Theme: Memphis 2020

Ideas by, for and from Memphians as we move into the year 2020.

Crosstown Arts Theater
430 N. Cleveland
Memphis, Tennessee, 38104
United States

Archie Moss Jr

Archie Moss, Jr. was born in Miami, Florida, and graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors degree in Business and Family, Youth and Community Sciences. Archie was a Teach For America Charlotte 2011 Corps Member, where he taught 6th and 7th grade math at Whitewater Middle School. Archie also served as the Dean of Students for fifth and sixth grade at his school. Archie is now the proud Principal at Bruce Elementary School, where he is the youngest Shelby County School's principal and the first Teach For America Memphis Alum to lead a SCS school. In 2019, Archie went viral when he launched Bedtime Stories with Principal Moss. Weekly, he reads stories on his school’s Facebook page to build a culture of reading at his school. In August 2020, Archie will graduate with his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Memphis.

Ariana Glantz

Ariana is a native of Washington, D.C., but has proudly called Memphis her home for the past 6 years. She currently works at the University of Memphis as a part of the University Schools team that helps to oversee the youngest Tigers. When not cheering on the Tigers, Ariana loves supporting the Memphis Grizzlies and FC901, playing ultimate frisbee through the Memphis Ultimate Disc Association, traveling with her partner, and baking all the breads. Ariana is fueled by the thought that there is a solution to everything… and coffee.

Austin Crowder

Austin currently teaches government and economics at The Soulsville Charter School in South Memphis. Throughout eight years as an educator he has developed a Know Your Rights Unit for implementation in civics classes throughout the city and country. Hoping to expand his efficacy in addressing challenges faced by students in Memphis and throughout the country he completed the Teaching Policy Fellowship through Teach Plus, the Tennessee Educator Fellowship through the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, and presently is a Religious Literacy and Education Fellow at Harvard University. He is twice a finalist in the National Civil Rights Museum’s Drop the Mic Poetry Slam competition, an original cast member of “Union: the Musical” about the Sanitation Strike of 1968, and has contributed to publications such as the Commercial Appeal, Huffington Post, I Love Memphis Blog, and SBNation to get the word out about the great things going on in Memphis education and otherwise. Austin has also been named to the Memphis Flyer's 20 under 30.

Candace Steele Flippin

Dr. Candace Steele Flippin is executive vice president and chief communications officer at First Horizon National Corporation. A nationally-recognized multigenerational workplace scholar and speaker, Candace has authored two books, Generation Z in the Workplace and Millennials in the Workplace, crystallizing her research into practical tips for executives working with Gen Z and millennials to prepare them to succeed in the workforce. Named as one of the top 25 Black Women in Business by The Network Journal, and a 2019 Woman of Distinction by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Candace serves on the board of directors for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, the LaGrant Foundation, Memphis River Parks Partnership, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and Youth Villages. Candace earned her doctorate at Case Western Reserve University, an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and BA from the University of Michigan.

Chloe Hakim-Moore

Chloe is an internationally acclaimed social designer, artist, and humanitarian. Fueled by an unshakable reverence for all life, her practice demands dignity for all, and centers the reimagining of societal systems to guarantee global well-being. Hakim-Moore designed and leads NEXT Memphis: a $32 million initiative of Porter-Leath to increase access to high quality early childhood education for all families in Shelby County. Her past projects include: leading the operations of First 8 Memphis; partnering with the National Institutes of Health to serve persons with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago; and supporting refugees and immigrants through designing citizenship attainment and food entrepreneurship opportunities.

