Class of 2019

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NEXUS PROTEGES
Taryn Burgess Mercer Capital Senior Financial Analyst
Brandon Byrd FTN Financial Sales
Jim Calhoun Furniture Medic-ServiceMaster Business Development Consultant II
Corbin Carpenter Carpenter Law, PLLC Managing-Member
Trey Carroll Southern Coffee Services Account Executive
Jill Coleraine AutoZone Community Relations Manager
Mike Davis International Paper Application Development Specialist
Terrance Davis Nuvasive Quality Control Manager
Daniel Farrow ALSAC/ St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Agile Delivery Manager, Marketing
Dana Gatewood FedEx Corporate Quality Auditor
Pedro Gonzalez DarSalud Management, LLC Director of Business Development
Mia Hamilton Freedom Prep Academy Dean of Operations
Mike Hammond Kimley-Horn Landscape Architect – Practice Leader
Melody Holt International Paper HR Specialist
Bianca Jackson Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. Community Outreach Specialist/Research Program Coordinator
Laquita Johnson Grizzlies Prep Charter School Student Affairs Coordinator
Nate Jones Crestcore Realty Financial Operations Manager
Gracie Leathers American Residential Services Marketing Specialist
Devin Marmon Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Financial Counselor
Bethany McRae ServiceMaster Email Marketing Consultant
McKenzie Nash International Paper Human Resources Generalist
Danae Pacileo ALSAC/ St. Jude Agile Delivery Manager
Angela Paige Baptist Memorial Health Care Project Manager Technical
Luka Perkovic Union University Director of Marketing
Taylor Perry Raymond James Financial Advisor
Toby Omli Barnhart Crane Project Engineer
Rodrick L. Selmon STF Financial Financial Services Advisor
Marisa Simonetti Guidingpoint Financial Group Financial Advisor
Amy Strickland Apperson Crump PLC Associate
Cathryn Tagle Amazon Area Manager
Jermaine Taylor Medtronic IT Analyst
Carol Matthews Smith
Jordana Walls-Smith Pfizer Inc Accountant
Randall Weatherall CrestCore Realty Brokerage Operations Supervisor
Amanda Wiig Make-A-Wish Mid-South Director of Marketing and Communications
Ashlei Williams GJC Publicity LLC President
Dwayne Woods Gant Systems Infrastructure Sales Engineer
Daniel Wynn Clay & Land Insurance Account Executive / Producer

NEXUS MENTORS
Lynn Ballinger Ballinger Executive Coaching Executive Coach
Teresa Blanton Medtronic, Inc. Business Process Analyst
Albert Carruthers Memphis Net & Twine Co., Inc. President
Kim Cherry Cherry and Company Public Relations CEO
Mia Condon First Tennessee Capital Assets Corp. Vice President
Hayley Daniel ALSAC/St. Jude Sr. Director, Direct Response Marketing
Orin Davidson Retired Physician
Ottie Dixon Consultant
Amy Beth Dudley Community Foundation of Greater Memphis Donor Services Officer
Rebecca Dupuy International Paper Manager, Global Sourcing Consultant
Carlo Foster C. Foster Construction Company, Inc. President
Eleanor French International Paper Director, Strategy & Finance
Ed Garrison International Paper Director, Leadership Development
Carol Gaudino Momentum Nonprofit Partners Director of Network Engagement & Leadership
Annette Hawkins International Paper HR Manager
Adella Heard First Tennessee Bank Legal Counsel
Deborah Harrison Project Management
Art Heun Retired Law Enforcement Executive
Bliss Hicky Retired Banker /Farm Management
Lionel Hollins I Train Fundamentals & Lionel Hollins Charities CEO & Founder
Teresa Jenkins St. Mary’s Episcopal School Learning Specialist/Diversity & Inclusion Coord.
Stephen Kelley Southern Towing Company, LLC CFO
Drayton Mayers TeamLogic IT President & Owner
Tarrin McGhee Pique Public Relations Principal
Kevin Nowlin Chief Thinking Officer Ah Ha Creations
Randy Odom President /CEO Memphis Athletic Ministries
Larry Papasan Smith & Nephew Retired President
Billie Jo Parker Renasant Bank Managing Director, Private Client
Lesley Patel ALSAC/ St. Jude Director, Marketing Operations
Don Riley Discipling Men, Inc. Executive Director & Founder
Lisa B. Smith Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Senior Organizational Development Consultant
Sally Summerlin Summerlin & Associates, LLC Owner & Real Estate
Kent Walker VP, Innovation & Customer Technical Service International Paper
Katie West Consultant, Learning & Organizational Development
Lewis Williamson Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor
Bob Willumsen Potential 2 Results, LLC President
Kem Wilson Kemmons Wilson Companies Principal
Courtney Winter International Paper Manager, Leadership Development

