Meet the Team
Sam O'Bryant
Chief Executive Officer
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Sam O'Bryant served as the Senior Director of Equity & Partnerships for SchoolSeed Foundation, a public education foundation that functions as a community engagement and fund management intermediary with Shelby County Schools. In this role, he was a key leader in facilitating change in the way community partners perform, think, talk, and write about racial equity in Memphis. Under his leadership, SchoolSeed grew from a pass-through entity for public education to a multi-sector intermediary in such areas as fund management, fundraising, community engagement, strategic planning, and academic strategy.
Recognized as a leader in Memphis and Little Rock, Arkansas, O’Bryant holds the rare distinction of being twice honored as a Forty Under 40 honoree, named by the Arkansas Business Journal (2010) and the Memphis Business Journal (2015). Additionally, he has participated in several community-based leadership programs, including Leadership Greater Little Rock (2008), Leadership Memphis (2015), Education Pioneers Fellowship Program (2017), Leading Up Non-Profit Leadership Development Program (2019), and New Memphis Fellows (2020).
A native of Mississippi, O’Bryant holds a BS from Alcorn State University, an MPA from Webster University, and a graduate certificate in Urban Education from the University of Memphis, where he is currently pursuing a doctorate in Education. Before moving to the Mid-South, O’Bryant worked at the Clinton School of Public Service at its Center on Community Philanthropy. Prior to this, he led a $4 million federally funded Brownfields program partnership focused on revitalizing the urban core of North Little Rock and Little Rock.
Elisabeth F. Lee
Senior Director, Strategy & Innovation
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Elisabeth F. Lee is Senior Director of Strategy & Innovation for Literacy Mid-South. In this role, Elisabeth works to ensure learners across the Mid-South have access to the high-quality literacy interventions and resources they need to support their literacy development. Elisabeth’s efforts towards this goal are multi-faceted, including orchestrating cross-sector partnerships to provide wrap-around services that address the needs of the whole family and whole child; creating research-based, preferred practice literacy interventions; and serving as a community and organizational resource for literacy research, development, instruction, intervention, assessment, and policy. Elisabeth previously served as Director of Education at LMS.
A native Memphian, Elisabeth has worked as a classroom teacher and interventionist in independent, charter, and public schools in Memphis, New Orleans, and Florida working with historically resilient communities and exceptional students. Elisabeth has designed and implemented reading intervention programs and provided professional development for classroom teachers in language arts instruction.
Elisabeth received her BA in Sociology from Loyola University and her MAT from Christian Brothers University.
Stacy Early
Director, Adult Program
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Stacy Early is the Adult Program Director for Literacy Mid-South. Stacy previously worked in the marketing department at Whole Foods where she leveraged community partnerships with local nonprofits for the company's 5% Day fundraisers and hosted the first ever 10% Day. Stacy has also served on the marketing committee for the Memphis Farmer's Market and as Vice Chair of the board of Mid-South Spay and Neuter services. Stacy has completed certificate courses in Community Organizing from Mid-South Peace and Justice Center and in Plant Based Nutrition from ECornell. She has her Associate's Degree in Graphic Design, bachelors in Professional Studies, and is a certified trainer by ProLiteracy and a certified English Forward Trainer by the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas.
Anasa Franklin
Director, Community Impact
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Anasa Franklin is the Director of Community Impact for Literacy Mid-South. As a long-time Memphian, Anasa has worked as an educator, community advocate, and leader in the educational and nonprofit sector throughout the Memphis community. Her experience includes developing engaging and innovative solutions for diverse populations, assessing processes for efficiency, and mapping large scale program implementations across organizations and sectors. After seeing the power of reading in her own life, Anasa is committed to empowering the community through literacy. Prior to joining Literacy Mid-South, she worked for Memphis City Schools, Shelby County Schools, and Whole Child Strategies. She enjoys cooking, exploring history through documentaries, and solving puzzles and brainteasers with her family. Anasa received her BA in English from Tougaloo College and MA in Literature from the University of Memphis.
Johnny Blount
Director, Collaborative Action
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Johnny Blount is the Director of Collaborative Action for Literacy Mid-South. In previous work with the City of Memphis, Youth Villages, and Christian Brothers University, he has pursued his passion for Memphis and the communities that make it up.
Johnny joined the Literacy Mid-South team in 2016 as an AmeriCorps VISTA to support out-of-school time providers in incorporating high quality literacy interventions into their programming. As Director of Collaborative Action, he serves in four roles at Literacy Mid-South: network facilitator, LMS representative, literacy advocate, and AmeriCorps sponsor. Johnny previously served as Literacy Mid-South’s Community Resources Manager.
