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Our Mission

Now more than ever, Memphis needs talent. Our businesses need talent to thrive, our government needs talent to solve problems, our schools need talent to educate our youth, our communities need talent to innovate and work for a better future. We are forging a more prosperous and vital new Memphis by developing, activating, and retaining talent.

Where Do You Fit?

LDI

In 2022, New Memphis marks the 25th anniversary of our flagship program, the Leadership Development Intensive (LDI). To celebrate the program’s impact, we are continuing its legacy by offering the more than 1,000 alumni the opportunity to continue learning, build connections, and lead in Memphis in addition to our traditional 3.5 day personal leadership development experience.

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Fellows

Fellows is the premiere community-wide leadership development experience for mid-career leaders in Memphis. With a history that spans over 15 years, Fellows is designed for high-performing professionals who are already excelling in their careers and positively impacting our community, but who are seeking to amplify that power through access to new connections, skills and experiences.

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Embark

Embark is a 4-month engagement that empowers high performing twenty-somethings (2-7 years into their careers) to grow as leaders and to build relationships as they prepare to make a difference in Memphis. Over eight evening sessions, Embark prepares young leaders to push forward in their careers while shaping the city for a better future. At the start of the program, all Embark participants take a personality assessment to help grow their self-awareness and effectiveness.

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Accelerate

Accelerate is a free 2-month experience that oﬀers college students the skills and networks necessary to launch successful careers in Memphis. Over six sessions in a semester, students receive top-notch professional development, gain insight on local career paths, and make valuable connections with area employers looking to hire young talent. Accelerate oﬀers the essential footing needed for students to ﬁnd and be successful in a paid Memphis-area internship.

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Stride

Great teachers are critical to our city’s future success. Stride is a free program that offers the support early career teachers need to thrive as educators in Memphis. In addition to social outings and fun opportunities to explore Memphis, Stride provides an environment of collaborative learning, peer networking, and professional development. By engaging teachers in their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd years in the classroom, Stride helps retain our community’s most promising educators.

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New-to-Town

Welcome to Memphis! New Memphis works diligently to make the city’s assets visible and attractive to our new or returning resident. As a part of those efforts we host a series of events throughout the year for you to explore the city and make connections that ultimately create a sense of belonging. We are here to help you get plugged into your new city. We hope to see you soon! Again, welcome to Memphis.

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Educator Engagement

Because great teachers are critical to our city’s future success, New Memphis is committed to developing and retaining educators in our highest needs schools. Teachers are essential community leaders who need opportunities to grow professionally and must be engaged in Memphis civically, culturally, and socially. New Memphis has decades of experience delivering world-class leadership development and community engagement to our city’s talent, and we extend our proven strategies to develop, activate, and retain talent in the education sector through three distinct initiatives.

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bike-friendly

Memphis has always been friendly, but now it’s bike-friendly, with over 200 miles of bike lanes, and more in the works.

Bass Pro Shop

Tallest free-standing elevator in the United States? It’s at our Bass Pro Shops in the Pyramid.

Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn was founded in Memphis by Kemmons Wilson, and the first-ever location was on Summer Ave.

Undefeated

The documentary Undefeated, which won the Oscar in 2012 for best documentary, is about the Manassas High football team.

Breweries

Local breweries are bubbling up all over. Wiseacre, Memphis Made, Ghost River, High Cotton... the list goes on.

Fortune 100

Fortune 100 companies that call Memphis home include FedEx, International Paper, AutoZone, ServiceMaster, Mueller Industries.

water

Memphis tap-water is so delectable because of a unique geological feature: the Memphis sands aquifer.

FedEx

Invented in Memphis: overnight shipping. (Yep, FedEx.)

Piggly Wiggly

Invented in Memphis: the first self-serve grocery store. (The Pig! aka Piggly Wiggly.)

Rock n Roll

Invented in Memphis: rock ‘n roll. Jookin’. Blues. Soul.

Memphis regularly ranks among the top most affordable cities to live in the U.S.

Sanitation Workers’ Strike

Memphis has changed the world: the Sanitation Workers’ Strike changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement.

Music

Memphis has changed the music world: ever heard of a cat called Elvis? Not to mention Stax, Sun, and so much more.

WHER

First all-female radio station? WHER, right here in Memphis

WDIA

Shelby Farms Park

How does Shelby Farms Park compare to Central Park? Well, for starters, ours is bigger: five times bigger, encompassing 4,500 acres!

Brooks Museum of Art

Memphis is home to the state’s largest art museum: the Brooks Museum of Art.

longest pedestrian bridge

Big River Crossing – the former Harahan Bridge – is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the U.S.

Overton Park Shell

Not only does the Overton Park Shell host free concerts each year, it was also the spot of Elvis’ first public performance.

Music

Memphis is mentioned more than any other city in song lyrics and song titles – 1000+.

Cotton

In the peak era of the cotton industry, half of all U.S. cotton traveled through Memphis.

City Charter

In the 1870s, Memphis was struck by a yellow fever epidemic, and even lost its city charter. Robert R. Church, the first Southern African-American millionaire, bought a bond to restore the city’s charter.

Famous Faces

Sound familiar? Kathy Bates, Cybill Shepherd, Michael Jeter, Tim McCarver, Dixie Carter, Wink Martindale, Peter Taylor, Morgan Freeman, Aretha Franklin, Pat Kerr Tigrett, Shelby Foote, Lucy Hale. Oh, and Justin Timberlake.

Outlaw: “Public Enemy No. 1”

A dubious distinction, but: the nation’s first was a Memphian: “Machine Gun Kelly.” The FBI caught him in Memphis, too.

Peabody Ducks

The original Peabody ducks were named Peabody, Gayoso, and Chisca. Nowadays, the ducks don’t have individual names. Get to work on that.

Order Up

Chez Philippe, in The Peabody, does not serve duck. In fact, you cannot find a dish with duck anywhere in The Peabody.

Metal Museum

Memphis’ Metal Museum is the only museum in the U.S dedicated to metalworking.

The Arcade

The oldest restaurant in Memphis is The Arcade, doing business since 1919.

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Events

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Nov

Building Community Downtown

Thursday, 10 November

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May

Teachers' Lounge

Tuesday, 02 May

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City Buzz

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New Memphis and Give Back Memphis Announce Partnership

26 April 2023

New Memphis and Give Back Memphis are pleased to announce that they are joining forces to support local nonprofits through pro bono consulting. Giv...