Main Street's Downtown Doug Young Leadership Award

"Doug's passion for helping others and his commitment to making our community a better place to live and work are seen in everything he does," said Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Chairman Jamie Reed.

"Doug has helped lead Murfreesboro to great heights; we will be eternally grateful for that."

 Since its creation in 2017, the Doug Young Downtown Leadership Award has been awarded to six leaders who have been instrumental in the Main Street movement downtown and their community. 

Anne brought her innovative energy to the downtown when she worked for the City of Murfreesboro Community Development Department and led the charge for Murfreesboro to apply for the Main Street program with the State of Tennessee.  Anne was one of the first board members of the newly established Main Street Murfreesboro program from 1985-1988.  Her efforts and energy downtown resulted in millions of dollars of restoration and economic development for the downtown area since the late 1980s.

Anne said, “In every endeavor, RELATIONSHIPS were at the heart of my professional and volunteer work.  Whether convening a group of downtown business owners, bankers, property owners, and the Mayor to discuss the Main Street redevelopment program or COLLABORATING on the Leadership Rutherford board for three years after completing the first class, RELATIONSHIPS were developed to meet the needs of a community about to ‘come of age’ and also explode with growth.”

Anne worked with downtown business leaders to support Dawn Eaton, the first director of the Main Street program, in implementing revitalization changes in the historic downtown business district. 

Anne served this community she loved as a volunteer in women’s and other organizations for the next 22 years before embarking on a fundraising career in mid-life. Throughout these years, she served in various leadership roles as a member at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, both on the Vestry and as Senior Warden, playing an instrumental role in the planning of their new Worship Space, now located at the corner of East Main Street and Academy Street. 

Serving as the Charity Circle Duck Ball chair in 1989 and helping to create a new idea for the Patron’s Party, which still exists today, the Charity Circle organization has given over $3,000,000 to our community.

Anne became known as the woman who could get things started, and in 1992, she worked to bring the Junior League of Murfreesboro to life, first as a Junior Service League.  Anne served as the Founding President, bringing 24 focused and community-minded ladies named the “core group” together to complete the application task.  After 3 ½ years, this group, led by Anne Davis, accomplished the steps to become a league; the work was accomplished in what the Association of Junior Leagues International staff described as “record timing.”

In 2009, Anne’s search to re-invent herself and use her fundraising and leadership skills in a new career led her to the Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation.  Anne became the Director in 2012 and quickly created something new to impact on this community.  Anne and a committee of 20 volunteers produced the first Rutherford Society Gala, and soon after, she led 250 volunteers to create the Wine Around the Square breast cancer fundraiser in the historic downtown. Anne successfully completed a $20M “A Time to Build Up” capital campaign for St. Thomas Hospital.

 Anne’s leadership touch led her to serve as the Rutherford Cable President in 2014 and help promote the newly formed Center for Executive Leadership, the Mentoring Program, and the 2^nd year of the ATHENA International Awards Ceremony.   

Anne has recently become known in the community for her role as the President of the Christy-Houston Foundation, serving as the third President and first woman CEO of the Foundation. Anne doesn’t seem to be ready to stop innovating and making a difference, as she has already introduced several changes to the foundation, including bringing educational sessions to local nonprofit leadership and staff in governance, marketing, and fundraising. 

As Anne was quoted in the DNJ on November 22, 1984, concerning the Main Street program, “This is a self-help program which could give the assistance and organization needed to bring life back into the downtown area.” Anne hasn’t stopped looking for initiatives to bring assistance, organization, and life into our community. 

For this reason, Main Street Murfreesboro honors Anne Davis with the Doug Young Leadership Award.