Changemakers

During the interview, Yancy and Jason both talk about how they got into their respective careers, lessons learned, how they approach their creative process, and more.To learn more about Yancy Villa-Calvo visit www.YancyArt.com. To learn more about Jason Jackson and brg3s visit www.brg3s.com. 

Andre JacksonFounder & CEOFor more than a decade Andre has performed extensively in award-winning theatrical productions nationwide. He is a noted alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA). As an actor, Andre has been awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, NAACP Theatre Award, Los Angeles Ovation Award, and was nominated for the BroadwayWorld Best Lead Actor Award for his role as “Simba” in the Tony Award-winning Disney’s The Lion King, performing to date with the show’s Broadway Company.Andre is the writer, producer and star of the short film STOP in addition to television and film appearances in the Amazon series BLACK, NBC's Law & Order: SVU, and Netflix's Luke Cage.A former Marine who has traveled all over the world, Andre now splits his time between Los Angeles, New York, and Memphis, where he primarily resides with his wife (a writer), son, and their feisty little Cairn Terrier Leon. C. J.   KirklandCo-Founder & CFOC.J. has been a freelance writer since 2009, with

Our friend Kellie Turnage, @kturnage121, is bravely sharing her story of #addiction, which almost cost her everything, including her life, so she can help others and walk them from the darkness she personally experienced then to the light she enjoys now with her beautiful family and career.It’s critically important that we better understand addiction and that we have these conversations, especially with so many of our loved ones, friends, co-workers and neighbors suffering and turning to drugs, alcohol and other harmful things to cope with what is happening in our world today.Sharing your story and struggles is hard, but the more you open up and the more we can encourage you to open up, the more we can heal and move forward together with a deeper level of understanding, empathy and love.If you or someone you know are experiencing alcohol or drug addiction, learn more about resources to help you here: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

Now in it's 11th year, Aidan Cares is an independent 501c3 created by a board of supporters that believe in this crucial mission. All donations are used for impacting youth and adults along their paths to give and serve partnering to do so with charities doing awesome stuff.Learn more: https://www.aidancares.org/

Through great adversity after a horrific road traffic accident in October 2017 left Dr. Ajay G Doni with a prosthetic leg, Dr. Ajay has used that life changing event as a platform to guide various amputees on how to overcome amputation trauma, provide tips on improving gait pattern, and educating others on various prosthetic options and components available as brand ambassador for Össur. Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/AjayDoni07/

Carol Johnson-Dean, Ed.D., is currently the Interim President, LeMoyne-Owen College, Memphis, TN.  Prior to that appointment, she served as the Executive Director of New Leaders, South Region, a national organization providing leadership development for aspiring principals and teacher leaders.  She has provided oversight to New Leaders programs in Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida and Minnesota.  She has also served as Executive Director, of Large District Support for the Tennessee Department of Education (2015).Carol Johnson-Dean is a 2014 Harvard Advanced Leadership Fellow and a Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt/Peabody College.  She currently serves on the National Board of City Year, Memphis Advisory Board for Facing History and Ourselves, a member, Memphis Teacher Residency Advisory Board and Education Co-Chair, for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra Board, and Member First 8 Advisory Board, and an Ambassador, National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).  She is also a member, University of Minnesota Al

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Robin and Jason Hills, who share their personal story of turning disabilities into the powerful abilities of finding love, starting a family, having successful careers and encouraging others to break out of their mental and physical constraints to find fulfillment, embrace diversity, achieve greater levels of success, and make a difference in the community.

Nick has spent over 15 years living or spending time in over 30 countries around the world. He has led non-profit organizations, coached CEO’s, consulted with Fortune 500 companies, and spoken at award-winning events.Nick loves hanging out with his family, collaborating with amazing humans, reading (70-ish books per year), smoke his pipe, drinking coffee, and traveling. Follow cityCURRENT + Nick Laparra@cityCURRENT | cityCURRENT.com@NickLaparra | @LetsGiveADamn | www.nicklaparra.com

