Leadership Memphis’ Interim President Shirley Ford (EC2019).
Shirley Ford Named Interim President of Leadership Memphis
Executive Search for President/CEO of Leadership Memphis is Open and Ongoing
MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 6, 2024 — Leadership Memphis, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering leadership and community engagement in Memphis for 45 years, announced today that Shirley Ford has been named Interim President while an executive search for the organization’s next President/CEO is ongoing. The organization recently announced that the current President and CEO, Reggie Crenshaw, is leaving to pursue corporate opportunities.
Ford, a 2019 Leadership Memphis executive class graduate, past Board Chair, current board member, and senior executive with over 30 years of experience in finance and administration most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for the City of Memphis.
“The Leadership Memphis board is grateful for the contributions Reggie has made to the organization during his tenure and is pleased to announce that Shirley Ford has accepted the position of Interim President/CEO while the executive search for the next President/CEO is underway. Shirley’s 30-plus years of experience in finance and administration across many different types of businesses and government entities, along with her unwavering support of Leadership Memphis, serving as Board Chair and on the Executive Committee of the board along with serving other nonprofits and entities in Memphis and the state of Tennessee will ensure a smooth transition and position Leadership Memphis for continued success for the next President/CEO,” said Rene Bustamante, Leadership Memphis Board Chair.
Ford, a certified public accountant and certified municipal Finance Officer, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Memphis. She has served on many governmental and business-related boards. She has received numerous honors and awards, including CFO of the Year in 2019 and induction into the Government Finance Officers Association Leadership Academy in 2022.
For more than 45 years, Leadership Memphis has been the premiere Mid-South organization for preparing civic-minded leaders to work together and improve their communities. Leadership Memphis boasts more than 4,200 alums who are executives in Fortune 500 companies, pastors of some of the oldest congregations in the Mid-South, innovators in the nonprofit world, patrons of the arts, and countless small business leaders who are the lifeblood of Memphis.
About Leadership Memphis:
Leadership Memphis is a non-profit community leadership development organization. Its mission is to prepare and mobilize leaders to work together for the good of the whole community. Founded in 1979 as The Memphis Institute of Public Responsibility, Leadership Memphis has graduated more than 4,200 leaders from its programs. For more information, please visit LeadershipMemphis.org.
About Volunteer Memphis:
Volunteer Memphis builds capacity for effective volunteering and connecting people with opportunities to serve throughout Memphis and Shelby County. The organization helps individuals, families, corporate teams, and community groups strengthen Memphis and the Mid-South through service at more than 300 nonprofit organizations and schools. Our volunteers work every day of the year, tutoring and mentoring children, helping individuals and families make pathways out of poverty, improving our Memphis and Shelby County environment, and more. Volunteer Memphis is an affiliate of the Hands-On Network, an association of 250 volunteer service organizations across 16 countries and an action Initiative of Leadership Memphis. For more information, please visit VolunteerMemphis.org.
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