In February 2010, the Memphis Flyer started a new feature called “Twenty Under Thirty.” The annual cover story invited readers to nominate outstanding young people who epitomized the promise of Memphis through their talent, hard work, and achievements.
Now, as the decade comes to a close, Memphis magazine decided to check in with some of the 20<30 alumni to see how their lives were turning out. Some of them had disappeared, some of them had moved on, but many of them, as you will see, remained in Memphis and are helping make it a better place.
Julie Lansky (2010)
For generations, well-dressed Memphians have relied on the Lansky family, the legendary clothiers to the King of Rock-and-Roll. “I learned the art of the sale from my grandfather, and my dad taught me the business from the inside out,” Julie Lansky told the Memphis Flyer when she was part of the first-ever 20<30 class in 2010.
Since then, the latest Lansky to carry on the legacy has been busy. “In 2014, we added another shop to our Downtown assortment by going back to our roots in our original building at 126 Beale Street,” she says. “We still own four shops in the lobby of The Peabody and are constantly renovating and adding new ideas and trends to each shop. In 2016, my father and I debuted our first children’s book, titled Come On In, Young Man, a story about how my grandfather met and styled Elvis. The main message is about dressing your best, which builds confidence from within.”
Lansky has embraced community involvement as a member of the board of the Rock ’N’ Soul Museum, the Downtown Memphis Commission, and as a retail consultant for the Medical District. In 2017, she welcomed a baby boy, Harper, into the world.
“My grandfather started the business in 1946,” she says. “My father never knew a time he wasn’t working in the business as the second generation, and now, as the third generation, I’m more passionate than ever to fuel our business. My father likes to say this quote: ‘First generation makes it, second generation maintains it, and the third generation either screws it up or gets out.’ I have used this statement as my mantra to make sure I stay focused and propel the business into the fourth generation.”
Audra Bares Watt (2011)
Being named 20<30 was impactful to me, because it was a huge step forward in helping me to overcome the “imposter syndrome” that has always colored the way I see myself,” says Audra Bares Watt. “I have always struggled to take my own self seriously, like, ‘Who do you think you are … wearing that outfit, or applying for that job, or trying to fit in with that crowd?’ Having some external validation from the Memphis Flyer was really helpful in boosting my self-confidence.”
In 2011, she was a newly minted executive at Medtronic and the youngest board chair of MPACT Memphis. “I am coming up on a decade of service at Medtronic Spine & Biologics,” she says, “where I have had the privilege to serve in a wide variety of roles within the marketing organization, including my current role as marketing director, focused on some key segments of our global spinal surgical product business.”
In the interim, she married Ryan Watt, executive director of Indie Memphis, and is now the mother of two children, Nolan, age 4, and Isaac, age 2. “Memphis has consistently offered me and my family incredible opportunities both professionally and personally, even as my needs and desires have evolved,” she says. “When I was first settling in as a young professional, Memphis offered me opportunities to be involved in community leadership, an introduction into a very fulfilling career in the medical product industry, and an incredible social network that carried me through highs and lows of young adulthood.
“Now, as a wife and working mom of two small kids, Memphis continues to provide abundantly with opportunities for continued professional growth enabled by an incredible support network of family, friends, neighbors, teachers, and caretakers that helps us raise our children and allow us the flexibility to grow in our careers and give back to the community.”
Lizzy Simonin (2012)
In 2012, Lizzy Simonin was the captain of the University of Memphis women’s soccer team. She led a team of mostly first-year students to a record 22-1-1 season, earning the Conference USA Spirit of Service Award.
After securing her spot on the 20<30 list, she moved back to her native Kansas City, Missouri, to attend graduate school. In 2014, she decided to return to the University of Memphis to become assistant coach of the women’s soccer team.
