About Us

Senior Management

Cindy Ettingoff, Esq.

Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel

Ms. Ettingoff, a long time legal services volunteer and supporter, joins Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) as CEO and General Counsel after thirty years of practicing law.  In private practice, Ms. Ettingoff represented employers, employees, and unions in litigation, contract negotiations, arbitrations, and mediations. She is a Rule 31 General Civil Mediator, Family Mediator, and Mediator Trainer, and is listed on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Mediator/Dispute Resolution Panel.   She is the current chair of the Tennessee Bar Association ADR Section and serves on the board of Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators and the Mid-South Community and Justice Center.  She is a member of the American Bar Association – ADR, Labor and Employment Law, and Civil Rights and Social Justice Sections, and served as a case reviewer for the FLSA subsection’s 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 midwinter publications.

Ms. Ettingoff is a graduate of Leadership Memphis and Tennessee Leadership and also participated in the 2018 TBA Public Service Academy and the JLM LEAD program.  Ms. Ettingoff currently serves on the boards of the Memphis Chapter of the Society of Human Resource Managers, Freedom Prep Charter School, Harwood Center, Deaf Connect, and the ACE Foundation. In addition, she routinely volunteers for Shelby County Juvenile Court’s Youth Court and the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen.

Ms. Ettingoff taught employment law and legal writing at the University of Memphis and remains a frequent presenter and facilitator on various employment and mediation topics including the following 2019 presentations: Sexual Harassment after #MeTOO, Evaluating Damages in Mediation, Mediation Advocacy, Fair Labor Standards Act, How to Prevent Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace, Top Challenges with LGBT/Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Employee Privacy Issues – HIPAA, GINA,  Legal Ethics, National Labor Board Decisions, Employee Handbooks, ADR in Employment claims, Ethics for Advocates and Mediators, Impact of #MeToo on Sexual Harassment Claims, Co-trainer for ADRI in 40 hour TN Rule 31 Civil Mediator training, and Co-Presenter Diversity and Inclusion Conference by SHRM Memphis.

Elaine St. Clemmons

Chief Operating Officer

Elaine St. Clemmons is the Chief Operations Officer at Memphis Area Legal Services. She came on board in July 2018 to handle operations, human resources, and property maintenance duties. In addition, Elaine is responsible for managing the process of developing and implementing the organization’s strategic plan. She received her B.A. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her M.P.A. from Troy University. For over ten years, she lived and worked in the St. Louis area before returning to Tennessee. A committed servant, Elaine attends and volunteers at Memphis Christian Center. She has one daughter, Sydney, a senior at Tennessee Wesleyan University. She can be contacted at estclemmons@malsi.org.

Tracy Welch

Chief Financial Officer