Memphis entrepreneurship org has a new CEO
By Wendy Guzmán – Reporter, Memphis Business Journal Oct 22, 2024 Updated Oct 22, 2024 9:04am CDT
Epicenter's interim CEO is now the permanent head of the organization.
Epicenter announced on Tuesday, Oct. 22, that Anthony Young, who is interim president and CEO, will be officially taking over the role. Young was appointed as the interim in June when Jessica Taveau stepped down after three years to take a communication strategist position at NASA's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Young was most recently the president of Southern Bancorp Community Partners, a community development financial institution (CDFI) in Little Rock. From 2018 to 2022, Young led ecosystem-level capital deployment as Epicenter's director of capital programs.
Prior to those positions, he served as the director of economic development at Memphis-based River City Capital, an affiliate of Community LIFT, and as an executive with Regions Bank.
"It never dawned on me that it was possible for me to be CEO of Epicenter," Young told MBJ. "[It] was always a dream, but it never seemed to be something that was possible. So I'm thrilled, but I'm also honored and humbled to follow the great work of Jessica Taveau [and] follow the great work of [former CEO] Leslie Smith."
Young highlighted that between 2018 and 2023, Epicenter supported over 2,000 companies, deployed $1 million in grants, and connected entrepreneurs to $6.5 million in capital. That type of impact was a driving force in his return to Epicenter as its CEO.
"There was a time in which Epicenter worked with all entrepreneurs, including small businesses," Young said. "Epicenter was created essentially to be this catalyst for innovative entrepreneurship, and along the way, we saw a need to work with a number of small businesses. We're very proud of that work."
Young believes serving in the interim role gave him an informed perspective on Epicenter's potential and the work the organization has done. This allowed him to build trust with the team and a strong rapport with the board of directors.
One of Young’s goals is to work with high-tech and high-science innovators to attract them and their companies to Memphis. Ultimately, he wishes to provide programming and tools to allow companies to grow.
“Anthony surpassed all the expectations set for identifying Epicenter’s next leader during his tenure as interim executive," Epicenter board of directors chair Kojo McLennon said in a statement. "With a truly talented team and strong, ongoing stakeholder support, Epicenter is well-positioned to continue its mission to help scale tech-enabled businesses.”