A story so powerful it was made into a movie, Liz Murray shares her fascinating, inspirational story of growing up with two drug addicted parents who she began supporting at age 10. Homeless at age 15, the death of her mother was the wake-up call that made her break free of her circumstances and pursue a different path for her life. While living on the streets of New York, she completed and graduated from high school in just two years. Overcoming horrible odds, she won a full scholarship and was accepted to Harvard University. Murray offers one of the most moving, elegant and uplifting tales you will ever hear.Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/lizmurraybreakingnight/

As vice president of government affairs for Baptist Memorial Health Care, Keith Norman's primary responsibilities include establishing and maintaining relationships with government officials and strengthening Baptist's community outreach partnerships. He also is pastor of First Baptist Church—Broad, sits on the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission board of directors, serves on Christian Brothers University’s board of trustees and is a former commissioner of the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance. Norman is the immediate past president of Memphis’ NAACP chapter and serves on NAACP’s national board of trustees. A graduate of Morehouse College, Norman earned a doctorate degree from Memphis Theological Seminary in 2016 and published his dissertation, which outlines strategies for urban community development in Memphis, Tennessee. Norman is now pursuing a certification in diversity and inclusion management from the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity and is a member of

Sandler Training has been named the number one management training program in Entrepreneur Magazine for five years, as well as the top rated sales and sales management training organization in the country by Inc. Magazine.Learn more: https://www.csp.sandler.com/about/local-sandler-trainer

In this position, his region consistently earned the VIP Award for top production and management.  He was honored as the Fort Worth Star Telegram’s 2001, 2006 and 2007 Front Page Award Winner by the Fort Worth Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. In 2007 he was honored with the National Association and Financial Advisor Career Service award.Born in Fort Worth, Texas, John earned his BBA from Texas Wesleyan University, where he was recipient of the Wall Street Journal’s Achievement Award for excellence in the field of Business.He entered the insurance business as an independent agent in 1972 and earned many company awards.  In 1975 accepting a position as Regional Vice President with Time Insurance he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  He was promoted to Director of Agencies in 1982 with primary responsibilities for the sales force of over 50,000 agents.  In 1985 he returned to his home state of Texas and assumed his former position.He served as the National Committeeman on the Board of the Fort Worth

Today, constant and never-ending innovation in the face of change is the key to creating sustainable success. Innovation, simply put, is the transformation or reinvention of something in a progressive, forward-moving direction. Therefore, our ability to reinvent—or pivot—is critical to lasting and meaningful change and success. Imagine the possibility to be better equipped to not just navigate, but utilize change to create new opportunities and achieve maximum performance in your business and life.No one knows more about pivoting, reinvention/innovation, and lasting personal, professional and business growth than Adam. His latest best-selling book is entitled, PIVOT: The Art & Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life. Adam was most recently CEO of New Peaks, North America 's largest human potential company, and now leads More Love Media, a company dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses to re-imagine, refocus, and capitalize on change in order to thrive in a world where constant disruption i

When reflecting on the leadership qualities that landed her the presidency at STCC, Dr. Tracy D. Hall describes herself as results-oriented, a “people person,” and someone passionate about urban communities. “I want to get things done,” she emphasizes. “And making sure people have a voice at the table. They may not be able to physically be there, but they need a representative. When making decisions that impact people, you have to consider those people. If you haven’t walked in their shoes, how can you make those decisions?” “There’s a spirit of collaboration I’ve felt in Memphis,” she says. “People are looking to get things done in an environment where people want things to happen. That’s critical. I’ve been places where there’s a need, but not that sense of urgency among other leaders. There may be a sense of denial. Memphis seems to get it. There are a lot of great things going on, but we can be better.” Learn more about Southwest Tennessee Community College here: http://www.tn.edu/

As Vaco Nashville’s Managing Partner, Kyle Allen oversees their Music City team and its day-to-day operations. He puts his heart and soul into making sure every one of their corporate clients gets the attention and service they promise and then some. He believes – and exemplifies- the idea that you don’t gain clients when everything is going great; it’s when you rush in to handle a crisis that you’re truly of service. He also plays a hands-on role in placing rockstar consultants in Accounting and Corporate Finance projects.Kyle is a self-described “recovering” Certified Public Accountant, having started his career with the Nashville office of Ernst & Young. In 2012, Vaco made the brilliant decision to recruit him, and it’s been a match made in heaven ever since. He took the reins as managing partner in 2017 following years of dedicated effort and measurable success for their clients.A Murfreesboro, Tennessee native, Kyle earned both his B.S. in Accounting-cum laude and Masters of Accountancy from the Univ

