Tennessee Titans Name Johari Matthews As Titans Foundation Programs Director

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Johari Matthews. Photo: Courtesy of the Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have added Johari Matthews to its Community Impact team and she will serve as the Titans Foundation’s Programs Director.

The Programs Director role was recently established by the Titans to grow the breadth and depth of the organization’s community impact efforts. Matthews will serve as a primary liaison for the Titans Foundation community partnerships, including neighborhood and community stakeholders.

“Johari’s passion for serving the community and establishing a strong level of social responsibility makes her a perfect addition to our Community Impact team. Her work at the Northwest YMCA is an inspiring example to all of us,” says Adolpho Birch III, Titans Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Legal Officer. “She has a demonstrated record of creating programs and outreach efforts with focus and impact, something we intend to continue to grow here at the Titans.”

A Nashville native, Matthews has 18 years of experience in the nonprofit space, most recently serving as Executive Director for the Northwest Family YMCA in North Nashville. During her time at the YMCA, she led a team of 90+, managing the day-to-day operations of a facility serving a membership base of nearly 4,000.

She also provided key strategic direction and oversight to develop community outreach programs for individuals and families throughout North Nashville. Matthews was recently recognized through her collaborative work with The BlueCross BlueShield Foundation and the YMCA of Middle Tennessee as they opened a new $6.5M state-of-the-art, inclusive BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Place Park in Bordeaux.

“As a Nashville-native, joining the Tennessee Titans is truly a dream come true both personally and professionally. After almost 20 years of serving in a variety of nonprofit capacities, I have learned the key to amazing programs is creating them with intentionality and with the community at the forefront,” says Matthews. “The Titans have an already established reputation for giving back to the community, and I look forward to working alongside the team as we continue to grow those efforts across the entire state.”

In 2020, she was named by the Nashville Business Journal as one of Nashville’s Top 40 Under 40 emerging leaders, and in 2022 was selected as an Athena award Young Professional nominee by Nashville CABLE. She is a graduate of Tennessee State University and has participated in leadership programs at the New Leaders Council and Lipscomb University’s CEO Connect.

Matthews currently serves as Board Chair for Corner to Corner, as well as board member for The Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund, New Leaders Council and Nashville Teacher Residency. She is a member of Junior League of Nashville, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and devotes her volunteer time to organizations such as Nashville Young Lives, a local ministry for teen moms.

Steven Boero
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