MEMPHIS, TN — Gayle S. Rose has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life in Memphis for the past three decades through business and economic development and her visible advocacy for the poor. A social activist and serial entrepreneur, she has founded five charitable organizations and two for-profit businesses in her successful career. She is currently Founder and CEO of a leading technology and business continuity company, EVS Corporation. She is also the Founder and Chairman of the Rose Family Foundations private charity as well as her newest venture, Team Max, named after her late son, Max Rose. Team Max is a social media-based volunteer activator for youth, which mobilizes support for causes across the globe. She has coined the term “Vigilantly or Philanthropy” making it easy to serve the needs of the world.
Her past business ventures include serving as Managing Director of Heritage Capital Advisors, LLC., a private equity, corporate advisory firm with offices in Atlanta and Memphis. Ms. Rose also co-founded and served as President and CEO of the Chopra Companies where she directed the business development of Dr. Deepak Chopra, famed author and physician.
A well-known cultural leader with many awards and distinctions, Rose was named CEO of the Year by MBQ magazine in 2012. She was named one of Tennessee’s 100 Most Powerful People by Business Tennessee magazine. Rose is most well-known for landing the NBA Memphis Grizzlies. As a result, the Public Relations Society of America named her the Communicator of the Year. She is Co-founder of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis and was internationally recognized in 2007 with the “Changing Face of Philanthropy Award” from the Women’s Funding Network. In 2008, she was named Humanitarian of the Year by Diversity Memphis.
Rose is a classically-trained symphonic clarinetist with a BA in music and business and a Master’s degree from Harvard University in Public Administration, where she became a Distinguished Littauer Fellow in 1985. She has three sons, Morgan, Max (in Spirit) and Mikey.