Meet our Board
Memphis Farmers Market is a not-for-profit organization created by a group of local volunteers and run by a volunteer board composed of people passionate about local food, small farms, and making a connection between consumers and local producers.
Chair - Beth Brock
Senior Vice President, Central Region, MAA
Beth serves as Senior Vice-President over the Central Region for Memphis based MAA (NYSE: MAA). Serving as 2010 President of the Apartment Association of Greater Memphis, she also represents AAGM and MAA by serving as 2011 President of the Tennessee Apartment Association. Beth graduated from the University of Mississippi with a BA in English. She believes in having a minimal carbon footprint, and promotes a responsible and balanced housing option for today’s economy and eco-friendly lifestyle. Beth and her family live in Cordova. Beth enjoys spending time with her family and friends, all things local, and loves the Memphis Farmers Market.
Immediate Past Chair - Susan Kitsinger
Director of Provider Contracting, Humana
Susan Kitsinger is the Director of Provider Contracting for Humana. Susan is responsible for network development and contract negotiations in the Mid-South Area. She manages relationships with over 6000 providers in 5 states. She is involved with several professional healthcare organizations. Susan is the immediate past president of the West Tennessee Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She is also a member of the local chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Susan is also a freelance food writer and previously worked as the restaurant reviewer for the Memphis Flyer.
Vice-Chair - Kelley Morice
Cofounder & Partner, Hemline Creative Marketing
Kelley co-owns Hemline Creative Marketing, a marketing communications firm located in the South Main Historic Arts District. Before forming Hemline, Kelley worked as vice president of client relations at one of Memphis’ largest advertising agencies and prior to that, in corporate marketing for FTN Financial. She is a graduate of The Leadership Academy’s Leadership Intensive and is a recipient of the Memphis Advertising Federation’s Ad Woman of the Year. An avid supporter of her hometown (and as one who loves all things fresh, homemade and homegrown), Kelley has played an instrumental role in leading the marketing efforts of the Memphis Farmers Market since its inception. Under Kelley’s creative supervision, Hemline designed the market’s logo, has developed the creative look for the past five years, and handled all media relations as well as assisted with public relations efforts. Kelley is also a board member for The 100 Club of Memphis, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting local law enforcement officers and firefighters, and is serving on the marketing committee for St. Columba Episcopal Conference Center. A lifelong Memphian, Kelley loves spending time with her family and friends soaking up all that this great city has to offer.
Secretary - Frank Howell
Global Sales & Operations Planning Manager, Terex Construction
Frank Howell is responsible for overseeing sales forecasts, production schedules, and financial metrics for Terex Construction. He provides these informative schedules regarding financial information, inventory and general market strategy to help ensure Terex strategic goals are understood and met. Frank received his Masters of Accounting and Bachelors of Science, Accounting from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Frank lives in downtown Memphis, and loves all things local.
Treasurer - James M. Street
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Memphis Center City Commission
Mr. Street has been the Chief Financial Officer for the Center City Commission and its related entities since October 1998. As Vice President of Finance Mr. Street is responsible for all area of financial management for the organizations including financial accounting, budgeting, cash management and payroll. Mr. Street has twenty-three years experience in senior financial management in the not-for-profit arena, including health care and higher education. Mr. Street has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Gettysburg College and a Masters of Business Administration in Account from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts.
Restaurants Liason Chair - Mac Edwards
Chef / Owner, The Elegant Farmer
Mac Edwards has over 35 years experience in the restaurant industry. He owned and operated McEwen's on Monroe for over 10 years and was the 2004 Memphis Restaurant Association "Restauranteur of the Year". He is excited about the opening of his new restaurant, The Elegant Farmer. The Elegant Farmer focuses on "elevated" comfort food using the freshest local and regional ingredients from sustainable farms.
Grants/Fundraising Chair - Carol Ann Silkes
CEO, www.tastinroundtown.com
Dr. Carol Ann Silkes, CEC, has melded her passion for food, travel, and teaching into a doctorate degree in food tourism. Chef Carol is the CEO of www.tastinroundtown.com a chef-ownedfood tasting tour company in Memphis. Dr. Silkes’research centers on sustainable culinary tourism, farmer’s markets, and the use of food to sustain and promote destinations. Carol spent twelve years in South Louisiana exploring Cajun and Creole cuisine. Her culinary experiences include corporate chef, fine dining and catering, product research and development, wholesale food production, production of a weekly radio cooking show, cooking demonstrations and classes for television and live audiences, food styling, and cookbook editing. Chef Carol serves on the Board of Directors for L’Ecole Culinaire in Memphis, and is an assistant professor at the University of Memphis. Carol Silkes is married to Dr. Lance Silkes. They have made their home in the Memphis community with their daughter, Katie Dora.
