The former head of the University of Memphis Foundation has taken her fight over a firing to federal court, suing both the Foundation and University of Memphis President Bill Hardgrave. Holly Ford alleges she was wrongfully terminated last year after raising concerns about Hardgrave’s conduct, and she is now seeking a jury trial along with punitive damages, compensatory damages and litigation costs.
According to the Daily Memphian, Ford filed her federal lawsuit on Nov. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. However, the Commercial Appeal reports the filing date as Nov. 13, also in the Western District of Tennessee — the two outlets differ on the exact day. Ford had served as CEO of the Foundation since 2021 before her firing in November, the Daily Memphian notes.
The lawsuit alleges that over a two-year span, Hardgrave attempted to gain greater control over the Foundation in ways that put its status as a legally separate nonprofit entity at risk, per the Commercial Appeal’s account of the filing. Among the specific allegations: that in October and November 2022, Hardgrave tried to procure a split-dollar life insurance policy from the Foundation. The suit also claims Ford received a $3,200 legal invoice in March 2023 for work performed exclusively for Hardgrave — a charge billed, she alleges, to an organization that wasn’t supposed to be covering his personal legal expenses.
A Whistleblower Complaint Preceded the Lawsuit
Court filings described by the Commercial Appeal indicate Ford didn’t go straight to a courtroom. The newspaper’s report states that she submitted a whistleblower complaint through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in May, months before her federal lawsuit followed. It’s worth noting that these are allegations contained in Ford’s legal filing, not conclusions reached by a court, and no response from Hardgrave, the university or the Foundation is reflected in the available reporting.
The University of Memphis Foundation itself dates back decades, having been created in 1964 to accept, manage and disburse private support to the university and on behalf of the university, according to the same Daily Memphian reporting. It’s the kind of institutional backbone that makes any dispute over its independence and governance carry real weight for the university’s fundraising apparatus.
Board’s Mass Resignation Followed Ford’s Firing
Ford’s ouster didn’t happen quietly within the organization. The Daily Memphian previously reported that after she was fired, the entire Foundation board resigned, leaving the nonprofit without its volunteer leadership. At the time, that earlier reporting stated plainly that it remained unclear what led to Ford’s firing and the mass resignations — a question the new lawsuit appears intended to answer, at least from Ford’s perspective.
The stakes tied to the Foundation’s governance are substantial. Prior Daily Memphian coverage put the Foundation’s assets under management at approximately $345 million, including endowment funds, representing roughly 145% growth over five years. A December 2025 report from the Memphis Business Journal had already characterized the situation as a power struggle between the Foundation and the university reaching a breaking point, describing the CEO’s firing and the board’s full resignation in similar terms.
Ford’s lawsuit now puts those earlier, murkier reports into a formal legal framework, with specific dollar figures and dated allegations about insurance arrangements and legal billing. Whether a jury ultimately hears the case, and how Hardgrave or the university respond to the claims, remains to be seen as the litigation moves through federal court.