Announcements

  • NEXUS Serves at St. Jude Marathon

    NEXUS Alumni and members of the NEXUS Class of 2025 volunteered at this year’s St. Jude Marathon. Volunteers cheered for marathon runners and served at a Hydration Station. Read More

  • Monica Wharton Shares with Class of 2025

    Monica Wharton, EVP & COO for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare spoke to members of the Class of 2025 and Alumni at the December session. Monica shared on the topic of “Ethical Decision Making” and how important it is to be a transparent and authentic leader. To learn more about the session contact NEXUS. Read More

  • NEXUS Volunteers with AKA on CHIPPS Project

    Members of the NEXUS Class of 2025 volunteered with the AKA Sorority and their CHIPPS program. Together over 400 food bags were packed to distribute to students in the Mid-South to take home for the weekend.  Read More

  • Tom Cleves on Communicating and Using Smart Brevity

    On November 5, Tom Cleves, recently retired as SVP – Corporate Affairs for Sylvamo had a discussion with the mentors and proteges in the NEXUS Class of 2025 on the topic communicating as a Leader and using smart brevity. To learn more about this session or to request the speaker’s audio, contact NEXUS. Read More

  • Sally Pace Challenges the NEXUS Class of 2025 to Ask the Right Questions

    At the October session, Sally Pace, CEO for Connect Healthcare Collaboration spoke to the NEXUS Class of 2025 on the topic of “Asking the Right Questions”. Sally did an amazing job and truly challenged participants to think about the importance of questions. To request the session audio contact NEXUS. Read More

  • NEXUS Volunteers at Make-A-Wish

    Members of the NEXUS Class of 2025 recently volunteered with Make-A-Wish Mid-South. Participants volunteered and learned more about the impact Make-A-Wish is making on the children of the Mid-South! Read More

  • Lori Evans on the Newest Episode of “The NEXUS Intersection” Podcast

    New Release – “The NEXUS Intersection” – A NEXUS Podcast In this episode of “The NEXUS Intersection” co-hosts Ephie Johnson and Heather Hunt have a conversation with NEXUS Alumni Lori Evans on the topic of “Leading + Engaging our in City”. Lori is the Patient Experience & Community Engagement Manager for Regional One Health and the President of the Junior League of Memphis. At a young age, Lori learned she... Read More

  • Class of 2025 Kicks Off with Dr. Russ Wigginton

    The first speaker session for the NEXUS Class of 2025 took place on September 10 with Dr. Russ Wigginton. Dr. Wigginton serves the National Civil Rights Museum as President and shared about his leadership journey and what makes an effective, focused leader. To request the speaker’s audio contact NEXUS. Read More

  • Mike Allen Named Kem Wilson NEXUS Leadership Award Recipient

    On behalf of the NEXUS Board of Directors, it was a privilege to honor NEXUS Mentor Mike Allen with the Kem Wilson NEXUS Leadership Award that is awarded each year to someone that leads like Kem. This award is given at Graduation to someone who has unwavering commitment to the NEXUS program and mission and fully engaged with fellow members of the Class of 2024. Read More

  • Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

    Congratulations to the NEXUS Class of 2024!! On May 2, NEXUS graduated its 20th Class and has now trained over 1200 leaders equipped and motivated to lead our city! At Graduation the Mentor and Protégé graduates were honored for their accomplishments and dedication over the past ten months. NEXUS co-Founder Sandy Willson was the keynote speaker on the topic of “Dreaming as a Leader”. Special thanks to the mentor and... Read More
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Upcoming Events

January 14, 2025 - February 11, 2025
Winter Workshop Series – Communicating with the Enneagram + AI

NEXUS is inviting you to a two-part workshop series focused on using tools to be an effective communicator.  In this series

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December 31, 2024 - December 31, 2024
Think of NEXUS With Your Year End Giving!

