Jewish Community Partners

Many readers know the Jewish Community Partners staff through our work. Each Friday, you’ll hear from a different member of the team in our own words, sharing more of the story of who we are.  

 

Matt Timberlake

Communications Manager

 

Birthplace: Memphis, TN, but I spent much of my childhood in Manhattan, Kansas.

College: University of Memphis

Do you belong to a local congregation? No. In fact, I’m not Jewish.

How long have you been a member of the Memphis community? Permanent resident since 1997.

Spouse and children: My wife Adrienne and I have two girls, Ava, 4 and Evelyn, 2.

What is your job at JCP, and how long have you worked here? I’ve been the Communications Manager since May 2016.

In what initiative or project of your work are/were you most emotionally invested? JCPConnect.org is my pet project. I’m a journalist at heart and love editing and managing this unique outlet for Memphis stories.

Favorite foods to cook: I cook for fun, so the range is off the charts. I love equatorial foods the best, though- Mexican, Indian/Pakistani, Middle Eastern, South East Asian.

Favorite restaurants in the area: So many! La Guadalupana, Jerusalem Market, The Andrew Michael family of restaurants, Iris… It’s a list that changes all the time.

Favorite city to visit: New Orleans in the U.S., and Glasgow in Europe.

Favorite TV show or movie: I’m a Star Wars devotee from way back, and will watch anything arty/independent/weird/foreign.

First concert: Van Halen, 1991!

What is the craziest & most adventurous thing you have ever done? This wasn’t on purpose, but I was once trapped on the Eiffel Tower after it closed. My French isn’t so good that I knew exactly how grumpy the guards were letting us out, but I can read people well enough to know they weren’t thrilled.

What is your fondest memory? Two similar events: watching my wife power through labor with each of our girls. An astonishing feat of human willpower and strength.

What do you think makes the Mid-South a good place to live?  Memphis is a distinct place with an abundance of character and more hidden secrets than any one person could unlock in a lifetime. I even love the miserable humid heat of deep summer.

Do you have any surprising or unknown talents? I pretty much wail on an electric guitar, and can write an okay song.

Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met? How did it happen? I ran into Bill Clinton at a hotel in St. Louis, but didn’t really interact with him. When I worked for the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, I met and interacted with a ridiculous list of famous people: Chuck D., Cornel West, every member of Wilco other than Jeff Tweedy, the King of Ghana, Rob Corrdry, Toby Jones, and the fathers of Snoop Dogg and Dimebag Darrell. This is just a sampling.

What’s the earliest global news event you remember being aware of as it happened? I remember the second election of Ronald Reagan, but what I remember about it is the way my parents and their peers talked about how important it was that a woman (Geraldine Ferraro) was on a ticket.

Do you have a favorite cocktail, wine, or beer? Right now, I’m (perhaps overly) fond of Wiseacre Brewing’s Starless, a black German lager.