Walter Person holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  He is a certified Master Black Belt in Six Sigma methodology, a graduate of the Leadership Memphis Executive Class of 2011, and a Certified  Municipal Finance Officer in 2023. 

Person was appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer for the City of Memphis in January 2024. He previously was appointed Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the City of Memphis in November 2021.  As Deputy Chief Financial Officer, he is responsible for the financial management of the organization, which includes budget analysis and management, debt management, financial modeling and reporting, cost-benefit analysis, forecasting needs, accounting and treasury operations, and investment strategies.  While in this role as Deputy Chief Financial Officer he also served as Interim Comptroller as well as Interim Budget Manager. He serves as a member of the City’s Pension Investment Committee. 

Prior to his employment at the city, Person worked in multiple roles at First Horizon National Corporation (FHNC), including Senior Vice President, Corporate Risk Management-Model Validation Group.  He was responsible for ensuring the adequacy of the models used by FHNC.   

Person is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and an active member of First Baptist Church-Broad, and has also served in various capacities with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, MIFA Financial Literacy Program, Memphis Prep Program, and Watoto De Afrika.