, “I cannot be all that I ought to be until you are all that you ought to be.”  This quote has been the north star of every endeavor at Leadership Memphis and will continue to be our guiding principle for the future. We could not be all that we are without acknowledging and thanking the many generous individuals and organizations that have given of themselves to help celebrate 40 years of Leadership Memphis:

• Presenting Sponsor FedEx
• All corporate and table sponsors
• Event Co-Chairs Shannon Brown and Julie Ellis
• 40^th Anniversary host committee and volunteers
• Emcees Joe Birch and Mearl Purvis
• 40^th Anniversary program participants, especially Richard Smith
• Executive Producer Beverly Robertson
• 40 Change Makers
• Leadership Memphis Board of Directors
• All past Board Chairs and Board Members
• Leadership Memphis Staff

Thank you, all, for celebrating 40 years of Leadership Memphis. We cannot wait for the next 40 years!

Ready for Your Photo Op?  Check out the many incredible photos from the 40^th Anniversary Luncheon HERE.

Watch the video of the 40th Anniversary Celebration HERE.

40 CHANGE MAKERS

40^th Anniversary Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

FedEx

Founder Sponsor

Anonymous

Hyde Family Foundation

Prodigi Arts

Best Class Ever Sponsor 

AAR Corp

Baptist Memorial Health Care

Belz Enterprises

Cigna

Kroger

Morris Marketing Group

Memphis/Shelby County Airport Authority

Regional One Health

Community Sponsor

Allworld Project Management

AutoZone

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

Buckman

Butler Snow

CBIZ MHM

Chism Hardy Enterprises

Drexel Chemical

Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc./Graceland

First Tennessee Foundation

Gayle Rose

Hershey’s

Independent Bank

KBG Technologies

KRM Enterprises

Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation

Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance LLC

McVean Trading & Investments

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

Monogram Foods

NIKE, Inc.

Shelby County Board of Commissioners

Shelby County Government

SunTrust

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey

Temple Israel

Tower Ventures

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Table Sponsor

ALCO Management

Belinda Anderson/Ritche Bowden

brg3s architects

CBRE

Christ Community Health Services

Epicenter

Greater Memphis Chamber

Huey’s Restaurants

KPMG

Memphis Library Foundation

Memphis Tourism

Olympic Career Training Institute

Orion Federal Credit Union

Regions Bank

Saint Francis Healthcare

SSR

The Commercial Appeal

The J.M. Smucker Company

TRANE

Turner Construction

University of Memphis

Urban Child Institute

Valero

Vernon & Barbara Stafford Jr.

To purchase table sponsorships, contact David Williams, President and CEO, at 901-628-6156 or dwilliams@leadershipmemphis.org

Event Co-Chairs

Shannon Brown, SVP of AGFS/Chief Diversity Officer, FedEx Express
Julie Ellis, Senior Council, Butler Snow

Host Committee

Belinda Anderson
Ritchie Bowden
Reggie Crenshaw
Scott Fountain
Carolyn Hardy
Janas Jackson
Terry Lynch
Valerie Morris
Reginald Porter Jr.
Beverly Robertson
Jack Sammons
Karl Schledwitz
Leigh Shockey
Brian Stephens
Percie Strong-Jenkins
Richard Smith
Rick Wagers
Kami Wigginton
David Williams