UofM Board of Trustees

Robert B. (Rob) Carter

Robert B. (Rob) Carter served as executive vice president of FedEx Information Services and chief information officer of FedEx Corporation. He was a member of the six-person Executive Committee, which planned and executed the corporation's strategic business activities. Carter also served as co-president and co-CEO of FedEx Services, the shared services entity responsible for sales, marketing, information technology and customer service.

Carter joined FedEx in 1993 and has more than 40 years of systems development and implementation experience. He was responsible for setting the technology direction for FedEx applications, infrastructure and networks that provide around-the-clock, around-the-globe support for FedEx products and services. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer and information science from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of South Florida.

Carter has recived numerous industry honors including Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, Fortune Magazine’s Executive Dream Team, Forbes Magazine CIO Innovation Award, Information Week's Chief of the Year Award, and is a charter inductee of CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame. Carter also serves on the Board of Directors of New York Life.

G. Douglas Edwards

Doug Edwards is President of the Edwin M. Jones Oil Company of San Antonio. He was previously the CEO of Morgan Keegan and Company, a division of Regions Financial Corporation. Edwards currently serves as senior advisor to Brown Brothers Harriman, a director of Microban International Corporation, a director of the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education, and Chairman of the Baptist Memorial Healthcare Foundation.

He is the past Chairman of the Teach for America Regional Board. Edwards is a University of Memphis graduate and a previous member of its Board of Visitors. In 2008, he was awarded the University's Distinguished Alumni Award.

Marvin R. Ellison

Marvin Ellison is Chief Executive Officer of Lowe’s. Before joining Lowe’s in May 2018, JCPenney in November 2014, he spent three years as Chairman and CEO of JCPenney, 12 years as an executive with the Home Depot and 15 years with Target Corporation. Ellison serves on the Board of Directors for the National Retail Federation and FedEx. He is actively involved in philanthropic efforts, including mentoring programs for at-risk youth.

Ellison was named to Fortune's "World's Greatest Leaders in 2016" and the "2016 Corporate Executive of the Year" by Black Enterprise. Ellison earned a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Memphis and an MBA degree from Emory University.

Willie H. Gregory

Willie H. Gregory, director of Global Community Investment at Nike, Inc., has served the Memphis Community for over 20 years with experience in sports, community, business investments and government relations. Before joining Nike, Gregory was with the IBM Corporation as regional marketing/sales manager. He is an alumnus of Mississippi Valley State University and the University of Memphis.

Gregory’s dedication and commitment to the Memphis community have not gone unnoticed. He has been recognized as the recipient of several awards for his service, and he continues to be involved with community-based organizations that promote education, cultural awareness and civic responsibility.

Cato Johnson

Executive VP of Strategic Partnerships at the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South

Cato Johnson serves as executive vice president of strategic partnerships at the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South. Before joining the YMCA, he served as chief of staff for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare beginning in April 2017. He also previously served as vice president of corporate affairs at Regional One Health, formerly The Regional Medical Center at Memphis. Johnson currently serves as chairman of the TennCare Medical Care Advisory Committee and chairman of the University of Memphis Board of Trustees.

Active in legislative affairs for more than 20 years, Johnson was a member of the original governor's TennCare Roundtable. He has served as vice chair of the State Health Planning and Advisory Board and chair of the TennCare Medical Care Advisory Committee. Johnson is a past president of the University of Memphis Alumni Association and served on the executive committee of the Memphis and Shelby County Sports Authority. He is a former chair of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, a former member of the Tennessee State Board of Education and a past chairman of the University of Memphis Board of Trustees.

Johnson has received numerous honors, including induction into the Memphis City Schools Hall of Fame in 2007 and the University of Memphis Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019. For the past three years, he has been recognized as a Power 100 Most Influential Business Leader by the Memphis Business Journal. In 2022, he received the NAACP Distinguished Service Award and the 100 Black Men of Memphis Award.

A founding member of the University of Memphis Board of Trustees, Johnson has served in several leadership roles on the board. He is especially proud of the Georgette and Cato Johnson YMCA in Whitehaven, only the second YMCA in Tennessee named after a family of color. In 2024, he received the Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award from the Memphis Buisness Journal.

