by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Sep 12, 2013 | CMG News
Preserver Partners Anticipates and Plan for Substantial Growth
Preserver Partners, LLC opened its doors in July 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee. Floyd Tyler, Ph.D., the company’s founder and current President and Chief Investment Officer, had a vision of a firm with experienced fund management and entrepreneurial professionals that would help investors grow their capital with relatively low risk, and it’s exactly what he has built today.
The firm is 100% employee-owned with principals with over 50 years of combined experience in fund management, research, accounting, and compliance. “Our investment approach is different and effective,” said Tyler. “We focus on low risk, diversifying investments primarily in equities, opportunistic credit, alternative income, and real estate debt and equity strategies.”
Many businesses close before their 5th year, but Preserver Partners has experienced growth and anticipates significant expansion over the next few years. “We feel good about our footprint in Memphis and are looking forward to developing opportunities across Tennessee and other markets,” said Dana Pointer, Controller and Chief Compliance Officer.
Preserver Partners has consistently ranked in the Top 10 of the Diversified Category for Fund of Funds by BarclayHedge. It is the first and only African-American-owned alternative asset management firm in Tennessee.
About Preserver Partners
Preserver Partners, LLC is based in Memphis, Tennessee and is an alternative asset management firm that manages private funds for accredited investors including public and corporate pension funds, foundations, corporations, and individual investors.
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by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Sep 11, 2013 | CMG News
Today the Achievement School District (ASD) announced a list of nine new Memphis area schools eligible to join the ASD next school year, asking parents, teachers and community members to participate in a “school matching” process that will last from now until December. Eight of the nine schools announced will join the ASD next school year. All of the elementary and middle schools on the list will join the ASD, and two out of three of the high schools will be selected.
The eight schools will be run by local and national charters that were authorized by the ASD in June after a rigorous application process. “We are excited to announce this next round of ASD schools” said Chris Barbic, ASD superintendent. “In June we authorized a world-class group of charters to run Priority schools in 2014, and now we’re going to take our time over the next few months to hear from the community and get feedback on which charters make the best match for each of these schools.”
Schools joining the ASD next year
Elementary:
• Coleman, Denver, Springhill, Westwood
Middle:
• South Side, Wooddale
High (NOTE: Only two of these three high schools will join the ASD):
• Carver, Fairley, Frayser
Why these schools were chosen
The ASD’s mission is to move the bottom 5% of schools in Tennessee—called Priority Schools— to the top 25% in five years. The ASD selects schools for the matching process based on several criteria. These include performance (the lowest achieving Priority Schools), feeder pattern (high concentrations of Priority Schools in areas where elementary, middle and high schools are clustered together), enrollment, and charter operator models and preference.
What Happens Next: Community Engagement
The ASD is asking parents, teachers, and community members to participate in a school matching process between now and December, when the Priority schools selected will be matched with charters next year. The engagement process—led by a volunteer 25-member Achievement Advisory Council (“AAC”)—will connect the charters with school communities through a series of meetings,
surveys, and visits. The AAC encourages parents, teachers and community members to contact them at aacmemphis@gmail.com.
First up is a series of community meetings next week. Parents and community members are invited to attend meetings from 5:30-7:00 at these locations next Monday and Tuesday:
Monday Tuesday
Coleman Elementary
(Springhill ES/Coleman ES)
South Side Middle
Carver High
Denver Elementary
(Denver ES/Frayser HS)
Wooddale Middle
Westwood Elementary
(Westwood ES/Fairley HS)
The ASD
The Achievement School District—a state-created school district formed as part of Tennessee’s winning Race to the Top application—is dedicated to moving the bottom 5% of schools in the state (Priority Schools) to the top 25% in five years. The ASD is both an operator of schools—running six schools in Frayser in 2013-2014—and an authorizer of high quality charter schools. There are currently 16 schools in the ASD—15 in Memphis and 1 in Nashville serving over 4,500 students in grades Pre-K through 9th.
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by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Aug 16, 2013 | CMG News
The Mid-South Fair held a press conference Friday, August 16, 2013 at the Landers Center in Southaven, Miss. Mid-South Fair board president, Michael Doyle announced this year’s fair dates, new attractions and returning attractions including the Miss Mid-South Fair Pageant.
