MEMPHIS PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
Here’s a look at promotions, hirings, movers and newsmakers in the Memphis area business scene:
Marcus Mitchell recently joined the staff of Southern College of Optometry as director of campus safety and security. Mitchell is a 30-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department, most recently serving as a major for the Ridgeway Station. His past accolades with the MPD include Supervisor of the Year in 2020 and Investigator of the Year in 2014. He received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Lemoyne-owen College.
The Orpheum Theatre Group, the nonprofit organization that operates the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, announced the addition of six new mem- bers to its board of directors: Patrick Trey Carter III, president, Olympic Career Training Institute; Dr. Cassandra Howard, Brigadier General, USAF VP, Chief Medical Officer Methodist Le Bonheur; Amy Knight, community volunteer; David E. Mckinney, vice president of Communications and Public Affairs, Autozone; Grayson Pruitt, vice president/wealth advisor, Truist Wealth; and Sherry Williams, senior VP, Private Client Relationship Manager, First Horizon Bank. Orpheum Theatre Group board members serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve two consecutive terms.
Baptist Heart Institute at Baptist Memorial Hospitalmemphis named Tom Wills as chief administrative
officer and promoted Renee Hatcher to administrative director of transplant services for the Advanced Heart Failure Program. Wills will oversee the development of a comprehensive cardiovascular strategy and will focus on growth opportunities, enriching physician relationships and enhancing patient accessibility and experience. Hatcher will be responsible for the overall growth and quality of the heart transplant program. Wills has more than 28 years of health care experience serving in leadership roles with Tenet Healthcare, HCA Healthcare, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Community Health Systems and other institutions. Wills earned a diploma in nursing from the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas. Hatcher began her nursing career at Baptist Memorial Hospital-medical Center in 1988 and received a diploma in nursing from the Baptist Hospital School of Nursing
and a master’s degree in Nursing-health Care Management from Loyola University in New Orleans.
Amber Floyd, the first African American female general counsel for the Memphis-shelby County Airport Authority, was recognized Dec. 8 at the Memphis Bar Association’s annual meeting, with the Sam A. Myar Jr. Award and the W. J. Michael Cody Access to Justice Award. The award, given in memory of Myar, is presented annually to a young attorney (age 40 or younger) in recognition of his or her outstanding personal service rendered to the legal profession in Memphis and Shelby County and to the community. The W.J. Michael Cody Access to Justice Award is given each year to a lawyer in Shelby County, who has provided outstanding service and leadership to Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) and its clients. Before joining the Memphis-shelby County Airport Authority, Floyd served as deputy director for the City of Memphis. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis.
Noteworthy
In November, the Baker Donelson law firm was named a Compass Award winner by the Leadership Council on
Legal Diversity (LCLD) which recognizes law firms and corporations showing a strong commitment to building more diverse organizations and a more inclusive legal profession. LCLD is one of the nation’s leading organizations promoting diversity and consists of more than 430 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners — the leadership of the profession — who have dedicated themselves to creating a truly diverse U.S. legal profession.
— Compiled by Daniel Ginsburg
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