Vendor Chair - Ben Brock
Owner, Amerigo and Interim Restaurants
Originally from Jackson, MS, Ben Brock graduated from Mississippi State University with a BA in Psychology. He began in the restaurant business at a young age and worked for local independents as well as a few large chains. He began delivering food as a summer job at the original Amerigo in Jackson, MS, growing with their organization from waiting tables to Owner of Amerigo (and Char) in Jackson, Ms, Amerigo in Nashville & Brentwood, and Amerigo in Memphis. Ben is also an Owner in Interim restaurant located in East Memphis. He is actively involved in the Memphis Restaurant Association. Ben lives in Cordova with his family.
Entertainment Chair - Cindy Brock
Executive Assistant, First Tennessee Bank
Cindy works the morning shift at the MFM Market Café selling coffee and donuts almost every Saturday April-October. During the week and the rest of the year, she is an Executive Assistant at First Tennessee Bank. In addition to the MFM, Cindy volunteers at the Memphis Literacy Council teaching conversation skills in English as a second language. Cindy is a native of Memphis and a downtown resident.
Events Chair - Laura Carpenter
Health Care Real Estate Specialist , CB Richard Ellis Memphis
Laura is a Health Care Real Estate Specialist for CB Richard Ellis Memphis where she brokers medical properties in the Memphis Metro area. She was a regional hospital representative for Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals and event planner for ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She worked on Capitol Hill for the Majority Leader of the United States Senate and traveled for a year in the international educational organization, Up with People. Laura grew up in the Mississippi Delta and moved to Memphis in 2001 and becoming a longtime downtown resident and supporter. She loves organizing events for the MFM such as the Dinner Tour and Harvest Celebration.
Farmer Representative - Henry Jones
Farmer, Owner of Jones Orchard
Henry Jones handles the farmers market and entertainment segments of the Jones Orchard, a family farm located 10 miles north of Memphis. Jones Orchard has a booth at the Memphis Farmers Market.
Farmer Representative - Keith Forrester
Farmer, Owner of Whitton Flower and Produce
Keith Forrester is honored to serve the Memphis Farmers Market as a board member, and as a vendor since the market's inception. Born and raised on a cotton farm in Northeast Arkansas, Keith and his wife, Jill, are working hard to transition their farm into a sustainable, year - round, fresh food mecca. Keith is a graduate of Arkansas State University, and served two years (1996 -1998) as a sustainable agriculture volunteer working with the Primary School Self Reliance Program for the U.S. Peace Corps in Lesotho/South Africa. Just before he began farming specialty crops, Keith was a teacher and coach for 4 years at Rivercrest Jr. High and High School. Forrester and his wife Jill are the recipients of the Edible Memphis 2008 and 2009 Farmer of Year Award, and were named 2008 Agriculture Leaders of the Year for Northeast Arkansas. Forrester advocates continuously for local food and health education programs, and is currently working with the Health, Wellness & Environmental Studies School in Jonesboro, Arkansas to aid in the establishment of the city's first edible schoolyard. Keith Forrester was elected this year to serve on the Arkansas Farmers Market Association board of directors, and is the secretary for the Mississippi County Historical Society. In his free time, Keith enjoys cooking for family and friends, and sometimes his dogs Bruiser, Chalupa, and Wayne.
Health Chair - Mable Barringer
Executive Director, National Kidney Foundation
Mable plans, designs, and manages the variety of health and nutrition education events and programs offered at the market. Mable is the Executive Director of the National Kidney Foundation, West Tennessee office, located in Memphis, TN.
Marketing Chair - Jennifer Culotta
Account Executive, Lokion
Jennifer has 10+ years experience in marketing, PR and advertising - working extensively with clients in retail, financial, technology and government sectors at the local, regional and national level. Her expertise includes developing effective social media campaigns, including spearheading email lead nurturing programs for prospects and customers. Jennifer has also been a dedicated volunteer for several organizations including the Memphis Farmers Market and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Shoals. She has served as President of the Better Business Bureau of the Shoals, and served on the Executive Board for BBB North Alabama. Jennifer loves her triathlons, all things local and is excited to promote the great things going on at the Memphis Farmers Market!
