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President & CEO, Tennessee Performing Arts Center

Two tenets of leadership that Jennifer Turner, president and CEO of Tennessee Performing Arts Center, holds dear are helping team members show up to work as their authentic selves and treating everyone who works at TPAC with kindness and respect. Her goal is to show those who work at TPAC that it is ok to share who they are both in and out of the workplace. “We are juggling many things between our work and personal lives, and sometimes that takes place in a hybrid environment with kids and pets popping on the computer screen. We need to know our employees in order to understand their challenges and best support them.” That distinction builds a motivated, productive and engaged team.

Her inspiration to lead came at a young age. She once thought of becoming a lawyer and arguing cases before the Supreme Court. This dream grew in the 1980s, as she watched the appointment of Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Justice to sit on the Supreme Court.

As often happens, her dreams changed in high school when her drama teacher introduced her to performance theater and helped her forge a new path. Today, she is thrilled to see the number of women in leadership in her field.

Jennifer is optimistic about the future of women in leadership and hopes that more women will understand the value they bring to an organization. She also helps up-and-coming leaders to understand the value of remaining curious: “If we are not constantly growing, evolving and learning, I don’t think we can be effective leaders.”