Dan McCleary

Since founding Memphis’ first professional Shakespeare theatre in 2008, Dan McCleary has been on a mission to bring Shakespeare to the masses in Memphis. For 28 years, he has produced, acted, directed and taught Shakespeare’s plays around the country. At his own Tennessee Shakespeare Company, at Shakespeare & Company, and scores of other regional theatres, he has played in and directed over 100 productions, including many title roles. Dan has written several plays on Shakespeare, is a published poet, and is a lifetime artist-manager serving as Director of Marketing, P.R., Development, and Communications, as well as Managing Director. Dan was named “Who’s Who in Memphis” by Memphis Magazine for four years and received the 2009 Distinguished Arts and Humanities Medal from the Germantown Arts Alliance. He served on the Boards of Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and the City of Germantown’s Telecommunications Commission. Dan is the proud father of 9-year-old twin boys.

Danielle Inez

Danielle is the Chief of Staff to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. Previously, she was a 10-year marketing professional, leading award-winning campaigns for healthcare, transportation, political, entertainment, and beauty brands. Danielle is the founder of Millennials for Memphis, a nonpartisan advocacy group, and served as the President of the Shelby County Young Democrats during a pivotal term that returned the highest number of millennial candidates and winners. She is the daughter of a teen mother, incarcerated father, and white stepfather. She's also mom to five year old Joey. Her experiences growing up and now have shaped her perspective and work as a mentor, women's rights advocate, criminal justice reformer, and community leader. Danielle is a graduate of New Memphis Institute and a Memphis Flyer Top 20 Under 30 awardee.

Emilee Herrington

Most days, those closest to Emilee Herrington just call her mom. As a mother of three girls, much of Emilee’s time is spent navigating the intricacies of school schedules and preteen emotions. But for many women who come into contact with her, she’s better known as a survivor, a mentor, and a friend. In 2010, Emilee Herrington survived a horrific and violent attack at work that would forever change her life. Ten years later, she is sharing her journey of faith and healing to bring hope to anyone who needs to know they’re not alone.

Jani Radhakrishnan

Niranjani Radhakrishnan (or "Jani Rad") is the Director at the Center for Information and Analytics (CIA) at Regional One Health in Memphis, TN. She has a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) and a Master’s in City and Regional Planning (MCRP) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jani’s professional and academic background revolve around addressing health inequities and environmental racism through GIS mapping, data visualization, and storytelling. Jani is passionate about social justice and advocacy. She is most well-known for Co-chairing the 2017 Minority Health Conference. Outside of work, you will probably find Jani in a dance studio, walking her dog along the river, hanging out at a sport event (Go Tar Heels!), performing or watching standup comedy, and generally just enjoying the Memphis life!

Jennifer Alessandra

Jennifer joined Frontdoor, Inc. in 2019 as senior vice president and chief people officer. Alessandra has significant depth and breadth of experience as a performance-driven leader in public and private companies, and an impressive track record for helping businesses and employees navigate change. Prior to Frontdoor, Alessandra served as chief people officer for SolarWinds where she led teams in 16 countries and was a key member of the mergers and acquisitions team. Passionate about giving back to the community, Alessandra has been a board member and advisor at non-profit organizations including Homeboy Industries and the Central Texas Food Bank. Alessandra is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She was a collegiate athlete and part of USC's National Championship swimming and diving team in 1997. Jennifer proudly answers to the titles wife, mom, dog lover, traveler and competitor (in almost anything).

Justin Miller

Justin joined Slingshot Memphis in September 2016 and currently serves as its CEO. Prior to launching Slingshot Memphis, Justin worked as a Giving Strategist, where he helped individuals, families, and businesses develop, target and maximize charitable investments. Preceding this work, Justin was a member of the Fixed Income Division at Morgan Keegan/Raymond James. Servicing financial institutions and municipalities, Justin specialized in developing portfolio strategies and executing trades in fixed income securities. Earlier in his career, Justin was an educator at St. George's Independent School, where he served as Dean of Students, Associate Director of Counseling, Teacher, Coach and Chaplain. Justin holds a Master of Divinity from Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Memphis.

