VOL. 127 | NO. 208 | Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Memphis Newsmakers
Palmer Joins Cannon Wright Blount As Director of Assurance
By Kate Simone
David Palmer has joined Cannon Wright Blount certified public accounting firm as director of assurance and accounting services. Palmer’s specialties include audit and profit-sharing plans in the nonprofit, health care, government and construction industries.
Hometown: Life-long Memphian
Education and work experience: University of Memphis; Briarcrest Baptist School System; 24 years with a large local CPA firm
Family: Single, rescue dog named Betty
Favorite quote: When things aren’t going well, I always remember, “This too shall pass.”
Favorite movie: Mindless comedies such as “Dumb and Dumber”
The sports teams you root for: University of Memphis, Memphis Redbirds and St. Louis Cardinals
What’s playing on your stereo right now? Sirius Radio’s ’80s on 8
Activities you enjoy outside of work: Going out to eat, spending time with friends, traveling and trying new draft beers on pint night
What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could play a musical instrument well enough to play for others.
Who has had the greatest influence on you? My parents; they helped to make me who I am today.
What attracted you to Cannon Wright Blount? Great relationships with the partners and an exciting opportunity to develop the audit department.
What are your goals in your new position? Making our department efficient while also remembering our quality standards and service to the client.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? I guess it would be passing the CPA exam; it’s the toughest test I’ve ever had!
What do you most enjoy about your work? I enjoy the variety of work: Just when you start to tire of one particular thing, it’s on to the next and completely different task. I also enjoy getting to visit with clients all over the area – and try new restaurants near my clients.
If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Study hard and stay in school. It’s an old line, but it’s true. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t done just that. My job is a lot more fun and pays much better than the manual work I did before graduation.
Barbara Prescott, strategic planning and development consultant and chair of the schools Transition Planning Commission, has been named executive director of the PeopleFirst Partnership. The goal of the partnership is to improve educational outcomes and to expand the pool of talent in Memphis and Shelby County.
Dr. Stephanie Connelly has joined Midtown Internal Medicine, a primary care practice affiliated with Methodist Healthcare. Connelly is also an assistant professor of medicine at University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Dr. Reginald Coopwood, CEO at The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, has been named the 2013 March for Babies chair. March for Babies is March of Dimes’ largest annual fundraiser, working with the organization to prevent preterm births.
The Regional Medical Center at Memphis has made three hires. Wanda Gardner-Slater has joined as director, pastoral care, Keith Morrow as director of clinical services and Angela Hudson as nurse practitioner, sickle cell.
Blanchard E. Tual of Tual Graves PLLC has been listed in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his work in the practice areas of corporate law; litigation – trust and estates; and trusts and estates.
Community LIFT has named its 2012/2013 board of directors. New members include Phillip May, president of the Tennessee division of Metropolitan Bank; Stinson Liles, cofounder of Red Deluxe; and Sarah Ray, a Princeton University graduate student studying urban policy.
Jill Hertz and Leslie Shankman-Cohn, partners in interior design firm JHID, have been honored by the Tennessee chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Hertz received a merit award in the “Commercial Design Under 5,000 Square Feet” category and first place in the “Residential: Single Space” category. Shankman-Cohn received merit awards in the “Residential Bath: Small” and “Residential Bath: Large” categories.
Lakeside Behavioral Health Systems has been recognized as a distinguished community employer by the Bartlett campus of National College of Business & Technology for its support of employee education.
River City Capital Investment Corp. has added two members to its board. They are Joann Massey of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and Keith Dillihunt with the Economic Development Growth Engine.
The Rhodes College Department of Music has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music following a three-year review. NASM is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities with more than 600 accredited members.