Teresa Jones
District 2
Ms. Teresa Jones was born in Holly Springs, Ms. She attended Byhalia High School, Lane College and Memphis State University Law School. She has lived in midtown Memphis since 1981. She currently serves as Chief City Prosecutor for the City Of Memphis Law Division and has served in this capacity since May 2003. Prior to this position, Ms. Jones served as senior trial attorney and supervisor in the Shelby County Public Defender Office for fifteen years. She has been licensed in Tennessee since 1987. She is also a former adjunct professor at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys Law School and LeMoyne Owen College.
Ms. Jones is an active member of the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Memphis Bar Association and former member of the Tennessee Bar Association and American Bar Association. She served fifteen years as a Commissioner for the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program. She is also very active in the community as a member of the NAACP Executive Committee, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as Lane College Memphis Alumni Chapter and Lane College Board of Trustees.
On October 1, 2011, Ms. Jones began her appointment with the merged Shelby County Board of Education as the District 2 Representative for Shelby County. On August 2, 2012 she was elected to a four-year term and on August 4, 2016 was re-elected in an uncontested race. In September 2014, she was elected Chair of the Shelby County Board of Education by her peers and served two terms.
Ms. Jones is a member of the Midtown Church of Christ. She is single and does not have any children. She enjoys league bowling and is a life member of the United States Tennis Association and the American Tennis Association.
Stephanie P. Love
District 3
Stephanie Love has lived and been active in North Memphis, Millington and unincorporated areas of Shelby County all of her life. Stephanie Love attended Millington Central High, studied Psychology at The University of Memphis and later became a licensed cosmetologist.
Ms. Love's advocacy began as a parent volunteer in August 2011 at Delano Head Start where she noticed the unacceptable parking accommodations. This motivated her to begin directing traffic to ensure the safety of the children and parents and was able to effectively advocate for an improved parking lot. Because of her passion and willingness to help, Stephanie was elected to serve on the Shelby County Head-start Policy Council where she later became Vice-Chair.
Stephanie Love also served as Vice President of the Frayser Neighborhood Council- a community group that was born out of President Obama’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative in 2013. Stephanie was elected to the Frayser Neighborhood Council as a resident on May 4, 2013, and was later selected as Vice President by the group. The Frayser Neighborhood Council has had success in helping to improve the quality of life in Frayser. Some of those successes include effectively advocating Memphis City Council for improvements to Denver Park- a once gang-ridden park taken back by neighbors, getting approval from Memphis City Council for new sidewalks in front of Corning Elementary, stopping a new trailer park development, developed Frayser 2020- a plan to improve quality of life in Frayser and planning of the Frayser Town Center and just recently advocating with fellow Memphians to prevent a landfill from expanding next to an elementary school, and other urban neighborhoods in Shelby County.
Stephanie Love was elected to the Shelby County School Board in 2014 and later re-elected in August of 2016. Stephanie Love currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the Shelby County Board of Education, the Chair of Community Engagement Committee and Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee.
As a board member and parent of 3 school-aged children, she knows and understands the challenges parents and children face as it relates to the constant changes in education. Stephanie Love believes when parents, school employees, district officials and all elected governing bodies work together more can be accomplished.
Scott McCormick
District 5
Scott McCormick is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Memphis City Schools 1-12 at White Station and has a BBA in Finance from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at The University of Memphis. After graduation, he went to work for his family business, McCormick Business Forms, Inc. founded by his father Frank C. McCormick. After a 26 year career, Mr. McCormick began a second career in non-profit management. He has served as an executive for several non-profit organizations in the Memphis community.
In October 2003 he was elected to the Memphis City Council where he served from 2004 to 2008. As a member of the Council, Mr. McCormick was chairman of the Parks Committee until being elected Chairman of the Council in 2007.
In addition to his professional work, Mr. McCormick is a Trustee and Vice-Chairman for the Shelby County Healthcare Corporation, which operates Regional One Health in Memphis. Additionally, he serves on the board of The Family Safety Center and The Memphis Zoological Society and has served in many volunteer positions, including the American Cancer Society’s local Executive Leadership Council, Chairman of Memphis City Beautiful Commission and the Memphis Rotary Club where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He also is a graduate of Leadership Memphis’ Executive Class of 2013.
Mr. McCormick and his wife, Carolyn, live in Cordova and have three children: Alexander, William and Grace.
Scott McCormick
District 5
Scott McCormick is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Memphis City Schools 1-12 at White Station and has a BBA in Finance from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at The University of Memphis. After graduation, he went to work for his family business, McCormick Business Forms, Inc. founded by his father Frank C. McCormick. After a 26 year career, Mr. McCormick began a second career in non-profit management. He has served as an executive for several non-profit organizations in the Memphis community.
In October 2003 he was elected to the Memphis City Council where he served from 2004 to 2008. As a member of the Council, Mr. McCormick was chairman of the Parks Committee until being elected Chairman of the Council in 2007.
In addition to his professional work, Mr. McCormick is a Trustee and Vice-Chairman for the Shelby County Healthcare Corporation, which operates Regional One Health in Memphis. Additionally, he serves on the board of The Family Safety Center and The Memphis Zoological Society and has served in many volunteer positions, including the American Cancer Society’s local Executive Leadership Council, Chairman of Memphis City Beautiful Commission and the Memphis Rotary Club where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He also is a graduate of Leadership Memphis’ Executive Class of 2013.
Mr. McCormick and his wife, Carolyn, live in Cordova and have three children: Alexander, William and Grace.