“It is the most rewarding job, as I get to teach, mentor, and see these girls on my team grow as soccer players — and more importantly, people,” she says. “I took over when [previous assistant coach] Jodi Grant left, and I wanted to be just like her, to be there for the girls as a mom/big sister/mentor/coach. I want to make an impact to all the girls that come through the program, just like Jodi did for me. The team culture at Memphis has always been ‘blue-collar’ — hard-working individuals who work for each other and we value family. Our team culture helped us win our first conference championship in the AAC this past year.”
Simonin hasn’t regretted returning to Memphis. “The people I work with have become family, and since I’ve moved back, the people I have met have changed my life,” she says. “It has been an amazing experience to go to school here and now work at my alma mater. I have seen the city of Memphis continue to blossom. I am most appreciative of Shelby Farms and the upgrades they have made in the last years. I spend a lot of time out there on my bike and the trails running. I am forever grateful for Memphis.”
Jen Andrews (2013)
In 2006, Jen Andrews, then a fresh graduate of Rhodes College, became the first full-time employee of the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy. By the time she was named to the 2013 class of 20<30, she was the director of development and communications. When we caught up with her in 2019, she had become the organization’s CEO.
“You know, I never really intended to work for a park, and I didn’t intend to live in Memphis, either,” she says. “Once I got started, it became clear pretty quickly that I was part of something really unique. I had a lot of opportunities to see the tangible results of my work right outside my office door every day, and I don’t think a lot of people get to do that.”
Andrews has presided over major changes to Shelby Farms, which, at 4,500 acres, is the largest urban park in the country. Park use has more than tripled this decade. “In a public space this large, with thousands of people coming every day, there’s always something going on,” she says.
Andrews says driving in to work among the park’s rolling hills never gets old. “When I was spending a lot of time touring people around,” she says, “something people would often say to me was, ‘This doesn’t even feel like Memphis! I can’t believe we have this here.’ I knew what they meant, but I would always say back, ‘We want this to feel like Memphis. This is the Memphis we deserve.’”
Anna Mullins Ellis (2013)
The 20<30 issue I was included in came out the day I turned 30, so it really underscored the end of my twenties in a noticeable way,” says Anna Mullins Ellis. “The next year I took my first position at New Memphis and launched High Ground News. The following year I met my husband. So if you’re into randomly assigning causality to life events, you could say being named 20<30 accounts for the best things in my life!”
Six years later, Ellis is the president and CEO of New Memphis. “I’m humbled and excited to be leading this organization forward. We will continue to be an incubator for talent and optimism, with an intensified focus on developing leaders who are accountable for their community and unafraid to accept responsibility. We plan to double down on our work to support the talent we have here in our own backyard, particularly by engaging young people in Memphis. I’m especially excited about the work we are scaling for local college students, offering them the skills, networks, and opportunities that will inspire them to launch meaningful careers in Memphis.”
Her experiences of life in the Bluff City motivate her to improve the community. “Honestly, I stayed in Memphis because it is a city that has always embraced me,” she says. “I have had the opportunity to build both special relationships and a personal admiration for the community. I still think this is a unique city full of extraordinary people, but my feelings about Memphis have evolved. I have learned a lot about our city’s obstacles, and that has reframed my perspectives to challenge what is possible.”
Victor Sawyer (2013)
Being named to the 20<30 list in 2013 came at a strange time in Victor Sawyer’s life. “I still have no idea who nominated me,” he says, “and quite frankly, at the time I was broke living at home with my parents.”
The trombonist had returned from a stint in New York City, and was struggling with alcoholism and bipolar disorder when he got the nod. Since then, Sawyer has turned his life around by coming to terms with his demons and getting sober. He formed the Lucky 7 Brass Band and got a job teaching at Stax Music Academy. Lecolion Washington, whom Sawyer calls “an amazing human,” recruited him to be a part of the Memphis Music Initiative.
“Coming from NYC unwillingly, I was jaded and bitter,” he says. “At the time, Memphis represented failure. Now it represents an unexpected success story. Being ground down to the nub by addiction and deciding to try and be better was really when I started enjoying being here. Since then I’ve really come to love it here — except summer.