Johnny received a BA in Religion & Philosophy from Christian Brothers University and a MPA from the University of Memphis.
Jeanette O’Bryant
Director, Development
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Jeanette O’Bryant is the Director of Development at Literacy Mid-South. Jeanette has given most of her life in service to others. One of her favorite people, Diana, Princess of Wales once quoted, “Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life-a kind of destiny.” Jeanette felt that her destiny has always been connected to people and finding ways to support this service.
In that effort, she worked and grew the volunteer program with the National Civil Rights Museum, creating and implementing their volunteer orientations and recognition program. This nurtured the ongoing growth of more than 600 annual volunteers representing individuals and corporate partners. She also managed, developed, and enhanced the Museum’s membership program and benefits to include more engagement with both donors and staff. Her greatest accomplishment was the creation and development of “Night at the Lorraine,” a secondary fundraising event to support the National Civil Rights Museum. “Night at the Lorraine” was used to increase millennial donor support and garner new community partners. Her success in this effort came with the commitment and service of her community peers and friends.
Jeanette is a New Memphis S18 Fellow, a 2022 Nexus Mentor Fellow, and the 2022 President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Memphis Chapter. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in Professional Studies with an emphasis in Nonprofit Development and Management from the University of Memphis.
Timothy Pina states, “philanthropy is not about money…it is about feeling the pain of others and caring enough about their needs to help.” This will always be what drives Jeanette and the work she commits to. Her service is to partner with organizations to find creative ways to strengthen fundraising efforts and establish donor engagement on both the individual and corporate level to benefit both the needs of those being served and the needs of those providing the service.
Wesley Brookins
Manager, Data & Evaluation
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Wesley Brookins comes to Literacy Mid-South as the Data and Evaluation Manager and has many years of experience for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
Wesley previously gave 12 years of service to United Parcel Service, 8 of those years serving as the Revenue Recovery supervisor, in which he supervised 30+ employees and was the senior supervisor of a team of 7. He then began a career at the American Red Cross where he served 5 years as the Business Operations Specialist, where he managed two facilities in West TN, managed a fleet of 25 vehicles, and supervised a team of volunteers.
Wesley is a graduate of Christian Brothers University where he received his BS in Business Administration-Marketing and Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, where he received his MBA in Nonprofit Management and Leadership.
Wesley has been married to his wonderful wife for 9 years and they have a black labrador/german shepherd mix who brings much joy to their lives. In his spare time Wesley loves to read books, volunteer, serve at his church, play golf, and spend time outdoors. Wesley is also a traveler who loves to see new places and discover new cultures.
Candous Brown
Manager, Tutor901
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Candous Brown is a Tutor Support Manager for Literacy Mid-South. She resides in Millington, TN where she lives with her son and two dogs, King Henry and Duchess Marie.
Previously, Candous worked as a secondary educator where she taught English Language Arts, Etymology, and Mythology to students in grades 8-12. Candous is an alumnus of Christian Brothers University (B.A. English/M.A.T.), a self-published author, and an entrepreneur.
When Candous is not educating and mentoring students, she enjoys reading, traveling, visiting museums, and spending time with family and friends.
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Lenell Burton is the Family Engagement Specialist for Literacy Mid-South, where he manages family outreach for the organization’s Tutor901 program.
Lenell is from Jackson TN, and moved to Memphis to attend the University of Memphis where he studied Sports and Leisure Management. He has lived in Memphis for 10+ years.
In his time in Memphis, Lenell has developed connections with many Memphis communities. His work has spanned from working in education, to youth development in afterschool programs, to community organizing and development. In his most recent work he galvanized neighbors in a South Memphis community to take up the reins in the redevelopment of their community.
Lenell brings to Literacy Mid-South a passion for equity and justice, seeking to amplify the voices of those experiencing liberation through literacy.
Jeremee DeMoir
Manager, Tutor901
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Jeremee DeMoir is a Tutor Support Manager with Literacy Mid-South. Jeremee is not only an alumnus of the University of Memphis, where he received his BA, but also a former educator. He received his MA from Relay Graduate School of Education and truly believes in fostering a love of reading and writing in youth and young adults.
A native Memphian, Jeremee has served as an ELA & Creative Writing teacher, Workshop Facilitator, Filmmaker, and Entrepreneur.
Jeremee is the proud father of twin boys and spends his free time with them, and theor Labrador named Bennett. He's also an avid reader and spends way too much time on Goodreads.
