Latoria Taylor

Latoria Taylor has been named vice president of development for Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South. She oversees all fundraising and marketing efforts for the nonprofit, which is dedicated to teaching children “how business works” and inspiring them to own their economic success.

Hometown: Memphis

Experience: Taylor most recently served as vice president for Leadership Memphis. Previously, she served YWCA of Memphis as director of development and public relations, and she held development roles with Girl Scouts Heart of the South, the National Civil Rights Museum and MIFA. She received her undergraduate degree from Clark Atlanta University and her MBA from the University of Memphis.

What talent do you wish you had? Singing. I always feel the need to be able to carry a tune!

Who has had the greatest influence on you and why? During my time at the National Civil Rights Museum, Beverly Robertson had a lasting, positive impact on me. She always pushed me to be great and to endure beyond moments of discouragement. Likewise, David Williams from Leadership Memphis influenced me to tap into my visionary skills. He is a great leader and advocate of Memphis.

What attracted you to Junior Achievement? JA realizes there is no age minimum to learn how to be financially sound. Financial literacy is so important, and I love working to further educate our youth.

What are your goals in your new position? To heighten awareness of and support for JA programs. To continue building on JA’s rich history of serving K-12 children in Memphis for more than 55 years.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? Seeing my kids graduate high school and begin their first year of college. I diligently made regular deposits throughout their lives to ensure that the funds were available to support their education. Lessons taught in the JA curriculum ensure that more families will have the resources needed to budget toward their goals.

What do you most enjoy about your work? Working in the community, because that is what I am called to do. It brings me joy to see the light bulbs go off when a child learns something new.

If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Never stop learning. And smile!

Thaddeus Wilson

Thaddeus Wilson, a faculty member at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been elected a fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. The designation honors members who have distinguished themselves by their contributions in research, education, or leadership in the medical physics community. Wilson earned his Ph.D. in 2000 from the University of Wisconsin. Shortly after, he joined UTHSC, where he currently serves as an associate professor in the radiology and pharmaceutical sciences departments in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

The Downtown Memphis Commission has named its 2017 Vision Award honorees, who will be recognized Oct. 4 at the DMC’s annual meeting. They are: Scott Crosby, for spearheading the Madison Avenue Pocket Park; the ServiceMaster Day of Service Team; Old Dominick Distillery; Odell Horton; Jay Kumar & Snay Patel, for developing Hotel Napoleon; and Henry Turley Co.

David Pickler

David Pickler, founder of Pickler Wealth Advisors and the American Public Education Foundation, has received an honorable mention for philanthropic excellence in the 11th annual Invest in Others Awards. The Invest in Others Charitable Foundation established the awards program to recognize the charitable work of financial advisers and financial services firms in communities in the U.S. and around the world. Pickler, a past president of the National School Boards Association and former Shelby County Schools board member, launched the American Public Education Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on inspiring K-12 youth, in December 2014.

The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys has named Lorna S. McClusky, co-founder of The Law Office of Massey McClusky McClusky & Fuchs, among the 2017 10 Best Criminal Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Tennessee. Attorneys who are selected to the “10 Best” list must pass AIOCLA’s selection process, which is based on client and/or peer nominations, research and the organization’s independent evaluation.

The Tennessee chapter of the American Institute of Architects has recognized archimania with a Merit Award for its work on Crosstown Concourse’s Mama Gaia restaurant. The Memphis-based architecture firm, which was honored as part of the annual Design Awards Program, was chosen by the jury of six experienced individuals for several reasons, including working with the existing structure and accomplishing much with minimal additions.

Inc. magazine has included 15 Memphis-area companies on its 2017 Inc. 5000 list, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. They are: Moore Advanced (ranked No. 138), National Contract Flooring (425), Redeemers Group (1,249), Simple Focus (2,314), Clarion Security (2,318), Monogram Foods (2,578), T-Star Luxury Ground Transportation (2,629), Premier Property Management Memphis (3,419), Memphis Invest (3,713), HigherVisibility (3,865), Archer Malmo (3,951), Executive Speakers Bureau (3,995), Green Mountain Technology (4,410), Premier Realty Group (4,578) and ProTec (4,652).