Board

In May 2008, the Hooks Institute’s Advisory Board (Board) was created to assist the Hooks Institute in the strategic development and implementation of its mission and programs. The Board is composed of accomplished individuals dedicated to the uplift of communities in Memphis and the nation. Members have included community activists, attorneys, engineers, corporate and public relations officials and the clergy.

Board Officers | Executive Committee

Steve Swain, Chair

Steve Swain is a senior vice president and community lending manager at Pinnacle Financial Partners. Steve is a native of Alabama and joined Pinnacle in 2019. He relocated to Memphis in 1997. He leads the lending production office teams and partners with consumer, mortgage, and community development to deliver lending programs. Steve serves on Pinnacle’s Corporate Social Responsibility committee, Community Development committee, and Retail Credit committee.  Prior to joining Pinnacle, he held several senior leadership roles with First Horizon and Associates First Capital Corporation. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of Montevallo in Alabama. Steve currently serves as vice president of the Memphis CRA Association. He is a past board member of Operation HOPE, Inc. - HOPE Inside National Advisory Board.

Jesse Turner, Vice Chair

Jesse Turner, MBA is a Vice President and Treasury Management Officer for Fifth Third Bank. Jesse is a native of Chicago who relocated with family to the Memphis area from Chicago in 2021. Jesse joined the Truist Memphis Region as a Treasury Consultant in July of 2022 before transitioning into his current role at Fifth Third Bank in 2025. Jesse has over two decades of banking experience that includes: Management in banking operations, Managing Item Processing and Wire Transfer departments, Treasury Management Implementation and Treasury project management, as well as Treasury sales experience.

Prior to Fifth Third Bank, Jesse contributed to the Treasury teams with banks such as Truist, PNC Bank, MUFG Bank, and MB Financial in Chicago Illinois. Outside of Jesse’s banking career, Jesse is a published author of two business handbooks and two fiction novels and volunteers with MIFA (Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association) as a MIphone Buddy.

BOARD

Andrew Meyers, Immediate Past Chair

Dr. Andrew Meyers is an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Memphis, where he served as vice president for research and executive director of the University’s Research Foundation. He is a three-time winner of University’s Superior Performance in Research Award and received the College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Research Award and the college’s Meritorious Faculty Award. Meyers has also served as president of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. He has been a consultant to the U.S. Olympic Committee on issues of athlete and coach performance. Meyers is a graduate of Leadership Memphis and has been actively involved in community issues throughout the Mid-South.

The Honorable Bernice B. Donald

The Honorable Bernice B. Donald received her law degree from the University of Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, a LLM from Duke University School of Law, and an honorary Doctors in Law from Suffolk University. Prior to being appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2011, she served on the U.S. District Court for over fifteen years. 

Judge Donald is a member of the prestigious American Law Institute and the American Bar Association (“ABA”) including ABA sections; Judicial Division, Appellate Judges, Criminal Justice, Labor and Employment Law, Antitrust, Civil Rights and Social Justice, and Litigation, as well as the Center for Human Rights, where she chairs the Dignity Rights Project. She has served as Chair of the ABA Center for Human Rights and chaired a committee which published an implicit bias resource book for judges and practitioners titled, Enhancing Justice: Reducing Bias. Judge Donald served as Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section, focusing on issues concerning implicit bias, children of incarcerated parents, mass incarceration, and the collateral consequences of incarceration.

The Honorable Kenya Hooks

Kenya Hooks is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia in 1996 and started her professional career at National City Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. Hooks relocated to Memphis in 2003 to attend law school and received her Juris Doctor from Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2008. She is married to Michael Hooks, the great-nephew of Benjamin and Frances Hooks.  She worked as a legal assistant for Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks throughout law school and until he died in 2010. Hooks worked in private practice as a civil litigator for Bruce Turner, PLLC from 2010-2013. In 2013 she began her career at the City of Memphis as an Assistant City Prosecutor, prosecuting violations of the City Code and working in partnership with the District Attorney General's office to reduce blight in the Memphis community. In Jan. 2019 she was appointed to Chief Prosecutor at the City of Memphis and in 2022 she was elected as Judge of Memphis Municipal Court, Division 1.