“The Fair has been a tradition in the Mid-South for 157 years. This year it will be bigger and better with the addition of several new activities,” said Doyle. New activities for the 157th Mid-South Fair include basketball and dodge ball tournaments and a Greek step show with trophies and cash prizes for the winners.
In addition to new attractions, Fair board members and staff have planned to reintroduce traditional attractions including rides, games and contests.
Mid-South Fair Executive Director, Jesse Johnson said, “We’ve listened to and incorporated feedback from previous years to create a great experience for fair-goers. A new thing we’re doing this year is having wristband days every day of the fair. We will also bring back some old favorites like the cooking contests and live animals.”
The 2013 Mid-South Fair will be held at the Landers Center (formerly The Desoto Civic Center) in Southaven, Miss. from September 20th through the 29th. For more information about this year’s fair and ticket information, visit the Mid-South Fair website at www.midsouthfair.com
About The Mid-South Fair
The original and still the best, the Mid-South Fair has entertained families since 1856. As a non-profit organization, we exist to create a cultural and entertainment experience that exposes people in our community to items and events they might not otherwise encounter. The Fair is governed by a board of directors, operated by a full-time staff and funded by sponsorships and donations. Since 2001, the Fair has given out $64,000 in educational scholarships for excellence in Youth Talent, Creative Arts, and Agriculture. For more information about the Mid-South Fair visit our website at www.midsouthfair.com
by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Aug 12, 2013 | CMG News
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) unanimously voted to elect Cato Johnson as their new chairman of the commission. Johnson served as vice-chairman last year. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission serves as the public policy coordinating body for the Tennessee public higher education system.
“I want to thank Cato for his work on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said. “I look forward to working with him as chair, and I appreciate his willingness to serve Tennessee in this new capacity.”
THEC consists of nine universities, thirteen community colleges and twenty seven Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology throughout the state and approximately 252,000 students attend each year. The commission responsibilities include making higher education budget recommendations for over $1.2 billion in state funding as well as a current capital budget of approximately $400 million.
“Tennesseans need and deserve citizens who step up for their best interests, and understand how important education is to the well-being of our state,” Richard Rhoda, THEC Executive Director said. “Cato Johnson provides that understanding and the leadership to do just that. He will be an outstanding chair of the commission.”
“I’m delighted and honored to be named to this role because higher education is such an important issue for our state especially during these challenging times. I look forward to helping the commission reach its goal of increasing the educational attainment beyond high school so that more Tennesseans with college degrees can make positive contributions to our workforce needs,” said Johnson. He has served on THEC for five years.
He is the new chairman of the 15 member board, which includes Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, TN State Secretary David Lillard and Secretary of State Tre Hargett.
Johnson is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and lives in Bartlett, Tennessee.
by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Aug 5, 2013 | CMG News
Students and parents continue to be the focal point as Aspire Public Schools opensits first school outside of California in Memphis on Monday, August 5, 2103. Students will receive the star treatment as they enter Hanley Elementary School on a red carpet flanked with balloon arches as they start the school year.
The official start of school is Monday, however, parents may still register their students for school. All students who register at Hanley will receive a free uniform shirt.
“This is our inaugural school year in Memphis,” said James Willcox, Chief Executive Officer, Aspire Public Schools. “Our team has been planning for this day for over a year and is excited about bringing our educational model to the students here in Memphis.”
Hanley Elementary is the first school assigned to the national charter management organization as a part of the Achievement School District. “What is unique about Aspire is our co-principal structure that allows our teachers to receive more support from the principal,” said Allison Leslie, Executive Director Memphis, Aspire Public Schools. The principals are Nikita Reed from Memphis and Barbara Harris, from Aspire Public Schools in Los Angeles.
Each principal will be responsible for leading their team of kindergarten through 5th grade classes. The students will begin every day with a motivating morning assembly led by the principals.
“Our focus is preparing students for college,” said Harris. “We will determine our students’ greatest needs and tailor the curriculum to ensure they receive a quality education that will result in their success.”
