Foundation Staff
Jenny Turner Koltnow
Since 2004, Jenny Turner Koltnow has served as the Executive Director of the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation. In 2007, the Grizzlies Foundation was honored with the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Sports Philanthropy Project, and in 2008, was named “Outstanding Foundation of the Year” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Memphis Chapter. Jenny directs all Foundation programs, partnerships, marketing and events, and she has facilitated the donation of over $22 million in charitable grants. In addition, Koltnow drives a community-wide mentoring initiative and leads efforts to engage Grizzlies players and personnel in the community. Prior to her current position, Jenny served as the Manager of Community Investment of the Memphis Grizzlies. A native of Wisconsin, Koltnow completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She was named “Top 40 Under 40” by the Memphis Business Journal in 2007 and “Top 30 Under 30” by Business TN Magazine in 2005.
Jenny is the current President of the Memphis Grantmakers Forum, and she serves on the boards of The Leadership Academy and the Healthy Memphis Common Table. Jenny and her family live in Germantown, TN.
Alayne Shoenfeld
Alayne Shoenfeld was born in Philadelphia and grew up in New Jersey. She has spent most of her career in education and community service, serving as the community relations director of a small museum in New York and three public school districts in New York and New Jersey.
Alayne moved to Memphis in November 1996 and served for more than 10 years as Partnership Development Manager at Volunteer Memphis.
Since 2002, Alayne has been Manager of the Memphis Mentoring Partnership, a coalition of 40+ organizations offering youth mentoring services. MMP, a part of the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation since 2008, provides training and technical assistance as well as volunteer referral to mentoring program managers.
Alayne earned B.A. (Magna cum Laude) and M.S. degrees in education as well as a Professional Diploma in School District Administration from C.W. Post College of Long Island University. She has been a member of the Executive Board and an active leader in the community service efforts of her synagogue. She also serves on the boards of Manos de Madres, a foundation promoting women’s entrepreneurship in third world countries, and the National Council of Jewish Women – Memphis Section. She was honored by Memphis Woman Magazine as one of the “50 Women Who Make a Difference” in 2007.
She has visited 30 countries and has acquired many words and useful phrases in several languages. She lives with two cats – Shadow and Chance – who call her Mama.
Eric Bleier
Eric Bleier has lived in the South his whole life yet somehow never developed a Southern accent. Born in Atlanta, Eric quickly developed roots in Memphis by attending grade school and junior high here. After high school in Plano, Texas, Eric received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Trinity University in San Antonio.
After dabbling in careers in school education and outdoor education, Eric started with the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation as an intern in 2005. Now Coordinator for the Foundation, Eric’s primary duties include awareness building and outreach to Memphis area corporations, faith groups, civic organizations and all individuals interested in learning more about the Foundation and about opportunities for mentoring.
Eric lives, works and plays in Downtown Memphis and has nearly given up listening to any music, preferring talk radio and books on CD.