Jabiana Bolden

Jabiana Bolden is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Onboarding at First Horizon Bank in Memphis, Tennessee. A native Memphian, she joined First Horizon in 2018 after living in Los Angeles for serval years. Jabiana drives strategies for sourcing diverse talent, the internship program, and college/university partnerships across First Horizon's 12-state footprint. Before her current role, she worked in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at First Horizon, focusing on driving diversity initiatives by leading the DEI council and serving as program manager of employee resource groups for a 7000+ employee population. Jabiana holds a degree in bachelor’s degree in marketing, an MBA, and is SHRM-CP certified. She is a New Memphis Institute Fellow and serves on the Fogelman Women in Leadership Advisory Board with the University of Memphis’ Fogelman College of Business.

Audrey Davis

Audrey Davis is the Managing Broker and part owner of RE/MAX Experts. She worked as an engineer in corporate America at Coca-Cola Enterprises and General Electric Appliances prior to transitioning to a career in real estate. Audrey attended Georgia Institute of Technology and Christian Brothers University where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree.

Audrey believes in giving back to her profession as well as to the community. Her involvement includes membership in Shelby County Chapter of Links, Inc (current VP), board member for the Sickle Cell Foundation of TN, and steering council for Downtown Homeless Feeding Ministry.  Audrey is very involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital having served as Past Chair of the Family Advisory Council and currently serving on the Grievance Committee, Quality Patient Safety Steering Council and Hematology Clinic Steering Council. She and her daughter have spoken on behalf of St. Jude across the country.

Audrey’s real estate involvement is extensive having included executive board member of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers- Memphis Chapter and the MAAR Multi-Million Dollar Club Board of Directors. Her Memphis Area Association of Realtors service has included: MLS (Chair), Professional Standards, Grievance, Fair and Affordable Housing, Nominating Committee, Governing Documents (Chair) and Leadership MAAR graduate. She is also the current chair of the Broker Involvement Committee for Tennessee.

Crystal Kinnard

Crystal Kinnard has had a distinguished career in healthcare and is currently an Executive Director at Regional One Health. She began her healthcare career in 2009 at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) as the Program Director for the Regional Coordinating Center for Hurricane Response where she led efforts to restore the healthcare infrastructure in the gulf coast region post-hurricane Katrina. Additionally, she served as Associate Director of Operations in the formation of the Georgia Regional Extension Center in the National Center for Primary Care at MSM.

Crystal has been recognized by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) for co-authoring an article on advancing health equity in US hospital systems. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Logan Heights Community Development Corporation Impact Initiatives in San Diego, California. As the Founder and CEO of Crysani & Company, a certified women-owned small business, she has received government sub-contracts to promote healthcare transformation through technology and innovation.

Karen Stewart

Karen Stewart is the Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Bank3, where she is responsible for overseeing regulatory compliance, mitigating systemic risks, and preventing financial crimes. Her banking career began in 2009 and includes positions such as Corporate Compliance Officer, Manager, and Vice President at First Horizon Corporation, as well as a Senior Associate in KPMG’s Financial Risk Advisory Practice in Atlanta, GA. Ms. Stewart is a graduate of the New Memphis Fellows program and serves on the Advisory Council for Convergence Memphis.

David Blankenship, Jr.

David Blankenship is a native Memphian who has demonstrated his passion for developing and serving his local community over the years. David is currently a Private Client Managing Director at Renasant Bank, focusing on developing and managing client relationships by providing comprehensive banking and wealth management services. Prior to his role at Renasant Bank, David was a Commercial Relationship Manager at Fifth Third Bank, helping companies structure financing, manage capital efficiently, and navigate variable market conditions. He was also a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch.

David graduated from Memphis University School, where he is currently the 6^th grade head basketball coach. He also serves as the Chair of the Young Professionals committee for the Association for Corporate Growth in Tennessee. He has a finance degree from Howard University.

Jevonte Porter, Sr.

Jevonte C. Porter, Sr. is a dynamic civic leader and strategist dedicated to driving community impact across Memphis. A proud Melrose High School Valedictorian and graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, he holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Communication Studies.

Jevonte currently serves as Director of Community Relations at Youth Villages, where he leads strategic engagement for the Memphis Allies initiative—focused on violence intervention and youth empowerment. He also oversees the vocational and educational arm of SWITCH programming, building partnerships with schools, courts, healthcare systems, and youth organizations to expand access and services.

A skilled connector and advocate, Jevonte brings deep expertise in community relations, nonprofit governance, and cross-sector collaboration anchored by a strong commitment to equity, access, and sustainable community change.

In his downtime, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Shelby, and their two children, Madison and Jevonte Jr.

Emeritus Board Members

Honorary Board Members