Shirley C. Raines is an American public speaker, author and leadership consultant who retired from academia after serving as president of the University of Memphis from 2001 to 2013.
Raines was born April 15, 1945, in Jackson, Tennessee, and grew up on a cotton farm near Bells.
She completed her undergraduate education at UT Martin, studying child development, and then worked as a kindergarten teacher for several years.
In 1995, she was appointed dean of education at the University of Kentucky; she was additionally made vice-president for academic affairs three years later.
[2] In January 2001, the board of regents of the University of Memphis elected Raines as the successor to President V. Lane Rawlins – the first woman to hold the position.