Gale Jones Carson, former MLGW vice president, named interim head of Memphis Urban League

Lucas Finton, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·1 min read
Gale Jones Carson spent the last 17 years with Memphis Light, Gas & Water, and stepped down from her role as vice president of community and external affairs in October 2023. She was named the interim president and CEO of the Memphis Urban League February 24, 2024.
Gale Jones Carson spent the last 17 years with Memphis Light, Gas & Water, and stepped down from her role as vice president of community and external affairs in October 2023. She was named the interim president and CEO of the Memphis Urban League February 24, 2024.

Gale Jones Carson, a longtime community and external affairs vice president for Memphis Light, Gas & Water, has been named interim president and CEO of the Memphis Urban League, the organization said Saturday in a news release.

Carson worked at MLGW for about 17 years before stepping down from her vice president role in October 2023.

"Ms. Carson has a great deal of management and leadership experience, as well as a strong passion to help students, seniors and those in underserved areas to become economically advantaged," Memphis Urban League Chairwoman Felecia Beans-Barnes said in the release. "We look forward to her leadership and her passion to take the MUL to the next level of excellence."

The Memphis Urban League was founded in 1932 under a different name, before joining the National Urban League in 1943. The organization focuses on economic development in Black and low-income communities, and has programs to mentor young Memphians and prepare them for their future careers.

Before her time with MLGW, Carson spent 16 years working for FedEx's corporate communications branch. She then spent seven years working as executive assistant and chief spokeswoman for the City of Memphis during former Mayor Willie Herenton's administration.

Carson also serves as the second vice president of the Memphis branch of the NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights group, according to the Memphis NAACP's website.

Carson's appointment to lead the Memphis Urban League in the interim follows the retirement of Tonja Y. Sesley in late January. Sesley was named the organization's president in 2014.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, or (901) 208-3922 and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Gale Jones Carson named interim president, CEO of Memphis Urban League