Memphis needs more leaders like you. That’s why Leadership Memphis works so hard to train 150 community leaders every year. And that’s why we are developing new ways to support alumni service, to increase college attainment, to promote workforce development, and to empower our community to collectively step up.

The strength of Leadership Memphis is our alumni. You are an amazing, positive force in the community. When it comes down to it, our mission is essentially to equip and support your efforts in every way we can. One of our greatest joys is finding ways to keep our alums connected to each other and to the program as we go forward.

Our community needs more, stronger leaders. More veteran leaders, more emerging leaders, more grassroots leaders. As you know, Leadership Memphis helps develop people in all three of these areas. And we’re always striving for ways to make the next class experience even better. One thing we know is that alumni involvement adds impact. If you have suggestions, if you’re willing to serve on the program committee, or even if you are simply willing to sit in on a class session, you can help us step up our game.

For over thirty years, Leadership Memphis has focused on the core mission of training community leaders. In recent years, it has become clear to us that we can better fulfill our mission if we, as an organization, go beyond theoretical concepts and embrace practical community service initiatives. That’s why we are now leading in the following concrete ways:

• The Memphis Talent Dividend: College Attainment Initiative – Over 100 community partners are working with Leadership Memphis to accomplish the goal of increasing college attainment for the greater Memphis area by one percentage point in five years. Research tells us that this would result in a $1 billion annual impact on our community. Three years into this effort, we are approximately half way to that goal.
• The Graduate Memphis College Resource Center – Generously funded ($1.743 million) by the Plough Foundation, the center is housed at the Benjamin L. Hooks Branch of the Memphis Public Library, and has a mission to help adults who started (but never finished) college to find a way to get their certificate or degree. In the first 45 days, we consulted with over 400 adults, assisted over 175 individuals in various stages of returning to college, and helped 20 adults to actually re-enroll.
• The SUCCESS High School Initiative – This new program is a five-year effort to increase the post-secondary continuation rate at eight area high schools (Trezevant, Fairley, Melrose, East, Kingsbury, Hamilton, Power Center Academy and Soulsville Charter School). Leadership Memphis class participants, alumni and other membersof the community are all invited to work together with school leaders in this holistic effort to help our students succeed.

To download the full brochure on alumni involvement and giving, click here.

To give now, click here.

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