MEET OUR TEAM

Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South has been dedicated to educating students about entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy since 1955. Our office serves 26 counties across West Tennessee, Eastern Arkansas, and Northern Mississippi. Through our extensive offering of experiential and layered programming, JA empowers students by giving them the tools they need to create a future all their own. We believe in the idea of Every Child, World Ready.

JA Staff

Leigh Mansberg
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
lmansberg@jamemphis.org

Bill Duff
CFO (Chief Financial Officer)
bduff@jamemphis.org

Steve French
COO (Chief Operating Officer)
sfrench@jamemphis.org

Alison Welch
Director of Capstone Education
awelch@jamemphis.org

Andrew Duff
Controller
aduff@jamemphis.org

Mary Kanowitz
Development Manager
mkanowitz@jamemphis.org

Megan Ryan
Development and Special Events Coordinator
mryan@jamemphis.org

Kimberly Hooper-Taylor
Inspire Coordinator
khooper-taylor@jamemphis.org

Timberly Taylor
Director of Site-Based Learning
ttaylor@jamemphis.org

Kesha Cohran-Ivy
Chief Academic Officer
kivy@jamemphis.org

Tenela Blakney
Volunteer and School Recruitment Manager
tblakney@jamemphis.org

Edward Canny
High School Program Coordinator
ecanny@jamemphis.org

 

JA Board of Directors

Caton Brooks, International Paper
Jason Campbell, FedEx Custom Critical
Brandon Cooper, Simmons Bank
Pearson Crutcher, The Society of Entrepreneurs
Tarek Dernaika, Truist
Brenda Duckett, Community Leader
Dr. Sha Fanion, TNTP
Rick Fogelman, Fogelman Properties
Kelly Lomax, Dunavant Enterprises, Inc.
Dr. Mary McDonald, MCD Partners
Kevin McEniry, nexAir, LLC
Kimberly Moore, Regions Bank
Alana Hu Perković, First Horizon
D’Andrea Franklin, AutoZone
Justin Gentry, Ernst & Young
Jason Gillum, Millennium Search

Sheleah Harris, Kroger Companies
Scotty Hendricks, New York Life
Tunisha Hobson, Advance CTE
Charlie House, AutoZone
Adam King, Deloitte
Samuel King, Pinnacle Financial Partners
Karen Koplon, Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh, PLLC
Jeff Lewis, FedEx
Brad Phillips, KPMG
Steve Swain, Pinnacle Financial Partners
Michael Thompson, Shelby County Government
Ted Townsend, Greater Memphis Chamber
Scott Trammell, Strategic Financial Partners
Alonzo Weaver, MLGW
Kenneth Worles, ThinkRubix

JA Young Professionals Board Members

Natalie Brewer, Neon Canvas
Cassidy Cobb Smith, Charles River Laboratories
Elizabeth Coplon, LPI Memphis, Inc.
Jeremy Demarest, Calvary Episcopal Church
Aquino Echols, Draslovka Mining Solutions
Henry Gordon, First Horizon
Koedy Harper, Memphis Shelby County Schools
Danielle Harper, Memphis Shelby County Schools
Justin Hopkins, ALSAC
Brittney Jackson, Rhodes College
Destini Johnson, KQ Communications
Kevin Kimberly, ForwardEd Consulting
Jessica Mosley, Greater Memphis Chamber

Brittney Murray, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Lyndsey Pender, ALSAC
Leor Reef, Gopuff
Louis Rodgers, KPMG
Dylan Schleicher, AutoZone
James Shelton, II, Cornerstone Preparatory
Cooper Smith, LongView Planning Partners
Jessica Steenbergen, Compass Community Schools
Darren Thomas, National Civil Rights Museum
Jeremy Whitaker, University of Memphis
Jasmine Williams, Goldmine & Coco
Jasmine Worles, KIPP Memphis