President & CEO, EDG

Dr. Joann Massey serves as the President and CEO of EDGE, the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County. She is a recognized community leader with accolades such as the Memphis Business Journal’s Power 100, Super Women in Business, and Top 40 Under 40; Leadership Memphis Executive Class graduate; and Top Performer Shelby County Government. She is a past recipient of the Blaze Award for Economic Justice and the Memphis Power 30. Dr. Massey was recognized by the Tri-State Defender as a Woman of Excellence, a 3V Leading Lady of Shelby County, and received the Partnership Award by WBEC. She was also a 2017 Rose Center Fellow for Equitable Economic Development.

Dr. Massey has certifications in Economic Development from Harvard University, Executive Education Program; Managing Economic Development Organizations from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC); and Compliance Administration from Morgan State University. She is a graduate of Benedictine University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in finance, and holds dual Bachelor of Business Administration and Finance degrees from LeMoyne-Owen College.

She has also served as a guest speaker, volunteer, and mentor for many non-profit organizations in Memphis and beyond. Dr. Massey is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter; River City (TN) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated; and the Memphis Urban League. She has a passion for assisting underprivileged girls by helping to improve their self-esteem through mentorship and exposure to cultural activities."

Senior Human Resource Manager, Riviana Food

Mark Corbin has over 35 years of Human Resource experience, having worked for Riviana Foods, New World Pasta, Hershey’s, Johnson & Johnson, as well as having served in the US Army.  While in the military, Mark started off as an enlisted soldier and served in Germany and Ft. Campbell, KY.  After serving 4 years, he went to Purdue University and while there, attended ROTC, achieving a Top 16 Cadet at the Advance Camp out of over 3200 military cadets.  After obtaining a BS in Management from Purdue, he returned to active duty as a military officer, specializing in Computers and Personnel.  Mark served a number of years as an officer before eventually leaving the Army as a Captain.

Stepping into the business industry, Mark has distinguished himself as an agile and adept Human Resource professional and leader in the areas of Talent Development, Staffing/Recruiting and Strategic Planning.  Mark currently resides in Lancaster, PA and works for Riviana Foods as a senior leader with multi-plant oversight and support.  His focus over the past several years has been the Memphis Plant Operations, where he has developed a training culture from scratch and has helped orchestrate staffing, filling hundreds of roles during that time.

Director, Strategy & Innovation, AT&T

Joe Cutrell is a Director of Strategy & Innovation with a focus on healthcare solutions in the Global Enterprise Solutions division of AT&T Business. As a strategy resource for healthcare organizations, he provides technical direction to help address their unique business challenges and develop innovative approaches. Joe assists with infrastructure architecture while working with enterprise executives to align technology with their business priorities.

Joe brings over 30 years of experience in project engineering, system integration and business forecasting to AT&T Business. Prior to joining AT&T, he led an Enterprise Network Engineering team at a Fortune 50 corporation, responsible for network architecture and design for data, voice, video, and internet services.

In 2012, Joe moved to AT&T, joining a newly created team dedicated to innovation, technical vision, and strategy. With experience in platform scalability, reliability, and interoperability, he helps IT organizations solve for their healthcare business requirements.

As a customer driven resource, Joe leads innovation partnership programs and assists with engineering best practices, industry trends, and use case driven designs. He also provides business and technical updates on AT&T’s emerging technologies for customer briefings and industry groups. Current areas of focus include 5G use cases, internet services, converged network platforms, and mission critical connectivity for healthcare.

Program Manager, Innovation Scouting, TVA

James has more than 25years’ experience in the utility industry working on various projects and programs in the Chief Financial Office, Transmission Design/Construction, Power Supply and Fuels, Energy Efficiency and Demand Response, Renewable Portfolio Forecasting, and Innovation and Research organizations at TVA. He currently works with a variety of ecosystem partners from EPRI Incubate Energy Labs, Strategic Investment Portfolio Managers (i.e. venture capital firms), National Laboratories, Universities/Colleges, Tech Accelerators and Incubators, and Universities on deployable utility focused emerging technology. 

James holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Environmental Process Engineering from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. 

He is also an avid golfer, and likes to hike during colder months, photography, and fly fishing. 

Director, Nursing Research Division, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Belinda N. Mandrell, PhD, RN, PNP-AC, FAAN (functional, physiological, and psychosocial outcomes) is Director, Division of Nursing Research and Associate Faculty Member in the Department of Pediatric Medicine at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH). She obtained her PhD from University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She has developed a research program focused on the biological mechanism and behavioral characteristics that contribute to the symptoms of cancer therapy during active treatment and into survivorship, as well as the development/evaluations of symptom interventions.  She has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and is MPI on an active R01, coinvestigator on an active R01 and two active U01. Dr. Mandrell is interested in mentoring nurses who have an interest in improvement science and/or research. Specifically, interventional studies that decrease or alleviate the most common symptoms experienced by patients undergoing cancer therapy and into survivorship.

Joel Tracy is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at IMC Logistics, the nation’s largest marine drayage provider. In this role, Joel leads the strategy, development, and integration of technology across IMC’s operational and back-office systems, driving innovation that supports over 2,000 trucks and a rapidly growing brokerage operation.