Mike Keeney

Mike Keeney is a lawyer and active member of the Memphis business community. He has practiced law in Memphis, Tenn., since 1993 and formerly served as the managing shareholder of the Memphis office of Lewis Thomason law firm. Keeney is currently Chair of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority. Keeney serves on the board of directors for Orgill, Inc., Buckman Laboratories and BankTennessee. Keeney is a member of the Tennessee Sports Wagering Commission, Douglas Henry Tennessee State Museum Commission and the Tennessee Transportation Modernization Board. He currently serves as Chairman of the Chairman's Circle of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce. Keeney participated in Class VII of Leadership Tennessee and serves on the executive committee of Tennessee Business Leadership Council.

An active community volunteer, Keeney serves on several nonprofit boards including the Chair of the board of Church Health, the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis, West Clinic Foundation, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and Trezevant Manor.

Keeney is a 1992 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville, Tenn., and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Lambuth College in Jackson, Tenn., in 1988. He is married to Anne Orgill Keeney, and they have two daughters, Irene and Adele.

David E. McKinney 

David McKinney is Vice President of Human Resources for AutoZone (NYSE: AZO). In his position, he is responsible for AutoZone’s field and supply chain human resources, and talent acquisition. McKinney remains active in the civic and business communities. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee, Texas and California Retailers Association.

McKinney is a member of Leadership Tennessee – Class IX. Previously, he served on the Tennessee Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments and the University of Memphis School of Law Alumni Board. McKinney earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis.  

Billy Orgel

Billy Orgel, a graduate of the University of Texas, has spent the last 40 years transforming the region’s communications landscape through his company Tower Ventures — formerly Majestic Communications — which owns more than 400 cell towers and serves major clients including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

In addition to his professional work, Orgel brings years of leadership experience, having served on the boards of the National Civil Rights Museum, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and St. Mary’s Episcopal School. He’s currently the chairman of the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council and previously served as chairman of the Shelby County School Board and president of the board of trustees for Temple Israel.

Susan L. Springfield

Susan Springfield previously served as senior executive vice president and chief credit officer for First Horizon Corporation and First Horizon Bank. She also served as executive sponsor of First Horizon's Inclusion and Diversity Council and Women's Initiative.

Springfield has served on the boards of the Family Safety Center and Streets Ministries. She is a former board member of Hutchison School, SRVS, Le Bonheur Foundation, Rise Foundation and the Women's Foundation. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Memphis Class of 2002.

Springfield earned a bachelor's degree in management and an MBA in finance from the University of Memphis. She also completed the Advanced Risk Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.

Laurie A. Tucker

Laurie A. Tucker worked for 35 years at FedEx, where she championed the brand and customer loyalty efforts that helped position the company among the world's most respected and valued brands.

As senior vice president of corporate marketing, Tucker oversaw customer marketing, retail and global brand management. She also held leadership roles in finance, pricing, customer automation, logistics, customer service and sales planning. A passionate advocate for personal development, she used leadership, innovation and analytics to drive strong results in corporate programs and team performance.

A Memphis native, Tucker earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Memphis. She serves on the board of Bread Financial Holdings, where she chairs the nominating and governance committees. She is also chair of The Women's Advocacy Center, a nonprofit organization that supports survivors of domestic abuse.

Jeffrey (Jeff) G. Marchetta

Jeffrey (Jeff) G. Marchetta, is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Memphis. He specializes in the design and analysis of fluid-thermal systems, and he has research interests in astronautics, energy efficiency and sustainability. Marchetta has been a recipient of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Abe Zarem Award for Distinguished Research in Astronautics and the Educator Award in Astronautics. He has served as the affiliate representative for the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium since 2003.

Marchetta is the director of the Tennessee 3-Star Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) satellite at the University of Memphis, a program sponsored by the Department of Energy. He served on the University of Memphis Faculty Senate Executive Committee for five years which included a one-year term as the 2020-2021 Faculty Senate President. Marchetta earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and his doctorate in Engineering from the University of Memphis.

LaDerrick Milton

LaDerrick Milton, who is originally from Chicago Ill., is a senior criminal justice major with a minor in social work. He is an active participant in the Hardin Honors College and is involved in several student organizations including NAACP, Empowered Men of Color, TRiO and Student Government Association. In the spring 2026 semester, Milton was voted by the student body as president of the Student Government Association.