Alumni Spotlight: Ed Stanton

Ed Stanton, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, relates his experience as an alumnus of the Emerging Leaders program.

Ed Stanton

I grew up in the public schools of Memphis.  When I graduated from Central High School, the University’s new and exciting Emerging Leaders Program provided an excellent way for me to further my education at my hometown university.  Between the scholarship component and the opportunity to engage in intensive leadership training with a diverse and similarly motivated group of students, the decision was an easy one.

The Emerging Leaders curriculum focused not just on obtaining the knowledge necessary to succeed, but was also geared toward developing real-world leadership skills.  Through the program I was able to interact and learn from an extremely talented and diverse group of classmates, not to mention some of the University’s best professors.  The invaluable instructions and lessons learned from Emerging Leaders professors such as former Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Don Carson, had a tremendous impact in my college development and leadership training.  The program also fostered my involvement on campus, where I held leadership positions in a number of organizations such as the Student Government Association, the Black Students Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.  These activities gave me the opportunity to put into action what I was learning in the classroom.

The coursework and leadership experiences I had at the University of Memphis gave me the confidence to set my sights high in my career and my community.  I have sought to apply the lessons I learned as a student over and over in my professional and community activities.  In fact, I utilize many of these skills every day as United States Attorney.  More than anything, the program reinforced my belief that any effective leader has to act with character, integrity, vision and courage.

A former mentor once told me, “Lead, or be led.”  If I had one piece of advice to pass on to the current participants in the Emerging Leaders program, that would be it.  I found my time at the University to be truly rewarding, and I encourage current students to get the most out of their experience by actively engaging in the campus and the community.