Candace Freeman
Manager, Tutor901
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Candace Freeman is a Tutor Support Manager for Literacy Mid-South. Candace was born and raised in Texas then moved to Memphis to work with an after-school athletic ministry. She instantly fell in love with the city and its rich culture.
Candace has worked the past 5 years as an English teacher and coach, engaging her passion for education and equity for students across Memphis. She is excited to continue to honor her passion outside of the classroom, in partnerships with schools and communities across Memphis.
Candace graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication and earned her MAT from Relay School of Education.
Roniece Nanita Gilkey
Specialist, Community Engagement
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Roniece Nanita Gilkey is the Community Engagement Specialist with Literacy Mid-South. She is a native Memphian. Her formative years were spent in the historic Orange Mound community. She is a married mother of four amazing sons, an avid reader, storyteller, collector of stories and history. Also she is passionate about African American history, youth involvement, being creative and being a historical curator. She is passionate about working with intergenerational community members.
Roniece received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of Memphis. She represented the Soulsville Foundation in the Leadership Memphis Volunteer Cohort (2013). She was a participant in the National Civil Rights Musuem’s “Unpacking Racism” cohort (2019). She is an avid history “nerd” and was the historical curator for the Orange Mound Heritage Room, located in Melrose High School. She was involved in the City of Memphis’s Memphis Heritage Trail. While working as a fall cohort fellow she wrote several historical lesson plans for the interactive app. She worked as a facilitator with several youth afterschool programs. She worked as both the education director and facilitator for both fall and summer programs in Orange Mound and Whitehaven with Blues City Cultural Center. In addition she has been involved in community work in order to preserve community narratives and highlight various communities' strong assets. She is committed to being involved in exposing our youth to the arts, history and to the richness of our communities and culture. She is passionate about integrational storytelling, archiving, and preserving our history and passing that knowledge to the next generation. She is most satisfied when operating in her gift to nurture creativity, to teach history and to bear witness to the creative process of other artists.
Most recently, Roniece was a reading tutor with Literacy Mid-South’s Tutor901 program, working with students at Cherokee Elementary School. She looks forward to transitioning her experiences into working with the larger community that Literacy Mid-South serves.
Hannah McTiernan
Manager, Tutor901
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Hannah McTiernan is a Tutor Support Manager for Literacy Mid-South. A native of New Jersey, Hannah moved to Memphis as a Teach for America Corp member in 2016. She quickly fell in love with the city and its students. Hannah spent seven years in classrooms throughout Memphis as a third, fourth, and fifth grade teacher. She enjoyed coaching basketball and running clubs for her students. Outside of the classroom, Hannah worked as a Praxis tutor, a Teach for America summit facilitator, and a curriculum designer. She is driven by the belief that all students deserve access to the highest quality education.
Hannah received her BA in Communications with a minor in Political Science from Fordham University in 2016, and her MS in Education from Johns Hopkins University in 2023.
Sean Moore
Manager, Grants and Innovation
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Sean Moore is the Manager of Grants and Innovation for Literacy Mid-South. In this role, he coordinates strategic grant efforts to support existing and emerging initiatives and assists in regular strategic planning to ensure programming remains consistent with grant requirements, responsive to emerging research, and structured for long-term sustainability.
After two years working in corporate communications and media relations for a Memphis-based home services company, Sean joined LMS as an AmeriCorps VISTA in 2021 to begin a career in the nonprofit sector.
Sean received a BA in English Literature from Rhodes College.
Jennifer Hepler
Manager, Tutor901
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Jennifer Hepler is a Tutor Support Manager for TN ALL Corps. As a resident of Memphis and Shelby County since 1994, Jennifer has worked here in the Mid-South as an Orton-Gillingham trained reading specialist and classroom educator for students with language-based learning disabilities. Her experience includes working with high school and middle school students who struggle with dyslexia, designing and implementing programs that address their individual needs as well as assisting them to meet the classroom expectations that enable them to succeed in traditional classrooms.
Jennifer received her bachelor’s degree through The University of Memphis (then Memphis State University) and her teaching certification and Master’s Degree in English Composition through the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where she worked as an adjunct English instructor.
Today, she lives in Collierville with her husband Martin and enjoys creating bird, butterfly, and container gardens; watching movies; and spending time with her family and pets.
Lee Chase IV
Coordinator, Adult Program
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Lee Chase IV is the Adult Program Coordinator for Literacy Mid-South. He has been a volunteer tutor since 2012, and is also a freelance writer and filmmaker.