THINK OF NEXUS WITH YOUR YEAR-END GIVING!  Over the past 20 years, NEXUS has trained more than1200 graduates motivated to

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January 7, 2025 - January 7, 2025
Christian Owen to Share in January

Members of the current NEXUS class will begin 2025 with Christian Owen, Founder and Publisher of RiverCity Lifestyle

Read More
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Partners

Testimonials

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Ephie Ballard Johnson

    “I was honored to participate in the inaugural year of NEXUS, 20 years later I’m honored to still be involved in NEXUS as a mentor, past speaker, and Board member. Just five years after being a protégé I became President & CEO of NCC, because of NEXUS I appreciate and see the importance of servant leadership.” Ephie Ballard Johnson, President & CEO of Neighborhood Christian Centers

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Billie Jo Parker

    “The greatest benefit from participating in NEXUS are the connections you make. I am grateful for the personal and professional network of colleagues and friends I have encountered because of NEXUS.” Bill Jo Parker, SVP Pinnacle Bank and NEXUS Alumni

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Douglas Skipworth

    “NEXUS is unique because it trains people's minds, hearts, and hands. I love NEXUS because it does both of those while also adding a higher purpose component to its program. In my experience, that's very rare. Thanks to NEXUS, the proteges who graduate each year are not only skilled and ambitious, but they are also compassionate leaders who are making a meaningful difference in Memphis!” Douglas Skipworth, Principal Broker, CrestCoreRealty, LLC and NEXUS Alumni

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Amy Beth Dudley

    “NEXUS has been an important part of my professional life for over a decade. Starting as a protégé, moving to the mentor role, and now serving on the NEXUS Board of Directors. I have had the opportunity to see the impact of mentoring and that has been tremendous.” Amy Beth Dudley, Director of Donor Services, Community Foundation of Greater Memphis + NEXUS Alumni

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Cameron Mann

    “The greatest part about NEXUS is the diversity of relationships made that last a lifetime, particularly multi-generational relationships.” Cameron Mann, Director of Corporate Partnerships, Methodist Healthcare + NEXUS Alumni

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Amy Simpson

    “NEXUS provides the opportunity to learn from others who love Memphis and want to make a difference!” – Amy Simpson, Corporate Communications, International Paper + NEXUS Alumni

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Lewis Williamson

    “The NEXUS program offers an opportunity for a young person to gain some of the knowledge and experience of their mentors. I was a rather young mentor at the time of my initial experience. Today I am older with hopefully more experience to share. NEXUS offers me another network – especially with a younger group and I have made many new friends and hopefully provided beneficial help to those in the next generation.” -Lewis Wiliamson, HTS Commo

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Caroline Kuebler

    “I’d say NEXUS is unique due to the opportunity to learn from and interact with local leadership in the small group monthly meetings. Of course, the relationships built between mentors and proteges is one of my favorite things.” - Caroline Kuebler, Community Foundation of Greater Memphis + NEXUS Alumni

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Sally Pace

    “I came to NEXUS at a time where I desperately wanted a mentor from my industry who understood some of the challenges and opportunities I would be facing as I grew my career. I found that and so much more in the program, and the curriculum and discussions helped frame the path I would take over the coming years as I moved through various levels of management. - Sally Pace, Connect Healthcare Collaboration + NEXUS Alumni

  • Celebrating 20 Years of NEXUS – Alumni Highlight – Andrew Mok

    “As a NEXUS graduate, I have benefitted from the program through the guidance and support from my mentor at such an early stage of my professional career. I feel more confident in making informed decisions and navigating challenges. The program assisted in the development of my leadership skills including communication, problem solving, and emotional intelligence." - Andrew Mok, AutoZone + NEXUS Alumni