Michael Ugwueke

Michael is president and chief executive officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System in Memphis, Tennessee, a faith-based mission driven system that is comprised of six acute care hospitals that includes Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, five Urgent Care Centers, Home Health, Hospice and over 50 owned physician practices. Michael oversees a workforce of over 13,000 Associates, 2,500 affiliated physicians and numerous volunteers. Together, they provide care to 1.2 million people in the Mid-South. The healthcare system has been rated among the 100 Best Companies to work for in America by Fortune Magazine, as well as best in diversity; African American and Women. He received a Doctorate in Health Administration and Leadership from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston: Master’s Degree in Public Health from Emory University and Bachelor’s Degree from Shaw University. Michael has received numerous awards, including Modern Healthcare Up and Comer, Distinguished Alumni, Shaw University, and a 2012 and 2018 Modern Healthcare Top 25 Minority Executive in the country.

Nickhill Bhakta

Nickhill Bhakta, MD, MPH is an assistant member in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Dr. Bhakta came to St. Jude in 2013 as a Clinical Fellow in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. In 2016, he joined the faculty of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to lead two programs. As Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Region, Dr. Bhakta coordinates St. Jude Global capacity building efforts in the region. Additionally, as Director of the Disease Burden and Simulation Unit, Dr. Bhakta has developed an epidemiology research program focusing on global disease burden, cancer survivorship, and cost-effectiveness. Dr. Bhakta earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in history from Brown University, medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and master’s in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Nubia Yasin

Nubia Yasin is a Memphis-based multidisciplinary artist who uses her craft to tell honest stories about what it means to be Black in America. She acts as co-founder of NuJas, a production house dedicated to uplifting the voices of black women and queer people of color. She is also the Community Engagement Director for The CLTV.

Rhonnie Brewer

Rhonnie Brewer, is a community-minded professional who has a passion for building strong relationships. As a member of the State of TN Workforce Development Board, she is keenly focused on the impact of Workforce Development in the Greater Memphis Region. Rhonnie's role of Labor Liaison at United Way of the Mid-South strengthens her commitment to the community and it's well-being. Recently, Ms. Brewer launched Progeny Place, an organization offering support and resources to minority and women-owned businesses, as well as, Workforce Development and job attainment to both unemployed and underemployed residents of the Mid-South. Brewer's vision is to bring people and resources together in an interconnected network of education, workforce development and entrepreneurship towards a path to middle income.

Shamichael Hallman

Shamichael Hallman currently serves as the manager of the historic Cossitt Library in Memphis, TN. As a part of the national Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, Cossitt Library is undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation which is estimated to be completed in 2020. The redesigned library will provide numerous weekly opportunities, and serve as an active and engaging community resource. Shamichael serves on a number of boards in Memphis, volunteers as pastor at a multi-site church, has helped organized over 25 faith-inspired hackathons across the world, and was selected as a 40 under 40 honoree in 2019 by Memphis Business Journal.

Sridhar Sunkara

Sridhar Sunkara is the CEO of eBiz Solutions & Co-Founder/CEO of ThinkProxi. Sridhar loves technology strategy and innovation. With 22 years of experience under his belt, he has been assisting various types of businesses to understand and implement digital transformation for their companies. This helps businesses innovate and build efficient processes, in turn helping their bottom line and paving the way to create new opportunities and new business models. Sridhar is multifaceted and has degrees in Architecture, City Planning, and Computer Programming. He is certified in Design Thinking from MIT Sloan School of Management as well as being certified through MIT CSAIL in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy.

Taylor Tagg

Taylor Tagg has 25 years of experience in accounting, training, speaking, writing, and coaching. A servant leader, Taylor is the Senior Business Services Coordinator for the City of Memphis. He works in small business development and has been part of great teams at FedEx, ServiceMaster, and AutoZone. Taylor is author of the books Enrich Your Sunrise, The Path to a Peaceful Heart, and co-author of Adversity to Advantage. He is also a contributor to Thrive Global, HuffPost, and The Good Men Project. Taylor is passionate about giving to his community. He is a Youth Villages Mentor, Chairman of the Joseph Tagg Angel of Kindness Foundation, and a living kidney donor.