As a native Memphian and former assistant principal at Hanley, Reed is optimistic about the new school year and what opportunities are ahead for the students. “I decided to work for Aspire because it gave me a chance to return to Orange Mound and serve the students and families here,” said Reed. “Being able to return as a principal and enhance the students’ education played a big role in my decision to join Aspire. I anticipate greatness this school year.”
In addition to serving students in grades K-5, the Hanley campus will also house two Pre-K classrooms under the leadership of Porter-Leath.
About Aspire Public Schools
Aspire Public Schools is a national nonprofit organization that currently operates 37 high-performing, public charter schools serving 13,000 students in underserved communities across California and in Tennessee. Aspire is one of the highest-performing public school systems in California, delivering a rigorous ‘College for Certain’ education to students in grades K-12. An unrelenting focus on college preparedness led to 100 percent of graduating Aspire seniors being accepted to four year colleges or universities in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Aspire offers a high-quality education in six cities throughout California: Los Angeles, Oakland, Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto and East Palo Alto and one school in Memphis, Tennessee. Visit Aspire Public Schools at www.aspirepublicschools.org.
by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Jul 28, 2013 | CMG News
For more than 40 years, Lois M. DeBerry served the citizens of the 91st District of Tennessee and the entire State. Today, she passed comfortably surrounded by family and friends. Representative DeBerry represented this community with passion and dedication across the nation and world. For her, there was no greater cause than serving. Children, her community, and most importantly her family, were her passions.
Her husband, Charles Traughber, son, Michael Boyer and other members of the Traughber/DeBerry family, have shared her for so many years with the world and ask for privacy at this time.
Arrangements are pending and will be announced when they are finalized.
About Rep. Lois M. DeBerry
Representative DeBerry grew up in Memphis and graduated from Hamilton High School and LeMoyne – Owen College. She was the first African-American female elected to the State Legislature from Memphis and Shelby County in 1972, and began her service in 1973. She was the longest serving member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Representative DeBerry was the first female Speaker Pro-Tempore and the only African-American to serve in that capacity to date.
In addition to her son, she was a surrogate mother and mentor to many.
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by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Jul 16, 2013 | CMG News
KaBOOM! and Aspire Public Schools will partner with more than 200 community volunteers to build a custom playground at Hanley Elementary School this Friday, July 19, 2013.
In less than six hours, community volunteers will transform the vacant space at Hanley Elementary into a kid-designed playground complete with slides, a rock-climbing wall and a flower garden.
Aspire Community Outreach Manager, Nickalous Manning encourages neighborhood volunteers to get involved with the project, “this playground is for the kids and the community; it’s something that everyone in Orange Mound can be proud of and I’m looking forward to seeing all 200 hands on deck to make it a success.”
The new playground will provide more than 750 children in the community with a safe place to play. Currently, the children do not have any play equipment on site.
KaBOOM! Project Manager, Jennifer Leshowner says, “We’re building this playground because the kids in Orange Mound need a place to play every day in order to be active and healthy. Kids today spend less time playing outside than any previous generation because only 1-in-5 children live within walking distance of a park or playground, which has negative physical, social and cognitive affects.”
About Aspire Public Schools:
Aspire Public Schools is a nonprofit organization that currently operates 34 high-performing, open-enrollment public charter schools serving 12,000 students in underserved communities across California and will open schools in Memphis, TN in fall, 2013. Aspire is one of the highest-performing public school systems in California, delivering a rigorous ‘College for Certain’ education to students in grades K-12. An unrelenting focus on college preparedness led to 100 percent of graduating Aspire seniors being accepted to four year colleges or universities in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Aspire offers a high-quality education in six cities throughout California: Los Angeles, Oakland, Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto and East Palo Alto. Visit Aspire Public Schools at http://www.aspirepublicschools.org
About KaBOOM!:
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve by bringing play to those who need it most. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. Social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America because children need to play actively every day at home, in school and in their communities. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 90,000 places to play, built more than 2,300 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the importance of the cause of play in his The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: A Movement to Save Play, now out in paperback. The book details how businesses and communities can work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has an office in San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.
by The Carter Malone Group LLC | Jun 4, 2013 | CMG News
Oakland, CA – Tennessee is on the forefront of education reform in this country, and making sure that talented leaders are trained to assist in this evolution is important. Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit with a network of education leaders, managers, and analysts, today announced the launch of a new site in Memphis, with the goal of recruiting and training 80 new education leaders for Tennessee by 2015.