“Teaching music will always be rewarding,” he continues. “It’s nice to share my gifts and help others get to show theirs off. I will say that last year I had the honor of seeing my first class graduate after five years of teaching. I had them my very first day. They are awesome, but now I am confronting the fact that teaching will often feel like starting over from this point on … . Memphis is a really great city and one of the best music cities. I now swell with pride from being here.”
Matt Ross-Spang (2015)
I was born and raised in Memphis and it has really shaped me in every conceivable way,” says Matt Ross-Spang. “There is no other place like it on Earth to live and make music.”
After being named to 20<30, Ross-Spang left his longtime job at Sun Studios to strike out on his own. “I was very fortunate to win two Grammys for my work engineering Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free album and his recent follow-up The Nashville Sound, which both won Best American Roots Albums and Best American Roots Songs their respective years,” he says. “Just recently, I produced Al Green, John Prine, Margo Price, and William Bell and have some upcoming album releases with Iron and Wine, The Drive By Truckers, and Elvis Presley.”
But all of his musical adventures have only served to strengthen his love for his hometown. “I do travel quite a bit making records around the world, and I can say it has only made me love and appreciate Memphis more,” he says. “I can’t think of another city that is so revered by musicians and music fans around the world. I also love bringing a little bit of the Memphis thing to wherever I go, as well as bringing home what I learn in other parts of the world and incorporating it back in Memphis.”
The producer says he tries to live by Sam Phillips’ mantra: “If you’re not doing anything different, you’re really not doing anything at all.”
Rachel Knox (2016)
Rachel Knox was named to 20<30 a few months after mounting a bid for the Memphis City Council. “Running for office was a thrilling but exhausting experience and the field that year had a lot of candidates under 30,” she says. “The most impactful part of being named 20<30 was the opportunity to meet young professionals in other sectors. Our year was a diverse array of artists, entrepreneurs, and healthcare leaders. It was exciting to meet so many changemakers who were so passionate about using their gifts to make Memphis a stronger and more vibrant city.”
Since then, Knox has been working on a master’s degree in public policy at American University while continuing to advance her career. “After running for office, I knew I wanted to work on more policy-oriented tasks,” she says, “so I took a job at Innovate Memphis where I worked on projects focused on blight, solid waste mitigation, and parks advocacy. However, I noticed that my artistic roots kept following me in the form of programs that needed artists or someone with a creative background to do the work. I was very fortunate to move from Innovate Memphis to the Hyde Family Foundation as officer of the Thriving Arts and Culture Program. Thus fulfilling my goals to work in policy and the arts at the same time.”
Knox views her work for the Hyde Foundation as a way to enhance the city that she loves. “People are drawn to cities because of their culture,” she says. “Culture causes people to visit for vacations and move to become citizens within those communities. Memphis has a rich cultural legacy, but the Foundation views our grant-making in a multigenerational way. Yes, we support the legacy institutions, but beyond the legacy, we uplift and fund the culture creators of today.”
Lawrence Matthews (2018)
The word for Lawrence Matthews is “polymath.” When he was featured in 20<30 in 2018, he already had numerous gallery shows under his belt. His artwork spans sculpture, photography, and video installations. Then, he expanded to music, releasing two albums of ethereal, alternative hip-hop, Alero and Contour, under the name Don Lifted. His video for “Harbor Hall” topped the Memphis Flyer list of Best Music Videos of 2016. Later, his music video collaboration with filmmaker Kevin Brooks led him into a new medium. His documentary about gentrification and schools, The Other Side of Broad, premiered online at the beginning of July.
Currently, Matthews says his passion is curation. He has been heavily involved in The Collective, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “elevating black artists, empowering black communities, and shifting the culture of Memphis.”
“What is happening on the ground is very real,” says Matthews. “I can’t speak for all the scenes, but I definitely can say that there’s a black creative renaissance.”
As he prepares to take his music on the road later this year (“It’s going to be a cool winter,” he says), he clings to his DIY roots in an increasingly corporatized and homogenized world of art and music. “I do believe that we can do it ourselves. We just need the right tools, and we need the right person or people to step up.”
