About Us
A Memphis nonprofit built for the trades
Ready For The World is a Tennessee Nonprofit Corporation with 501(c)(3) status pending/approved, created to turn willingness to work into a skilled, licensed, employable career.
Our Mission
Ready For The World empowers individuals through vocational education, workforce development, painting instruction, licensing assistance, and career placement opportunities that lead to long-term employment and economic independence.
Our Vision
A Memphis where every adult who wants to work has access to a respected trade, a recognized credential, and an employer ready to hire them—so families build stability that lasts for generations.
Core Values
What we stand on
Integrity
We do honest work, teach honest craftsmanship, and keep our promises to students and partners.
Excellence
Every wall, every surface, every graduate reflects a professional standard employers can trust.
Dignity
We meet every student with respect, regardless of background, history, or starting point.
Community
We build alongside churches, contractors, and agencies who share our commitment to Memphis.
Accountability
Attendance, safety, and workmanship standards prepare students for real job sites.
Opportunity
We remove barriers—tools, transportation guidance, licensing support—so talent can rise.
Our History
Organization history
Ready For The World began with a simple observation on Memphis job sites: contractors could not find enough trained, dependable painters, while capable neighbors could not find a door into the trade. The gap was not talent—it was training, tools, and a trusted referral.
Organized as a Tennessee Nonprofit Corporation, Ready For The World was formed to close that gap with a structured, nine-week Workforce Painting Academy that combines technical instruction, OSHA-aligned safety practice, professional development, and direct connection to employers.
Today the organization continues to expand its curriculum, its partner network, and its licensing assistance so that graduation is a beginning rather than a certificate on a wall.
Leadership
Executive Director
Flora Ingram
Executive Director
Flora Ingram leads Ready For The World with a conviction that skilled trades are one of the fastest, most dignified routes out of economic instability. She oversees curriculum, instruction standards, employer relations, and student support across every cohort.
Under her direction, the academy holds students to job-site expectations from day one—punctuality, safety, craftsmanship, and customer service—so that graduates arrive at their first placement ready to be kept.
Leadership
Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer
Shadawn Ingram
Executive Vice President & COO
Shadawn Ingram brings a strong background in supply chain operations, material planning, and cross-functional business integration to Ready For The World. Throughout her career at Cummins Inc., she has progressed from Material Planning into an OEM Integrator role, where she collaborates across multiple departments to align customer requirements, production planning, inventory management, supplier performance, and operational execution. Her experience has strengthened her ability to solve complex problems, improve processes, and build partnerships that drive measurable results.
As Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Shadawn is committed to transforming vision into execution. She is passionate about developing efficient systems, creating scalable operational strategies, and fostering a culture built on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. She believes that sustainable organizations are built on strong processes, servant leadership, and empowering people to succeed.
Working alongside the Founder and President, Shad provides strategic oversight of daily operations while helping shape the organization’s long-term growth. Her corporate experience, analytical mindset, and dedication to excellence position her to help Ready For The World expand its impact while remaining true to its mission of empowering individuals and strengthening communities.
Shadawn is driven by a desire to use her professional experience to create opportunities that extend beyond business success—building programs, partnerships, and systems that equip people with the tools and confidence to thrive personally, professionally, and financially.
Leadership
Treasurer
Rumya Ingram
Treasurer
Rumya Ingram is a woman of skill. Former Salutatorian of her high school graduating class, she has, over the years since, been cultivating a career in accounting and finance.
Rumya is completing a degree in Accounting at the University of Memphis, and she is passionate about upholding corporate values—bringing that same discipline and integrity to her stewardship of Ready For The World’s finances.
Her Story
“I was ready for the world.”
The name of this organization comes straight out of Flora Ingram's own journey through the trades.
Flora started in the trades in 1998, learning plumbing first and then moving into electrical work. In February 2000 she relocated to Memphis, and that November she registered at Dr. Gines Training Ministry at Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church—a decision that changed the direction of her life.
It was there she met her mentor, Mr. Don Jackson, who took her under his wing and trusted her with real work: electrical burnouts, new garbage disposals, crawling under houses to catch wires. Together they took on a 20-unit apartment building, and he let her carry her share of it.
“In 2006, I was ready for the world—and I got out there.”
She stepped out on her own into drywall and painting, and she perfected her craft becoming one of the best women in Memphis doing this type of work. In 2009 painting became her focus. She earned her associate degree in 2015, got serious about the business, and began traveling for jobs as far as Oklahoma and beyond.
She has never stopped being a student. Flora holds her home improvement license and is currently pursuing her contractor’s license, and she is enrolled in a master’s degree program with a 3.9 GPA and a place on the Dean’s List, graduating in November 2027.
Nov 2027
Master's degree
3.9
GPA · Dean's List
Home improvement
Licensed
Today she teaches the same standard Don Jackson taught her: learn it right, do it right, and be ready when the opportunity comes.
Governance
Board of Directors
The leadership team guiding Ready For The World's mission, finances, and accountability.
Flora Ingram
Executive Director
Rumya Ingram
Treasurer
Shadawn Ingram
Executive Vice President & COO
Tyra Malone
Secretary
Our Purpose
Why Ready For The World exists
Memphis has both a workforce shortage and a workforce waiting. We exist to connect the two with training that employers respect and support that students can actually use.
The employment gap
Contractors report unfilled painting positions while qualified candidates lack the certification and references to be hired.
The barrier problem
Tools, safety gear, licensing paperwork, and interview readiness stop capable adults before they start. We remove those barriers.
The economic outcome
A trained painter with a credential and a placement earns a living wage—and reinvests it in a Memphis household and neighborhood.
Get Involved
Every career we build strengthens Memphis.
Whether you are ready to learn a trade, hire a graduate, or fund a scholarship, there is a place for you at Ready For The World.