Shante K. Avant
District 6
Shante K. Avant is a native Memphian who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master’s of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee.
After completing her studies she returned to Memphis with the belief that her beloved city had much to offer to her and she to it. She currently serves as Deputy Director for the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) and manages WFGM’s staff and operations. She is also responsible for grant allocations, creating strategic partnerships to collaborate with corporate partners, community organizations, institutional giving and large donor stewardship. She has 20 years of non- profit experience, specifically with agencies focused on women and children.
Shante’s community involvements include serving on the board of directors for Shelby County School Board, Clean Memphis, Secretary of Community LIFT, College of Social Work Advisory Board and New Memphis Institute Advisory Board. Other accomplishments and achievements include the Ford Foundation Fellowship, Business Journal “Top 40 under 40”, Tri State Defender Woman of Excellence, New Memphis Institute Fellows Program, MPACT Memphis, Past Board Chair, Women’s Funding Network International Leadership Cohort and Leadership Memphis. Other affiliations include Early Success Coalition and Grantmakers Forum. She is the proud mother of one daughter, Peyton, who attends the creative and performing arts school, Rozelle Elementary.
William "Billy" Orgel
District 8
William E. Orgel (Billy) is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin in 1985. After graduation, he moved to Memphis to work at his family business, Majestic Communications, which he helped build into the areas’ largest retailer of Motorola two-way radios. When the two-way business was sold in 1995 Billy began to build on his existing portfolio of radio communications towers by performing build to suit services for the newly licensed wireless carriers. Tower Ventures, currently own over 425 towers and they have built and sold an additional 700 towers since the company began its operations.
Recently, he was re-elected to a second term to the Shelby County School Board and served as its Chairman of this body for two years. Billy is also a past Board Member of the New Memphis Arena Public Building Authority that oversaw the construction of the FedEx Forum, the home of the University of Memphis Tigers and the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. He also became one of the members of the Grizzlies ownership group in 2013. In addition, he is a member of the Executive Board of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, a member of the Methodist Hospital Board and member of the Memphis University School Board of Trustees. In 1999, Billy was selected by the Memphis Business Journal as one of their “Top 40 Under 40” of local community leaders and was recently selected as a member of the Memphis chapter of the Society of Entrepreneurs. In addition, Billy is an Organizer and Director of the First Capital Bank, a community bank with 250 million in assets.
Over the years, Billy became interested in preserving historic buildings in Downtown Memphis, and to date he and his partners have completed new construction as well as the preservation of seven buildings that include commercial space and 500 apartments. Billy is also involved in the restaurant business as a franchisee of Ruth’s Chris in Rogers, Arkansas. He and his wife, Robin Salky Orgel, are lifelong Memphians and have three children, Benjamin (24), Megan (22), and Hannah (18). Benjamin is a recent graduate of at The University of Texas at Austin and Megan is a junior at UT Austin. Hannah attends St. Mary’s Episcopal School as a junior.
Kevin D. Woods
District 4
Kevin Woods is the Executive Director of Workforce Investment Network, where he and his colleagues assist Memphis, Shelby County, and Fayette County with improving employment opportunities for its citizens. He previously served as the Director of Career Development at New Horizons, where he worked for 12 years and was the two-time recipient of The President’s Club -- the highest accomplishment for any consultant with New Horizons.
Kevin is a proud, Memphis city resident who is committed to being a strong leader in the community through memberships on numerous boards, including the Bridges Board of Trustees, PeopleFirst, REACH Memphis, and the TN Achieves Advisory Council. He is a Graduate of Leadership Memphis, Executive Class of 2014, and has been recognized as the Memphis Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40.”
He received a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and a master’s degree in Business, both from the University of Memphis. As a husband and father of two girls, he is committed to his community, where he sits on his Homeowners Association Board, raises funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and supports community involvement initiatives through his affiliation with Memphis Alumni Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, where he is an active member.
A past board chair and immediate past vice chair, Kevin represents District 4 which includes parts of East Memphis and Hickory Hill.
Like many of his colleagues, he dedicates many long hours to doing the work of the district. It is his experiences and willingness to work with all stakeholders in the entire education spectrum that gives him such a unique perspective to carry on the work needed for Shelby County Schools.
Kevin D. Woods | District 4
Kevin Woods is the Executive Director of Workforce Investment Network, where he and his colleagues assist Memphis, Shelby County, and Fayette County with improving employment opportunities for its citizens. He previously served as the Director of Career Development at New Horizons, where he worked for 12 years and was the two-time recipient of The President’s Club -- the highest accomplishment for any consultant with New Horizons.
Kevin is a proud, Memphis city resident who is committed to being a strong leader in the community through memberships on numerous boards, including the Bridges Board of Trustees, PeopleFirst, REACH Memphis, and the TN Achieves Advisory Council. He is a Graduate of Leadership Memphis, Executive Class of 2014, and has been recognized as the Memphis Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40.”
He received a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and a master’s degree in Business, both from the University of Memphis. As a husband and father of two girls, he is committed to his community, where he sits on his Homeowners Association Board, raises funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and supports community involvement initiatives through his affiliation with Memphis Alumni Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, where he is an active member.
A past board chair and immediate past vice chair, Kevin represents District 4 which includes parts of East Memphis and Hickory Hill.
Like many of his colleagues, he dedicates many long hours to doing the work of the district. It is his experiences and willingness to work with all stakeholders in the entire education spectrum that gives him such a unique perspective to carry on the work needed for Shelby County Schools.
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