Retiring Urban League CEO reflects on tenure ‘I was privileged to sit in the chair’

Phyllis Nichols doesn’t like to think about legacy. But after nearly 30 years with the Knoxville Area Urban League ‒ 22 of them as its CEO ‒ she is stepping away. “The Urban League is a historic institution. I was privileged to sit in the chair for a brief time,” she told Knox News. “My hope is that I made it one that the community will continue to embrace and support. Nichols has been committed to Knoxville Area Urban League’s mission of promoting diversity, economic and social equity in Knoxville since she joined the 54-year-old institution in 1994. She will remain as its leader until a new CEO is named, which Nichols expects will be in mid-October.