Stephanie Godwin-Chu

Stephanie Godwin-Chu is the Project Director of the GROWWTH grant (Growing Relational and Occupational Wealth in West Tennessee Households) at the University of Memphis. GROWWTH is one of 7 grants funded by the Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiate. She has worked on the grant since December 2022, helping to build the foundation of the program, which has enrolled over 2,400 families to date. GROWWTH is a workforce readiness program that offers supportive services to address barriers to employment and self-sufficiency. Stephanie has a background in leadership development, non-profit management, grant management, social services, workforce development, training, policy and education. For nearly two decades she has worked in people-serving roles across multiple sectors. With GROWWTH, she leads a diverse team of over 30 staff who serve families in various capacities across twenty- one West Tennessee counties. The GROWWTH ecosystem is also made up of community partners, local service organizations, employers and subcontractors who play a vital role in the work.
  
Stephanie feels it is a personal responsibility to her community to help make it a better place. She believes that GROWWTH can bring much-needed positive change to the West Tennessee region through innovation and wholistic support. Through her leadership, the GROWWTH program has experience over 400% growth in services and impact in the first year.