Shantelle Leatherwood

I am a mission-driven executive leader with over two decades of experience in community health, nonprofit leadership, and organizational transformation. I am currently the Owner and Chief Executive Officer of LC2 - Leatherwood Coaching & Consulting, LLC, a practice I established in December 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee, where I bring my extensive experience in Federally Qualified Health Center leadership and John Maxwell coaching to support organizations and leaders in achieving their highest potential.

Before launching my consulting practice, I spent over twenty-one years at Christ Community Health Services in Memphis, where I served in progressively responsible roles and ultimately as Chief Executive Officer from January 2017 to February 2024. As CEO, I achieved a one hundred percent score on HRSA Operational Site Visits in both 2017 and 2021, opened the first health center in Madison County as the organization's first expansion outside of Shelby County, opened the first freestanding homeless health center in partnership with Baptist Hospital, secured a contract with the Shelby County School District to manage and operate two school-based health centers, increased annual revenue and budget by sixty-three percent from twenty-four million to sixty-three million dollars, increased unique users by twenty percent from fifty-six thousand to sixty-six thousand annually, and provided over eighty thousand COVID-19 tests and seventeen thousand vaccinations during the pandemic in partnership with the city, county, and state of Tennessee. I co-led the Memphis and Shelby County COVID-19 Safety Net Collaborative, which organized testing and vaccination services through local FQHCs, charitable clinics, UT, and the county in underserved areas throughout Shelby County. I positioned the organization for value-based health care, leading to quality stars and bonus payments from Amerigroup and Blue Cross within one year, and introduced the Transition to Success Model to our Social Work Team, leading to a partnership with UT that resulted in a thirty percent reduction in uncontrolled diabetes and depression. I also served as President of the Tennessee Primary Care Association, where I successfully led the Board in approving the establishment of a Clinically Integrated Network after multiple attempts over more than ten years, paving the way to strengthen the leveraging power of FQHCs across the state. I received multiple awards and recognitions during my tenure, including the Memphis Business Journal's Power 100 from 2020 to 2024, the Memphis Grizzlies HBCU Empowerment Award, Volunteer Memphis Non-Profit Impact Award, and the 2022 City of Memphis Luminary Award.

Prior to becoming CEO, I served as Chief Administrative Officer for nearly four years, where I led CCHS through its first HRSA Operational Site Visit, secured HRSA New Access Point funding for the Raleigh Health Center, led the opening of the Women's Health Center, and successfully turned around the Revenue Cycle within six months leading to an increase in cash from nine days to twenty-five days in one year. I also served as Practice Administrator for over nine years, where I led the opening of all health centers between 2004 and 2013, secured multiple grants, implemented the Family Planning Program across all locations, established a central Call Center, led the implementation of the organization's first EMR and EDR, developed our Service Quality Program improving patient satisfaction scores across all locations to ninety percent, and received the 2009 Geiger Gibson Emerging Leader Award at the NACHC Policy and Issues Conference for significant accomplishments before the age of thirty-five.

Earlier in my career, I served as Project Director of The Journey Youth Development Program, Community Program Coordinator, PANDA Project Study Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant at Christ Community Health Services, and I completed a Post-Graduate Administrative Fellowship at Family Health Center.

Across my career in community health leadership, nonprofit management, and consulting, my work has been driven by a deep commitment to health equity, organizational excellence, and the belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality, compassionate care. Whether I am leading a health center, coaching a leader, or consulting with an organization, I bring strategic vision, operational expertise, and a steadfast dedication to serving communities and building a healthier future for all.