Named president of the National Civil Rights Museum in 2014, Freeman has emphasized the connection between the historic civil rights era and today’s contemporary issues. Through her collaborative approach, she has increased public engagement four-fold. She was previously president of the Washington, D.C.-based Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, where she focused on community building and consensus, quality of life issues, and increasing the foundation’s assets from $52 million to more than $350 million. In 2005, Washington Business Journal identified her as one of the “Women Who Mean Business.” The Commercial Appeal named her one of “18 Tennesseans to Watch in 2018.”