Jeremy C. Park is a corporate executive and philanthropist, an author of two books and a weekly newspaper column, a contributor to Forbes, and a producer and host of television, radio shows, and a podcast. He is also a sought-after speaker for transforming organizations and individuals into catalysts for their community.
Park is the CEO and catalyst behind cityCURRENT, an organization with a mission to power the GOOD. cityCURRENT is a partnership of more than 100 businesses, including some of the world's largest employers, like FedEx, AutoZone, Verizon and Kroger, that have joined forces and funds to make a difference in the Mid-South and Middle Tennessee. The organization has teams working in Memphis and Nashville, hosts more than 150 free community events each year in both cities, produces an array of positive-oriented media, and financially and physically gives back to support nonprofits.
Under Park's leadership, the organization quickly transformed from a small internal-focused networking group, originally called the Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club, into a powerful, charitable, external-focused partnership now recognized internationally for its innovative approach to social entrepreneurialism and collective impact.
Park has received numerous awards and recognitions, like Top 40 Under 40, and has been featured in bestselling books, like "The Good Ones: Ten Crucial Qualities of High-Character Employees" by Dr. Bruce Weinstein, along with national and international publications, like Forbes, Fortune, The Huffington Post, and Leader's Edge.
Park's first book, "Giving Back with Purpose," was released in 2013 by Main Street Books; and his second, "Giving for Growth," was first released in 2015 with updated editions in 2017 and 2020. Both books focus on achieving success in career and life while helping others and benefiting the community in the process. Proceeds from both books benefit youth literacy programs.
Since 2010, Park has authored a weekly "Giving Back" column, which is published each Sunday in the Memphis newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. He produces and hosts a weekly radio show that airs on all four Cumulus Media Memphis stations and a show that airs on all five Cumulus Media Nashville stations; the ChangeMakers podcast; a monthly television show on PBS's WKNO, called The SPARK; and an annual televised awards show, called The SPARK Awards. He also hosts the television show "A Conversation With," which airs across the PBS network in Tennessee and profiles figures like NASA astronauts and Shark Tank investors.
Park is also a member of the LLC with Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance, the largest independent insurance agency in the Mid-South and one of the largest independent agencies in the nation; and he is an investor in companies like the Memphis-based medical device startup, SweetBio, as well.
He graduated in 1999 from the University of North Texas and was distinguished as the University's Top Marketing Student. He was raised in Weatherford, TX, spent eight years in Los Angeles, CA, and now lives with his wife, Meredith, and two boys, in Germantown, TN. He's been the head tennis professional at Beverly Hills Country Club, worked in national television and radio, and been mentored by entertainment icons, like Merv Griffin. Park serves on many local and national boards, including New Leaders, Slingshot Memphis, and the University of Memphis LEAD program. He also is a member of the Forbes Communications Council and Business Journals Leadership Trust with The Business Journals.