photograph by justin fox burks
Dwayne Spencer likes to dream. Growing up in Somerville, Tennessee, Spencer’s family knew poverty. He shared a small home with his mother, grandmother, and younger sister. The house had no indoor plumbing but it did have the electricity that helped provide fuel for Spencer’s early dream-
ing: classic movies. “I loved It’s a Wonderful Life and Gone with the Wind,” says Spencer, CEO for more than two decades now of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis. “Those movies were a big event. Everybody could watch them, in prime time. I would wait for those nights. I was always dreaming about something outside [my current] place.”
Trauma struck when Spencer was 16 as a fire destroyed his home while his family was visiting an aunt in Memphis. “It was a total burnout, a wiring issue,” explains Spencer. “We had been there two nights before. Who knows what would have happened? It was a turning point, as far as getting ourselves out of poverty housing. We had no choice but to do something differ- ent. What felt like the worst day of my life turned into something much more profound, and an opportunity.” Spencer gained a room of his own for the first time in their new apartment in Brownsville.
Fast-forward to 2001 when Spencer was hired to lead the local Habitat affiliate, and he got a room of his own then, too: a CEO’s office. “I admired this organization, and thought about the possibility of working here,” he says. “I’d dream about what it would be like to actu- ally lead the organization, starting in a fund-raising role. The dreaming part of me really helped me get the job. I shared a vision [during my interview], and that’s what I’m living out today.” Fun fact: Spencer had applied for a fund-raising job with Habitat a few years earlier, and was not hired. A dream merely delayed.
“Had I not grown up in the organization,and seen all the strategies that worked when it was a small organization — and dreaming about the kinds of things we could do more broadly — I don’t know if I could do it. I’ve learned so much along the way. It’s experiential.” — Dwayne Spencer
Upon taking charge — Habitat had nine employees at the time — Spencer emphasized two components for the nonprofit’s growth: storytelling and the dispelling of myths. “Storytelling helps people understand your goals and the things that get in the way of you getting there,” notes Spencer. “And a lot of people, still today, think we give houses away. There’s a mortgage, there’s just no interest.
That’s how we make a home affordable for low- to moderate-in- come folks. We’re providing an opportunity around affordability. So much of wealth is tied up in owning a home. Every [house] payment is to the benefit of your future.”
When asked about his leadership style, Spencer reflects on his days as a mail clerk with John Malmo Advertising. He would sometimes see Mr. Malmo himself kneel down to pick up a stray piece of trash that had found its way to the office floor. Example matters, even when few people may notice. Today, Spencer oversees a workforce that will soon number 100, so plenty of people are, in fact, noticing. “Had I not grown up in the organization,” he emphasizes, “and seen all the strategies that worked when it was a small organization — and dreaming about the kinds of things we could do more broadly — I don’t know if I could do it. I’ve learned so much along the way. It’s experiential.”
What quality does Spencer measure first in new employees? “Attitude,” he says. “Congenial. Someone who’s not egotistical, feels like they know it all. Not too loud. Someone who will listen and be part of a joint effort to get things done. If you have a disruptor, it’s hard to get things done. I want to believe in everyone until you give me a reason not to.”
Habitat for Humanity will build its 600th home in Shelby County this year, a staggering number until you consider that, yes, dreaming is in the mix. Including the dreams of one Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States who has made the cause a priority since he left the White House in 1981. Spencer refuses to compare him- self with Carter, but has absorbed some values from the Nobel Peace Prize winner that help in his continuing growth as a CEO.
“A person with his stature in the world could have retreated,” says Spencer. “He might never have raised his hand or his voice, or used his position to do anything. Instead, he decided to devote his life to helping people have a better place to live. I love the idea of emulating him. I get paid to do my job. Butwe get paid to do good for other people. I want to build and repair as many homes as we can. It’s this big dream.”
About CEO of the Year
For more than a decade, Memphis Magazine has celebrated a group of CEOs every year, recognizing visionaries and executives who go above and beyond to elevate their companies and their community. And every year, we gather these leaders at a sponsored awards breakfast to honor them in front of their peers and the community.
The challenge is in deciding which of them should receive the honor. Memphis is bold, creative, and forward-thinking, so those who are selected by magazine staff members do more than lead a successful organization. We like to see leaders that value innovation, who pay particular attention to the welfare and treatment of employees, and who give back to the community. It is these efforts that make a difference, and these results that provide a reason to celebrate.
The awards breakfast is April 16th from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Hardin Hall at Memphis Botanic Garden. Prices are $200 for a table of 10 or $30 per ticket. Tickets are at bit.ly/memceo
The 2024 CEO of the Year is sponsored by eBiz Solutions and ProTech Services Group.
