OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS
Wayne Ingram
Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
A marketing consultant, Wayne is the co-founder of The Etiquette School of Tennessee. He has over 20 years experience as President of National Group, a marketing and promotional consortium in the tour and travel industry, handling coordination and management of three divisions. Wayne’s professional experience with the diverse travel industry provides him hands-on involvement with local and national organizations.
His previous experience focused on the packaging of group tours. He has also served as a marketing consultant for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. He is a former volunteer for Junior Achievement and is currently a mentor for the Shelby County Schools, as well as a regional judge for Future Business Leaders of America.
Mr. Ingram has made presentations to numerous organizations including: National Conference of Black Mayors, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Memphis City Schools, National Urban League, U.S. Travel Association, Mississippi Conference of Black Mayors, Shelby County Government, The Taborian Health Center and the City of Memphis. Not just content to be a successful entrepreneur, Wayne believes in sharing knowledge, mentoring students and building business opportunities for others.
Wayne attended Chattanooga City College and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Welfare from Tennessee State University.
Wayne is recognized by his peers in the tourism industry as a social scientist based on his research in the study of “Innerism”, which calls for the economic and community development inclusion of citizens.
Lynn Howell Tharpe
Chief Financial Officer and Project Director
Lynn has spent the majority of her professional career in Human Resources Management, in Memphis, TN where she served as a Vice-President, Director and Manager. Her experience includes work at Universal Life Insurance Company, United American of Tennessee (Omnicare Health Plan) and the Home Depot. She also gained experience in Volunteer Management having served as Director of Volunteer Services at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Volunteer Manager at Meharry-Hubbard Hospital in Nashville TN and Volunteer Coordinator for Meals on Wheels, a program of the Metropolitan Inter- Faith Association in Memphis. While Lynn was Director of Volunteer Services at St. Jude, hospital volunteers were presented the second Points of Light Award from former President George Herbert Walker Bush. The International Volunteers also won a Volunteers of the Year Award, presented by the Volunteer Center of Memphis.
Lynn started her professional career as a Job Developer and Counselor for the Memphis Urban League’s, On- the-Job Training (OJT) Program. There she combined her formal training in Business Administration with her love for helping others. Later, her fondness for working with students led her to work for Jobs for Tennessee Graduates where she assisted students who chose not to go directly to college with post high school career planning. She has also provided students at three Memphis high schools with ACT/SAT test preparation classes and served as a resource to parents, providing them information on and assistance with the completion of the Financial Aid application process.
Lynn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Fisk University, Nashville, TN and a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Services from the University of Memphis, where she served as a Graduate Assistant in the Center for the Study of Higher Education. She also attended classes at the American Management Association in Chicago, IL.
Lynn is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; a former member of the American Society for Training and Development, Memphis Chapter, LINKS, Inc., Emanons and Jack and Jill, Inc. of America.
She is currently a Human Resources consultant.
Charmaine Campbell
Career Development Advisor and Secretary
Charmaine has this philosophy: Our personal and professional success depends on our knowledge and display of the appropriate image, proper etiquette and a poised disposition at all times. Looking great and acting the part goes hand in hand.
Ms. Campbell entered the image and fashion industry as a swimsuit model in the late 1970s. She has worked as a Client Relationship Consultant for Fortune 100 companies. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Columbia UC. She later entered Johns Hopkins University in pursuit of her MBA. It was during this time that she decided to launch CHIC International Incorporated, an etiquette and image consulting company that helps individuals achieve their personal and professional best. Her passion for image and etiquette has taken her to different regions of the world, which includes Europe, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean.
The following are Ms. Campbell’s qualifications:
- Author of Money Can Not Buy Class
- VP of Communication for the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI), State of Florida
- Certified Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant
- Certified Image, Etiquette and Communication Consultant
- Paris, France: Sponsorship of International Protocol seminar facilitated by Ms. Campbell, CHIC International, December 2007
- Sponsorship by the Etiquette Group and CHIC International of luncheon honoring wives and mothers of U.S. Army 82nd Airborne personnel on active duty in the Middle East, with ABC-TV 11 covering the event.
- Volunteer: Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Women of Tomorrow and Heart Menders Organizations.
James Thornton
Director of Grants and Gifts
James is a graduate of Denison University, Granville, OH. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts Degree from the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University in Washington D.C. His fields of specialization are in U. S. Foreign Policy and African Politics and Governments. He has also passed formal proficiency examinations in French.
James’ philosophy is to “use my education and professional experience to translate concepts and ideas into programs and projects that improve the social, economic and political conditions of my community”. His background brings to TEST, an individual who understands that foundational character principals are essential to the growth and development of any community.
James’ experience with the City of Memphis, Department of Housing and Community Development, provided him with an opportunity to provide grant management and technical assistance to numerous non-profits, in accordance with local, state and Federal regulations and requirements. He also provided support to the Grant Selection Committee in their efforts to allocate funding to area non-profits. Additionally, he spearheaded the formation of the Mayor’s Fair Housing Task Force, in which stakeholders identified and addressed the impediments to fair housing choices in the City of Memphis. James’ experience with the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center includes the preparation of grant proposals submitted to both public and private foundations and the development of fundraising strategies. He is a Certified DDI Facilitator.
An experienced international traveler, James has traveled to South Africa, Brazil and Mexico where he gained first-hand knowledge of community and economic development in foreign locations. His South Africa visit was sponsored by the Center for Global Education for the purpose of studying the effects of development and environmental apartheid. In Brazil, James studied Afro-Brazilian history and culture. Travel to Mexico was as part of a delegation from the Tennessee Industrial Renewal Network (TIRN) and Witness for Peace organization to study the effects of globalization on the Mexican economy.
Through his education, career experiences, exposure, and national and international travel, James developed a robust commitment to the progress of all students and their development in the areas of character education and cultural and heritage principles. He understands that in order for students to succeed in life, they need self-confidence and the ability to know how to handle different situations in positive ways throughout their lives.
James is a former member of the Board of Directors Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Stakeholder in Memphis CAN (Civic Action Now), Task Force-FAIR Housing Alliance of Greater Memphis and the Center for Independent Living Advisory Board.