Conservancy names Kaci Murley new Executive Director

Overton Park Conservancy is pleased to announce the selection of Kaci Murley as its new Executive Director, following the announcement earlier this summer that longtime ED Tina Sullivan would be stepping down.

Kaci has served as the Conservancy’s Deputy Executive Director since 2019, where she has been responsible for strategic leadership and development management functions, including long-range planning, fundraising strategy, board development, and community relations. She assisted in leading Overton Park’s first comprehensive planning effort in more than 30 years, including project management, volunteer and community engagement, operations and maintenance strategy, and fundraising campaign planning. As the Conservancy gets set to begin implementing the capital improvements identified in the plan, Kaci’s leadership will help guide Overton Park into its next phase.

“Memphians cherish Overton Park and the magic of the Old Forest, and they want to see a successful Conservancy,” Kaci says. “I know this work, and I am absolutely energized to build and sustain a strong and lasting public asset while leading an incredible team that embodies dedication to the mission every single day. I love this city so much, and I could not be more honored to begin this new chapter.”

Prior to joining the Conservancy, Kaci worked in higher education advocacy and policy, first as the Director of Post-Secondary Success at tnAchieves (the scholarship now known as Tennessee Promise), then as the Director of Engagement and Advocacy at Complete Tennessee, helping to build coalitions during the development of these two statewide organizations that worked to make Tennessee the first state in the nation to offer free community and technical college. She also served as the Director of Programs for Leadership Memphis, where she recruited distinguished leaders, developed course curriculum, and led sessions focused on tackling intricate issues facing the Greater Memphis Area. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English for Corporate Communications from Christian Brothers University and a Master of Arts in Leadership & Public Service from Lipscomb University. She serves on the Memphis Child Advocacy Center’s board of directors and the Overton Park Shell’s professionals board, and she is an advisory committee member for Leadership Tennessee.

Kaci was selected from a competitive field of applicants by a committee comprising current members of the Overton Park Conservancy board of directors, along with several past board chairs. The committee felt that her connection to the park, and the strong internal and community relationships she has built over the past five years, made her the ideal choice to lead the Conservancy into this phase of growth.

“Kaci has a thorough understanding of the park, its unique history, and its opportunities,” says Yancy Villa, Overton Park Conservancy board chair. “We believe this knowledge will inform her as she strives to protect and improve the park while keeping Overton Park in the center of it all.”

“I’m grateful to be leaving the Conservancy in such capable hands,” says outgoing Executive Director Tina Sullivan. “Kaci hit the ground running when she joined the team in 2019, and she’s been accelerating ever since. She has elevated this organization and has a vision for its future. She has the full confidence of the staff and board, and a deep love for the Overton Park community.”

Villa adds, “Kaci is authentic, tenacious, and passionate about Overton Park Conservancy’s mission. We are very excited about her as the new leader.”