Under his leadership, IMC has built transformative, in-house platforms such as the Power Direct mobile app, which streamlines communication with drivers and supports 20,000+ dispatches per week, and SmartStacks®, an industry-first solution that boosts terminal throughput and driver productivity through intelligent container management.

With 38 years of experience in information technology, Joel has consistently delivered large-scale application projects that empower customers with data-driven decision-making and elevate logistics operations for maximum efficiency and scalability.

Joel holds an Executive MBA from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and MIS from Bowling Green State University. He currently serves as Chairman of the Upskill Midsouth Advisory Board, championing workforce development across the region. 

Dean, Business & Technologies, SWTCC

Dr. Charles Edward Baker, a native Memphian, serves as the Dean of Business and Technologies at Southwest Tennessee Community College.  As Dean, he oversees 14 academic programs in career and technical education and has over 14 years of experience in higher education, including serving as Department Chair for Business and Legal Studies and as a Professor of Paralegal Studies.

Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Baker worked as an attorney for several years and spent several years working in the logistics and transportation field prior to becoming an attorney.  He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems from the University of Memphis, and his law degree from The University of Tennessee College of Law where he graduated with high honors, served as the Student Materials Editor of the Tennessee Law Review, as 3rd Year Editor of Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law, and as a member of the National Moot Court team and National Environmental Law Moot Court team. Mr. Baker also attended the University of Florida in Levin College of Law receiving his LL.M. in July 2009. From 2005 until 2006, Mr. Baker served as a judicial clerk for Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Alan E. Highers.  Dr. Baker has also served as an attorney for Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan, PLLC in Knoxville, Tennessee where he represented clients in general liability matters, including insurance defense, real estate liability, and workers’ compensation and as attorney for Nahon Saharovich & Trotz, PLC in Memphis, Tennessee where he represented clients in general liability matters, including plaintiff’s personal injury and workers’ compensation.

In his spare time, Mr. Baker enjoys cheering for his favorite sports teams, including The University of Tennessee Volunteers, the University of Memphis Tigers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cleveland Guardians.  Additionally, Dr. Baker is very active at Grace Valley Church, where he and his wife attend.  Dr. Baker has an almost two-year-old mini goldendoodle named Max. 

Dr. Bouie serves as the Dean of Health and Natural Sciences for Southwest TN Community College, where she has responsibility for health career programs and transfer degree programs.  She joined the SW team in 2016 as the Director of Nursing.

She has a rich history in higher education with over 20 years of experience; primarily in nursing programs.  She has served as faculty in nursing programs across all levels (PN, Associate Degree Nursing, Bachelor and Master’s in nursing programs); she has also served as program director for most of these levels as well. She earned her bachelor’s in nursing from Bradley University, she holds a Master's of Nursing from Governors State University, and a Master's in Education, e-learning, from the University of Illinois, and a Doctorate in Education from Benedictine University.  

She considers herself a servant leader, and this is evident in her continued service to the nursing profession; she is the current chair of the TN Board of Nursing, an active participant in the NCSBN education learning group, and has served on the TNA area 1 board of directors. Dr. Bouie was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Online Learning Consortium, an organization that looks to create more access for learners everywhere, where she serves as Co-chair of the Finance Committee.  She is also a proud Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a Board Member of the Sisters in Service Foundation.

A native of Chicago, IL, Dr. Bouie and her husband moved to Memphis, TN 12 years ago. They are members of Gospel Temple Missionary Baptist Church, where they serve in several ministries. The Bouie’s have three adult children and five beautiful grandchildren. Sheila loves to garden, ride her motorcycle, bake and craft. 

Commissioner Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Governor Bill Lee appointed Deniece Thomas as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in September 2022. 

Before her appointment, Commissioner Thomas had served as the agency’s Deputy Commissioner since 2019. She started her career with the state of Tennessee in 2007 working in the Clarksville American Job Center. Over the years, Commissioner Thomas has risen through the ranks of the Department as a Director, Assistant Administrator, Assistant Commissioner, and Deputy Commissioner. 

Commissioner Thomas is a member of the National Association of State Agencies (NASWA) where she serves as co-chair for Workforce ITSC, previous chair of the Employment and Training Committee, and past member of both the Veterans Committee since 2015 and the National Apprenticeship Workgroup. 

Additionally, she also serves as the State Workforce Liaison for the National Governor's Association where she serves on the Executive Committee. She also serves as a member of the Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations.

Commissioner Thomas is a 2014 Graduate of LEAD Tennessee Alliance 5 and Leadership Tennessee Class VIII. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Civic Leadership from Lipscomb University in Nashville and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama Birmingham. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

President & CEO, Greater Memphis Chamber 

Ted Townsend has worked to build a ‘greater’ Memphis for more than a decade while serving in leadership positions in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to becoming president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber in 2022, Townsend served as its chief economic development officer (2020-2022), leading the Chamber to its best year ever for economic development in 2021. Previously, Townsend served as the first-ever chief economic development and government relations officer for his alma mater, the University of Memphis (2018-2021); as deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (2011-2018); and as co-founder and chief operating officer of Memphis-based arGentis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (2005-2011).