Lakeisha Rochelle Edwards

She is an accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of experience driving organizational growth, strategic partnerships, and community impact across the nonprofit and arts sectors. Currently serving as Executive Director of the UrbanArt Commission in Memphis, Tennessee, she provides executive leadership and oversight of the city's percent-for-art program, developing new public art opportunities while advocating for artists and equitable public art distribution. In this role, she oversees financial management, contract negotiation, fundraising, and board relations, representing the organization locally and nationally at conferences and symposia. Prior to this, she served as Executive Director of Art Ventures in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she led strategic planning, operational management, and fundraising efforts to advance the organization's mission. Her extensive nonprofit career also includes serving as Director of Food Solutions and Partnerships at Memphis Leadership Foundation and Director of Agency Partnerships and Programs at Mid-South Food Bank, where she managed a $3M program budget, distributed 20 million pounds of food annually, and increased partner agency enrollment by 35% within 12 months. She also operates a small business providing branding, accounting, and marketing services to small businesses. She holds a dual Bachelor's degree in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Memphis. She is recognized as a visionary, equity-driven leader who builds strong community partnerships and champions the transformative power of art and social services.