Join Next American City for the next installment in the URBANEXUS series. The salon will feature a collaboration between seven local representatives discussing the role of civic engagement in moving Memphis forward. Each presenter will use 4 slides per minute for 4 minutes to share how their organizations are making creative approaches toward civic engagement. An audience Q&A and a reception will immediately follow the presentations.
March 19, 6-8:30 PM
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
926 McLemore Avenue, Memphis
Admission is free for all attendees. RSVP and subscribe now at americancity.org/urbanexus/memphis.
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Gwyn R. Fisher joined MPACT Memphis as Executive Director in August 2008. While previously serving as a law clerk, Gwyn published several articles on changes to the bankruptcy laws and helped implement a financial literacy training program in area high schools. She has served on the University of Memphis Law Review and is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Memphis’ FastTrack Program. She has also worked with Common Ground Memphis, Greater Memphis Greenline and United Methodist Neighborhood Center’s Refugee Relocation Program.
Eric Mathews is a devoted community member with interests in changing entrepreneurship and community engagement in the Mid-South region of the United States. He is the co-founder of Mercury Technology Labs LLC, a for-profit venture creation company and is also the co-founder of LaunchMemphis, a non-profit organization to support spontaneous entrepreneurial action.
Cardell Orrin does a broad range of community-based consulting through his company, Linx Consulting. In 2004, he co-founded New Path Political Action Committee, to get more people engaged and involved in the political process. Since that time, New Path PAC has helped a diverse set of 13 candidates run for a broad range of local offices.
Tim Sampson is the Communications Director for the Soulsville Foundation, the nonprofit parent company that operates the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Stax Music Academy and The Soulsville Charter School. He began work with the organization as a public relations consultant in 1998 with the Ewarton Board of Directors. He is the founding editor of The Memphis Flyer and former editor of Memphis magazine. He has been a freelance journalist for 20 years.
Derwin Sisnett is the Executive Director of the Power Center CDC, a Community Development Corporation in the Hickory Hill community. Aware of the social, economic and educational needs of Hickory Hill, the Power Center CDC recently sponsored and developed Power Center Academy (PCA), a charter middle school that focuses on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and high technology. The Power Center CDC partners with regional and national organizations to support the needs of the Hickory Hill community.
John Weeden is the Executive Director of UrbanArt, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a dynamic, vibrant and nurturing community through public art and design. He is a graduate of Rhodes College, the Sotheby’s Institute and the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, with a concentration on contemporary art. His approach to civic engagement stresses the direct participation of communities expressing their identity and vision for the future through art and design elements in the public realm.
Other participants include Dr. Charlie Santo of Coalition for Livable Communities and a representative from Sustainable Shelby.
Special thanks to our local sponsors, MPACT Memphis, Sustainable Shelby and the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, and to our partners, Urban Land Institute, Coalition for Livable Communities and Community Development Council.
people + place + ideas + discussion + food + drink + people + place + ideas + discussion + food + drink + people + place + ideas + discussion + food + drink
I had the chance to go to this last night and was very happy I did. It was an excellent showcase for some of the excellent efforts that are afoot around the community.
Not only were the presenters interesting and effective in conveying the missions and activities of their various organizations, the standing-room-only audience showed how many Mid-Southerners are interested and involved in building a better community.
Seeing great minds and dedicated hearts gathered together to have an impact always inspires hope!