Before joining Literacy Mid-South, Lee was an Account Manager for Mimeo.com, an online printing company. He also has experience writing and developing corporate training courses for adult learners.
Lee graduated from Christian Brothers University with a BA in English. Lee is a certified ESL trainer by ProLiteracy and a graduate of Leadership Memphis' Fast Track program.
In his spare time, he is an avid reader, movie watcher, runner, and wrangler of his wild and crazy cat, Murphy.
Trudi Royston
Manager, Tutor901
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Trudi Royston is a Tutor Support Manager with Literacy Mid-South. Trudi received her BS in Elementary Education from Delta State University and MS in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Memphis.
A native of Arkansas, Trudi has worked in various classroom and administrative roles. She has taught grades kindergarten, first, third, and fifth and worked as a school administrator and Title I facilitator. In addition, other programs that she has provided support for include: the “Read to be Ready” summer program, Kindergarten PREP program, TN ALL Corps Tutoring, and the Northaven Summer Immersion program. Also, she has served as a TDOE summer ELA core coach trainer and as a TCAP item and passage review committee member.
Throughout her career in education, she has continued to be a lifelong learner who believes that education is one of the things in life that cannot be taken away and also that learning to read opens up a whole new world of opportunities. Trudi is a proud wife and mother who enjoys spending time with family and traveling.
Diana Townsend
Manager, Tutor901
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Diana Townsend is a Support Tutor Manager for Literacy Mid-South. In previous work, Diana worked as a Preschool teacher, a second grade teacher, and a 2K teacher in the public and private sectors.
As a Tutor Support Manager, Diana manages a cohort of part-time literacy tutors, serves as a liaison between school staff and tutors, and works with school staff to complete literacy interventions and help facilitate effective tutoring.
Diana received her BS in Education with a minor in English from the University of Memphis in 2013. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Memphis.
Diana is a proud wife and mother who enjoys traveling and reading in her spare time. She is a self-published author of two children’s books and one collection of poetry.
Ziara R. Smith
Adult Education Lead
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Ziara R. Smith is an experienced educator and curriculum developer who has a passion for justice-oriented education. She strives to use her expertise and creativity to make a positive impact in the field of education. Ziara serves as a Curriculum Developer for the Freedom Schools program with the Children's Defense Fund and a Master Teacher Fellow for the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Prior to joining Literacy Mid-South, Ziara was a Program Implementation Manager at the University of Virginia's Center for Race and Public Education in the South, and an educator within two districts in the Memphis Metropolitan area.
In her spare time, Ziara loves to visit museums, travel, root for her beloved San Francisco 49ers, and participate in community service projects with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Lucy Hughes
Coordinator, Operations
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Lucy Hughes is the Operations Coordinator for Literacy Mid-South.
A native Memphian, Lucy moved to East Tennessee to attend school at The University of Tennessee Chattanooga where she graduated with a BA in Communications. It was in Chattanooga that Lucy found her passion in working with nonprofits while interning with the local PBS station.
Lucy enjoys working with Literacy Mid-South to help foster a love of reading throughout the Memphis area and beyond.
Outside of work, Lucy can often be found at Overton Park with her pup, Cooper, and getting reacquainted with her ever growing hometown.
Keondra Sasfrass
Tutor901 Program Assistant
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Keondra Sasfrass is the Tutor901 Program Assistant with Literacy Mid-South. In this role, she uses her skills, experience, and motivation to support the organization’s in-school tutoring program, Tutor901, by providing operational, administrative, and human resource support for the program.
A native Memphian, Keondra has spent her professional career as an Educational Leader working for childcare and nonprofit mission centers across the Mid-South. She has taught and tutored elementary, middle, high school, and college students. An exceptional educator who has over a decade of experience providing academic and social guidance to a wide student and community population, Keondra always puts passion and dedication behind her work. Prior to joining the Literacy Mid-South team, she worked as Program Developer, Senior Executive Administrative Assistant, and Literacy Mid-South AmeriCorps Site Supervisor at Red Door Urban Missions. Most recently, Keondra worked as a Permanent Substitute Reading Tutor and Administrative Assistant with Literacy Mid-South’s Tutor901 Reading Program, working with students at Lowrance K-8 School.
Keondra earned her Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Arts from Independence University and her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Administration from University of Arizona Global Campus (formally Ashford University).
Keondra is a wife, an avid Graphic Doodler, and an aunt of five beautiful nieces and six handsome nephews. Her mission is to make a difference in the community, starting with the program she serves.
