Meet Our Team

It Takes a Village

MJW Staff

Founder and Artisitic Director

Stephen M. Lee

Jazz is Stephen Lee’s calling, whether he’s playing it or teaching theory and performance to his students. He can attest to the transformative power of music — the arts were his siren song and the guiding light by which he moved through his own education process.

Coordinator of Education

Michael Scott

Michael has been with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra since 1976. Recently, he retired as an Associate Professor at Southwest Community College where he designed the online and hybrid music appreciation courses that are still in use today by the college. When not working with the Memphis Jazz Workshop or performing with the symphony, Michael can be found playing most of the woodwind instruments in many different chamber ensembles, jazz groups and many of the Broadway touring shows at the Orpheum Theater.

Program Coordinator

Rachel P. Johnson

Rachel has experience in non-profit, organizational management and day to day operations for music programs and organizations. She is a dedicated music educator, musician, and the founder and director of Memphis String Project and RP Johnson Consulting LLC which provides professional education consulting and program coordination for school districts and organizations across the country. Rachel is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a BA in Music and Culture and a BA in Psychology.

Board of Directors

John Keith Perry, Esq., Vice Chair

Keith is Senior Partner at Perry Griffin Law Firm, specializing in family law, estate law, civil rights litigation, personal injury, and criminal defense. He is a member of the Federal Criminal Justice Act Panel, American Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar Association and has been appointed as Municipal Court Judge in Coldwater, Miss. He received a BA in Political Science with a concentration in Public Administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and a Juries Doctor from the University of Mississippi.

Charles Elliott, MBA

Mr. Elliott has established a solid 25-plus year record of success in defining, implementing, and driving the adoption of innovative technology to deliver sustainable business value and growth. He is a results-driven professional with extensive experience selling technology solutions, leading people and project teams, implementing and overseeing full life cycle of technology programs, and administering multi-million-dollar budgets. He graduated from Morehouse College with a B.S. in Applied Physics and an MBA from Clark Atlanta University.

Eric Clauson, Board Chair

Eric is the CEO and founder of Lexington Asset Management, a Memphis-based real estate investment and management company. Eric was previously the head of the equity derivative and hedge fund sales groups at Credit Suisse First Boston, Goldman Sachs and Salomon Brothers. Eric lived in Japan from 1988-2013 and is proficient in Japanese. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. with an MBA in 1987 and a BSBA in 1986. He is also currently a board member of Ballet Memphis and the Memphis Chamber Music Society.

Partnerships

  • Visible Music College
  • American Federation of Musicians
  • Sunset Jazz at Court Square
  • Memphis Music Initiative (MMI)
  • Southwest Community College
  • City of Memphis Youth Services MPLOY program
  • Crosstown High School
  • Crosstown Arts