Victoria Honnell (2018)
A native of Los Alamos, New Mexico, Victoria Honnell comes from a scientific family. “I was destined to be some kind of scientist, but I’m the first biologist in my family,” she told the Memphis Flyer in 2018.
After graduating from Rhodes College, she joined the first class of a newly developed Ph.D. program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, planning to become a developmental neurobiologist. “I stayed in Memphis because of the unparalleled research and scientific training opportunity at St. Jude,” she says.
Since being featured in 20>30, she has earned her master’s in biomedical science. She credits her mentor, Dr. Michael A. Dyer, for providing her with the support she needs to succeed in her demanding field. “The St. Jude graduate school is training the next generation of scientific leaders to tackle the toughest questions in biomedical science,” she says. “I am proud to be part of this world-class research institution and the fight against catastrophic pediatric diseases.”
Corbin I. Carpenter (2018)
Attorney Corbin I. Carpenter is following in his father’s footsteps as an attorney at the family law firm on Beale Street. “I stayed in Memphis because this city is my legacy,” he says. “As a native entrepreneur, I define both legacy and entrepreneurship as being a fundamental component of my existence, as they both lay the foundation for my core values, principals, identity, and purpose. Through entrepreneurship, with practicing law in the areas of corporate and municipal finance, and through leadership, with being directly involved in youth development, I have adopted a ‘Lead Each Generation And Commit Yourself’ (L.E.G.A.C.Y.) mentality premised on systemic growth and advancement. Although my feelings about Memphis have changed over time, it is my individual obligation to leave my city better off than I found it.”
When he’s not busy shaping the city’s future at the firm, he’s shaping the city’s youth at STS Enterprises, where he mentors at-risk youth in leadership, financial literacy, and dignity. “Although we have various long-standing issues that need to be addressed and abrogated, Memphis is headed in a positive direction,” he says. “One way to assist in ensuring our city stays on this course is to recreate a robust village comprised of invested mentors who will immerse themselves in the psychological, social, and professional development of our younger generations through focusing on their overall pedagogical and practical enrichment. This can be accomplished through strengthening the youths’ essential skills with collaboration, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, work ethic, confidence, communication, creativity, and time management.
“As a society,” he continues, “we must collectively commit to habitually instill a mindset of economic mobility into the youth through consistent encouragement, positive reinforcement, and to identify and help cultivate their innate abilities and passions.”
Amanda Willoughby (2019)
It’s only been a short time since filmmaker Amanda Willoughby was named to 20<30, but it seems to have had an effect on her life.
“I’ve definitely seen a positive bump in comments and recognition from family, friends, colleagues, and the arts community. Shortly after, I was asked to join the UrbanArts Commission’s selection committee for their Movable Collection, a program that purchases work by local artists for display in public buildings.”
Her greatest passion is helping kids discover the magic that happens behind a camera. “I’ve been working with the MPLOY Youth program, in partnership with Memphis Public Libraries and CLOUD901,” she says. “For the past few months, I’ve worked with a group of teens in writing and pre-production for 12 short films. During the month of June, we jumped into production with 20 teens and completed filming and editing those films within one month. On July 6th, we held the MPLOY Youth Film Festival at Hattiloo Theatre to screen these 12 films to the public and all their friends and family. This is my second year working with this project, and I’m so proud of the quality of work that these kids have produced.”
On the grown-up side, Willoughby has been working with Jamey Hatley to produce the short film script Always Open, The Eureka Hotel, which was chosen by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins for the Indie Memphis Black Filmmakers’ Screenwriting Fellowship. “There’s no place I’d rather be than Memphis,” she says. “This is my home, and I’ve seen it grow creatively over the years. I want to be instrumental in ensuring that the arts and filmmaking become more successful and profitable in years to come. That’s why I love working with the youth. I feel like I’m helping to raise a strong generation of artists that can conquer their dreams.”
