Kristen Wright Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Customer Satisfaction AutoZone As a wife and mother of two, Kristen Wright knows how important it is to be a leader, role model, and mentor. Kristen has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the community, starting the “Give a Little, Help A Lot” Legal Aid Clinic at Orange Mound Senior Center, now in its ninth year; serving as the incoming Board President for Memphis in May International Festival, and serving on the Board of Directors for KIPP-Delta. She also helps raise funds for local nonprofit organizations by frequently participating in charitable runs including the St. Jude Half Marathon and the Memphis in May Great American River Run. A successful litigation attorney, Kristen Wright broke the glass ceiling in a very traditional industry, the automotive aftermarket, when she assumed the top legal role at AutoZone in 2014. Kristen is the Fortune 300 retailer’s first female Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. She is one of the industry’s strongest advocates for inclusion and diversity. Kristen is also the founder of the AutoZone Women’s Initiative (AZ WIN) and executive sponsor of the AutoZone Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. She leads AutoZone’s legal and business relations team by supporting the aspirations and values of more than 85,000 employees across the United States, Mexico, Brazil and around the globe.
Rose Jackson Flenorl Manager of Social Responsibility FedEx Rose Flenorl started out her adult life as a ground-breaker. She left her mark on the University of Mississippi by breaking racial barriers at a time when only 6% of the student body was minority. She was the first black woman inducted into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame and was noted as one of Glamour Magazine’s Top Ten Female Graduates in the United States. She was also the first African-American to head the Ole Miss Alumni Society. Rose has more than 30 years of experience in marketing, communications and corporate social responsibility. For the last 16 years she has been the Manager of Social Responsibility at FedEx, where she directs and implements the company’s community outreach strategy in the areas of Disaster Relief, Safety, Environment, Education, and Diversity in both national and international markets. Additionally, Rose is responsible for designing and executing programs that support the FedEx brand globally. She represents FedEx on the US Chamber BCLC Board of Directors, the Conference Board Contributions Council, and the American Red Cross Corporate Advisory Board. In this role, she communicates the company’s community philosophy, objectives, and programs to audiences worldwide. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Civil Rights Museum and the University of Mississippi Foundation. Never one to stand on the sidelines while others lead, Rose’s passion and humanitarian spirit inspire her to actively seek participation in the community. Her achievements have earned her numerous awards for a variety of civic and professional achievements from many major organizations across the region and country. 10
the Promise |
FALL/WINTER 2017
Ruby Bright Executive Director & CAO Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis Ruby Bright has a definitive passion for the betterment of women. She shares her mission and passion with the public by frequently speaking to local stakeholder groups and is involved with numerous civic and community organizations, serving on the boards of the Women’s Funding Network, Memphis H.O.P E. strategic development committee, Partnership for the Homeless community advisory committee, Memphis Leadership Academy and the Memphis Area Women’s Council. Bright is also a member of Women of Achievement and the Network of Memphis. Additionally, she collaborates with organizations such as the University of Tennessee Center for Research on Women, United Way of the Mid-South, Shesource Speakers Bureau of the White House Project, Clear Channel Advisory board and the Tennessee Economic Council on Women. Ruby is the Executive Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM). Since 2004, Bright’s leadership has helped the City of Memphis to leverage $120 million in federal HOPE VI grants by raising nearly $10 million to support wrap around case management services for more than 3,200 former public housing families. WFGM has launched the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan which focuses on reducing poverty by 5% over 5 years in zip code 38126. Widely recognized for her expertise in strategic leadership, community relations, operational management, marketing and fund development, Bright has received many leadership awards including the 2014 Memphis Business Journal Super Women in Business, 2013 Memphis Theological Seminary Henry Logan Starks Award, and 2011 International Changing the Face of Philanthropy Award presented by the Women’s Funding Network. She has been named a Power Player by Memphis Business Quarterly Magazine for seven consecutive years.
Susan Stephenson
Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and President Independent Bank Susan S. Stephenson’s mother was the first woman to be made a bank officer in the company she worked for during Susan’s childhood. Following in her footsteps, Susan is leading the way for women in a predominately male industry – finance. She is the Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and President of Independent Bank in Memphis, Tennessee. Established in 1998, Independent Bank is now a $1 billion institution and is the second largest bank headquartered in Shelby County. Independent Bank has been recognized as one of the top performing banks in the state and country in terms of earnings, margins and asset quality. Prior to starting Independent Bank, she was Chairman, President and CEO of Boatmen’s Bank of Tennessee. When named to the position in 1995, the then 37-year-old Stephenson was the first female bank Chairman and CEO in Tennessee history. Susan serves as a board member of the St. Louis Federal Reserve and is deeply involved in the Memphis community. She has worked with a wide variety of historic and nonprofit agencies that serve women.