Ad Hoc Committee Chair - Sharon Leicham
Freelance Writer and Speaker
She is Past President of the South Main Association, serves on the Memphis Downtown Neighborhood Association Board of Directors, is an advisory board member of MDATA and is a founder of Cultural Synergy Memphis. She heads the newly formed Memphis City Gardens at Central Station, a community garden project benefiting Downtown Memphis residents. She works to build a sustainable future for residents and businesses in the Memphis community and finds Memphis a rich environment for those with an entrepreneurial spirit.
Sharon Leicham is a freelance writer and speaker born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley farm town of Merced, California. She moved to Memphis from Oakland, California 10 years ago settling downtown in the South Main Arts District. When serving as President of the South Main Association, she recognized the need for downtown residents to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and consequently became a founding member of the Memphis Farmers Market establishing the MFM marketing plan and implementation. She became Vice Chair and moved into the Market Chair position in 2008.
Operations and Site Development - Lawrence Migliara
Proprietor, Outdoors Inc.
Lawrence Migliara is a life long resident of Memphis. He is the co-owner of Outdoors Inc., the Public Sector Representative for the South Main Association and a broker with Trammell Crow. His affiliations include the Memphis Area Association of Realtors, Bluff City Canoe Club and Cultural Synergy Memphis.
Volunteers Chair - Terre Gorham
Editor, Memphis Downtowner Magazine
Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofer
Terre is the " volunteers cultivator" for the market's team of hundreds of volunteers. That includes recruitment, training, and ongoing management. In her fourth year as Volunteers Chair, Terre maintains the volunteer database, schedules volunteer shifts and duties weekly, and expertly plays the "volunteer shuffle." She outfits our volunteers with VIP (Volunteer Important Person) apple-green T-shirts to wear each market day, and at special events, such as the Harvest Celebration, Dinner Tours, and Harvesting the Holidays. Editor of the Memphis Downtowner Magazine since 1994, Terre is also a freelance writer, editor, and copy proofer, as well as an event associate for Destination King. She lives in a South Main loft with the cat who adopted her, SoMain.
Member at Large - Laretha Harris Randolph
Retired, Pharmaceutical Research & Development
Laretha Harris Randolph has been a consultant to the pharmaceutical research and development industry for 18 years, specializing in project management and outsourcing oversight for small biotech companies. She has been recognized as a leader in her field and has many successful projects behind her. Her past work experiences include various positions at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Her last position, which she left in 1989, was Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Medicine, where she managed a staff of 50 and participated in several large epidemiological studies sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Her work on these trials and success in large recruitment efforts into clinical studies led to several consulting contracts with the Institute to oversee recruitment efforts nationally on other studies conducted in major research institutions in the country. Ms, Randolph is married to Bryson S. Randolph, and inherited two stepchildren and three wonderful grandchildren who live too far away in California. They have a very blended family, as they proudly include her stepdaughter from a previous marriage, and three other wonderful grandchildren living even farther away in Australia. .Ms. Randolph credits Mertie Buckman and The Women’s Foundation for her development as a philanthropist. She considers her job in life to leave a legacy for the women and children of Memphis, and has narrowed her focus for both giving and community involvement to these issues. Ms. Randolph is an accomplished cook, and her hobbies include frequent entertaining, cooking, reading, and gardening. She also has an insatiable interest in foreign cultures, particularly those of Asia, and travels frequently. Having lived in Santa Barbara part time for several years until recently, she also has a major interest in biodiversity and fresh local, preferably organic food and wants to see more heirloom vegetable gardening in the Memphis area.
Member at Large - Ronny Kwon
Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch
Ronny is a Memphis native that graduated from Memphis University School and went on to earn his Bachelors in Finance at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Ronny currently works at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor. He has been the PR lead for the Farmer’s Market and has also helped with fundraising. In addition to the Memphis Farmer’s Market, Ronny also volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. He started volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in 2002 in Knoxville and has volunteered every year since.
Market Manager - Maryanne Lessley
Maryanne Lessley was born in Memphis and raised on a family farm in Bartlett. She had wonderful adventures growing up on the farm like selling “cut your own Christmas trees”, living in an amazing peach orchard and growing lots and lots of vegetables. Maryanne graduated from the University of Memphis with a BBA degree in accounting. She has held several accounting positions over the years for large corporations but most recently was financial manager for her husband’s family business, Signs Now. She has been married for 19 years and has two beautiful daughters, sixteen and thirteen years old. Maryanne is a true “foodie”. She loves to cook and experiment with fresh food. She is enjoying her career as the market manager and is wild about the market. “You have to experience the Memphis Farmers Market for yourself. The food is incredible and the fun is contagious. If you come down once…you’re certain to come back again and again”.