THE DAVID E. MCKINNEY FELLOWSHIP LAUNCHES WITH EYE TO PRESENT & FUTURE

“Just Do It” might be one of the most successful marketing taglines of the last two centuries. And while Nike is synonymous with the phrase, it is not inaccurate to say that the idea itself is the perfect way to describe David McKinney’s (JD ’07) outlook on both life and philanthropy.

“When it comes to giving and philanthropy, taking that first step is critically important,” McKinney notes. “The need is now. You can make an impact right now. You have got to develop that muscle for giving and that way of thinking when it comes to making an immediate impact.

“Don’t wait. Just do it.”

Though many individuals may wait until retirement before establishing endowed scholarships or fellowships, it’s that attitude of “developing that muscle” for philanthropy and immediate action that drove David and his family, including his wife Dr. Shanea McKinney and son Gethers, to recently fund and launch the David E. McKinney Law Fellowship at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law while still in their formative years.

“The degree I earned at the University of Memphis School of Law has served as the cornerstone of my professional life and career success, opening doors that once seemed out of reach,” McKinney explains. “This fellowship is designed to ensure that those same doors remain open, and most optimistically expand, for the next generation of leaders by empowering talented and diverse students to focus more on academic rigors than financial barriers.  In doing so, my sincerest hope is that one day I may be so fortunate to witness these leaders of today and tomorrow uplift the communities we cherish and strengthen the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond.”

Both David and his wife Shanea have both excelled in their careers because of those open doors, and while they are still young, it has not stopped them from finding success or serving as influential leaders.

David is currently Vice President of Human Resources for AutoZone and serves as a Board of Trustee member at the University of Memphis. He’s also on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee, Texas, and California Retailers Association and has served previously on the Tennessee Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Alumni Chapter Board. Prior to joining AutoZone, he worked at the Greater Memphis Chamber as its senior vice president of public policy and community development. Prior to that, he was the deputy director for the Division of Planning and Development for Memphis and Shelby County, and before that was senior assistant county attorney. And after law school, he started his career at legendary Memphis law firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson. 

Shanea is a professional and community-focused force as well. She is the Senior Advisor of Product Management with Cigna Healthcare and is helping lead another Tennessee public institution and education system as a University of Tennessee Board of Trustees member and the first person of color to serve on the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy. She was also recently appointed to the education oversight board for Memphis-Shelby County Schools by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.

Clearly, the two of them are a duo with the ambition and vision to not only succeed but also ensure that they are making an impact on future generations as well.

It was that same “Just Do It” mentality that brought David to law school, in a way.

“I was a business major at the UofM and in my junior year I had a professor who really got me thinking about law school,” McKinney says. “He asked me if I had ever thought about going to law school and becoming an attorney and quite candidly, I had not ever given serious thought to it. But he was approaching it from an attributes standpoint where he saw my ability to think critically, problem-solve, build relationships and communicate effectively.”

It didn’t take long for David to make a decision and take action.

“I said I’d look into it. This was on a Wednesday and by that Friday, my Dad and I were driving to Atlanta for a law school admissions fair where I got to talk to a lot of admissions staff and professionals from various law schools and learn more about it.”

He ended up right back home at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law as part of the Tennessee Institute for Pre-Law program here at the law school.

“The TIP program was probably the best thing to help me actually prepare for law school. It really prepared me for the level of rigor that law school has,” he notes. “The amount of reading, the amount of preparation, the amount of study, just your mindset, your behaviors, your day-to-day routine that you have to adjust before it's time to actually ‘go to law school’ is invaluable.”

That sense of preparation stayed with him and was a key element in his ability to succeed in law school and embody that spirit of “Just Do It.”

“One of the things I learned quickly while at Memphis Law was that I was going to be prepared and ready for whatever may come,” McKinney notes. “The experiences, the education, the cultural pieces I was exposed to in law school, as well as the lifelong connections and rigorous academic side of things, were invaluable to me. Whether it was the internships, clerkships, or associateships I worked at during law school, I was prepared for them at every turn. I knew I had the ability to compete with anyone from any other school.

And that is a credit to the environment created at Memphis Law. The school makes sure you are going to be prepared, not just for legal practice but in life as well.”

Ensuring that future generations of law students have that ability to be well-prepared and get all of the experiences needed is part of what drove him and his family to establish the McKinney Fellowship.

“The reality is that you are going to be 100% fully consumed with the academic rigors of law school,” McKinney says. “But with this fellowship, I am hopeful we can ease the burden of the financial component of having to pay for this tremendously useful degree and allow recipients to concentrate on school and the experiences you get out of that environment.”

And while the McKinney’s may be younger than some donors, that only helps them to further illustrate that one does not need to wait to do things that can make an impact on others. It’s a lesson they hope to teach their son, as well as other potential donors in the community, and the future recipients of the McKinney Fellowship.

“We talk a lot about the importance of giving in our family and with our son,” McKinney says. “To the extent that our own behavior can impress upon these moments of importance, that’s what we want to do with him. We try to expose him to values like this early in life and I think a lot of that starts with opportunities like this and the exposure to what it means and the impact that it has on others. For us and with Gethers, it is about developing these behaviors that you want to see carry on well into the future.”

The hope is that a similar lesson is learned by the recipients of this fellowship as well.

“The students who receive this McKinney Fellowship may one day have their own scholarship or fellowship in their name or maybe be a force multiplier and start a variety of fellowships in various places,” he says.

“So many people helped my wife and I out during our careers and what we’re trying to show is that a part of giving forward is giving back for us.”

But the message here is clear. You do not have to wait to make an impact in people’s lives.

“This is something I deeply believe in,” McKinney says. “If you’re in a position to help with something, even if it is only $10 right now, don’t wait.”

“If you can do something, do it now.”

“Just do it.”