Education Pioneers will connect key education organizations, including school districts such as the Achievement School District, charter schools, and education nonprofits, with talented Education Pioneers Fellows who have the skills needed to create effective systems and support teachers’ and principals’ important work to increase student achievement.
“We’re very excited to have the opportunity to work in Tennessee,” said Scott Morgan, Founder and CEO of Education Pioneers. “There’s tremendous education innovation already underway across the state and our hope is to accelerate that effort with a new source of talented, skilled leaders for organizations dedicated to providing all students with an excellent education.”
Education Pioneers recruits top graduate students in business, policy, law and education from premier universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Rice,the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Duke. Through its rigorous and highly selective Fellowship programs, Education Pioneers mobilizes emerging leaders to launch careers in education outside of the classroom and trains them on the challenges of K-12 education through case studies and access to a network of top education industry leaders.
The organization also helps their rapidly growing network of Alumni advance into high-impact leadership roles in the field, including district administrators, nonprofit executives, policymakers, and philanthropists. Beyond their Fellowships, more than 70 percent of Education Pioneers’ Alumni in the workforce have chosen to work full-time in the education sector.
“Quality talent is the single most important driver in creating and supporting great schools,” said Chris Barbic, Superintendent of the Achievement School District. “We’re excited to partner with Education Pioneers to help expand the pipeline of great people working to improve public education in Tennessee and ensure that the important initiatives underway continue to grow and succeed.”
Founded in 2003 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Education Pioneers has grown into a thriving national organization that places talent in 16 cities, with a network of over 1,600 leaders and partnerships with more than 180 education organizations. Education Pioneers has significantly expanded the talent supply in education by connecting professionals to high-impact careers in education and supporting them to succeed.
“We are thrilled to partner with Education Pioneers this year to accomplish some of our most critical organizational goals,” said Derwin Sisnett, CEO of Gestalt Community Schools. “Their leadership network will help to fuel the exciting public education transformation efforts underway in Memphis and across the state.”
Numerous local and statewide education organizations will benefit from Education Pioneers’ Tennessee program during 2013. Organizations participating in the 2013 program include: the Achievement School District, KIPP Memphis, Gestalt Community Schools, LEAD Public Schools, the Memphis Opportunity Scholarship Trust, Promise Academy, the Tennessee Charter School Incubator, and the Tennessee Department of Education.
About Education Pioneers
Education Pioneers mobilizes and prepares a national network of talented leaders and managers to accelerate excellence in education and transform our education system into one that equips all students with the skills they need to thrive in college, career and life. Through the organization’s Fellowship and Alumni programs, Education Pioneers increases the talent supply of top leaders in education to improve the leadership capacity in key education organizations—such as school districts, charter school organizations and nonprofits—and to advance our goal to make education the best led and managed sector in the U.S.
More information about Education Pioneers can be found at www.educationpioneers.org.
by The Carter Malone Group LLC | May 15, 2013 | CMG News
Free Event Features Fitness Expert Donna Richardson, Health Screenings, Workout Sessions, Door Prizes and Give-a-ways
(MEMPHIS, TENN – May 9, 2013) A total of 650,000 area residents call themselves Memphians. Of that number, one third are obese, which puts them at risk for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, according to the Gallop Well-Being Index.
These statistics helped precipitate the launch of the Healthy Church Challenge 100-day weight loss competition, which will culminate in an Obesity Summit on Saturday, June 1, at Breath of Life Christian Center, 3795 Frayser Raleigh Rd., in the Raleigh community.
The Summit is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Presented by BlueCross® BlueShield® of Tennessee, the purpose of the Summit is to educate participants, disseminate health information and encourage participants to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise and live a healthy lifestyle both spiritually and physically.