Unsure of his future, Anderson fell into a deep depression. During this time, he had no choice but to ask himself some difficult questions and do a tremendous amount of soul searching. Finally after many months of darkness, Marcus had an epiphany. This caused a huge personal paradigm shift allowing him to see his injury as a wakeup call. This gift of adversity served as the catalyst Marcus needed to change his mindset and therefore, his life. The lessons learned from his endeavor revealed Marcus's purpose and drives him to spread his message today. Learn more: https://www.marcusaureliusanderson.com/

Prior to becoming CEO, Shadyac served as the chairman and president of the ALSAC Board of Directors. Shadyac joined the Board in 2000, and in addition to leading the Board, he has served as the vice chair and has been active on a number of Board committees, including Finance, Marketing, Strategic Planning, Building and Special Events. A practicing attorney for 27 years, Shadyac worked as a partner in the Washington D.C./Northern Virginia law firm, Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell, LLP. He had led the firm’s Virginia offices located in Falls Church. Shadyac has been a member of the Arlington and Fairfax County Bar Associations, the District of Columbia Bar, the American Bar Association, the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. He earned a B.A. in political science from Marquette University and a law degree from Loyola University in Chicago. Learn more / Follow: @StJude @RickShadyac www.stjude.org @cityCURRENT www.citycurrent.com @jeremycpark

In 2012, Mary Latham was sitting at her desk in NYC reading the news on the Sandy Hook School shooting when a co-worker told her about an act of kindness that had happened to him. A random man had bought a $100 gift card at the Starbucks across the street and asked the barista to run it out on the line behind him. Mary's co-worker was in that line. He had been having a horrible year and the expression on his face as he told her this made her realize how much of an impact this act of kindness had on him. Mary spoke to her mother about the story later that morning, and then had quickly switched over to the shooting. She had politely interrupted, saying... "You have to focus on that other story you just told me. Think about that man who just made so many people's day by buying them a coffee. There is always going to be horrible and tragic things that happen but there will always be more good out there, you just have to look for it." That conversation sparked a project. A friend and Mary would compile s

The book chronicles Morris’ life and his time in public service, his efforts to promote foreign trade nationally and to bring foreign businesses to Tennessee, his efforts to promote Memphis, and his personal relationship with Elvis Presley. The book also illustrates the foundation of Morris’ success – his devotion to his loving wife, family, and his deep religious roots. “From the depths of poverty to the heights of state politics, I consider my experience a rich life without riches. I hope my account does not appear to be one of self-pride and ego, but rather a lesson in how to live a great life without the benefit of material wealth,” said Bill Morris in the introduction of his autobiography, “Bill Morris: A Legendary Life.” As sheriff, Morris took accused Martin Luther King Jr. killer James Earl Ray into custody and is also credited with reforming a once undisciplined and corrupt sheriff’s department. As a four-term mayor, Morris was instrumental in promoting Memphis and Shelby County as America’s Distribu

Chef Logan Guleff has been named one of the Most Influential Teens by Time Magazine and a James Beard Blended Burger Winner. Since becoming the 2014 MasterChef Junior champion he has become a rising star in the culinary world. He was named Southern Living‘s Best New Southern Cook and earned a spot on Fortune Magazine’s 18 Under 18 list; he’s also the youngest certified judge for the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, Tennessee, and the youngest chef to cook at the historic James Beard House in New York City. And just recently finished judging the International Young Chef Olympiad in India. Logan has gone on to do several Charity Dinners, Countless food Demos, an Initiative for Uncle Ben's Canada, and even flexed his muscles as the ONLY KID Certified BBQ Judge for Memphis in May World Champion BBQ contest. Other accomplishments include winning the First Kids State Dinner for the State of TN. This took him the White House where he met the First Lady and President as well as touring the famo