“In light of Memphis’ dubious distinction as a fat city, we hope those who are grappling with weight issues take advantage of the Obesity Summit and the presentations from some of our leading health experts,” said Calvin Anderson, senior vice president and chief of staff at BlueCross.
Donna Richardson, an internationally renowned fitness expert, will serve again as this year’s Summit keynote speaker. For more than 25 years, Richardson has educated, empowered, energized and encouraged men, women and children to live healthier lifestyles by incorporating good nutrition and daily physical activity to improve overall wellness. She has lectured and conducted seminars in more than 40 countries, and starred in more than 25 award-winning videos, including “Body Gospel” and “Sweating in the Spirit.”
Other speakers and workshop presenters include Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D., pastor of St. Andrew AME Church and the public health policy advisor for Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, certified trainer Yusuf Boyd of BIOMechaniks of Germantown, and Chef Timothy Moore, a personal plant-based chef and wellness coach.
Dr. Robinson’s career as a minister, physician, educator and chief health officer includes serving as the former commissioner of the Department of Health for the State of Tennessee. He has been an integral part of policy decisions regarding the health of residents in the city and state.
For participants who want to get a good workout in, plan to get moving with Boyd, who is known for motivating and challenging participants to stretch and bend during light weight exercises. The purpose: to improve muscle tone to achieve the ultimate in health and wellness.
Chef Moore writes a weekly health column in the Tri-State Defender on topics such as obesity, diabetes and cancer, and encourages healthy eating habits, daily exercise and a lifestyle change. He will demonstrate simple ways to cook quick, tasty, healthy and affordable meals minus fattening oils and dairy products.
The winners of the 100-day weight loss challenge will also be announced during the Summit. Monetary gift certificates will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place churches whose teams lose the greatest percentage of weight. There will be three individual awards as well, including a $500 gift certificate to the person who loses the greatest amount of weight overall.
There will be presentations as well by the clinical staff at The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, various healthcare screenings, vendors, door prizes and giveaways. Bring your sneakers and get moving with exercise workshops.
Along with BlueCross, the Challenge is sponsored by The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, Hallelujah 95.7 FM, The New Tri-State Defender, Biomechaniks, News Channel 3 and the City of Memphis.
For more information on the Obesity Summit, call 901.278.0881 or visit Facebook.com/The Healthy Church Challenge.
by The Carter Malone Group LLC | May 2, 2013 | CMG News
There is a national shortage of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and Paramedics and an even greater shortage of minorities who choose Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as a profession. This is a statistic that Rural/Metro Ambulance wants to change.
For the last six years, Rural/Metro has offered a scholarship program for minority high school seniors in the state of Tennessee who are interested in furthering their education to become an EMT or paramedic.
Students who receive a scholarship will attend an EMT school in Shelby County. After completing the two-year program, successful students will then be ready to take the national test to receive their EMT license.
“This is a great opportunity for minority high school seniors who are interested in a field where they have an opportunity to help others and make a difference in someone’s life,” said Nikki Gast, Rural/Metro’s market general manager.
Students who want to apply for the EMT/Paramedic Scholarship must submit an essay of 500 words or less answering this question: Why I want to enter the field of Emergency Medical Services?
The essay must include the student’s name, phone number, address, school, and reference letter and mailed to the following address: Rural/Metro Ambulance, ATTN: Scholarship Panel, 100 Crescent Drive, Collierville, Tenn. 38107. The information also can be emailed to nikki.gast@rmetro.com.
The deadline to submit an essay is May 8, 2013.
Students will be judged on dedication, communication and a desire to become an EMT or paramedic. Finalists will be interviewed by a panel of local EMS professionals, hospital leaders, and local community advocates.
“Working as an EMT or paramedic is more than responding to 911 calls and moving a patient from one place to another. It’s about helping others as well during non-emergency runs,” Gast said.
About Rural Metro
Rural Metro Ambulance is proud to be the 911 emergency provider for the unincorporated areas of Shelby County, as well as Arlington, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington. Rural Metro Ambulance provides emergency service in 21 states and has more than 9,000 employees. For more information about Rural Metro, visit www.ruralmetro.com.
