Toney C. Armstrong is joining St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to direct security activities for the institution. He will oversee security efforts on the hospital’s 66-acre campus and at its three housing facilities for patients and their families.
Armstrong joins St. Jude from the Memphis Police Department where he served as director of Police Services since 2011. His appointment at St. Jude comes as the hospital embarks on a significant period of growth in its clinical care and research programs. During the next six years, St. Jude will increase the number of patients treated on campus by 20 percent and expand its workforce at the hospital and ALSAC, its fundraising and awareness organization, to about 7,000 positions across the two organizations.
“Toney Armstrong’s service with the Memphis Police Department has been distinguished by his efforts to strengthen community relations in the greater Memphis area and his commitment to leadership,” said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and chief executive officer. “We are fortunate to have someone of Toney’s caliber lead our security operations at St. Jude as we work to ensure that our campus continues to be safe and secure for patients, families, employees and visitors.”
Armstrong’s career as a Memphis police officer began in 1989 after he finished active service in the United States Army. He started as a patrolman and served as an undercover operative and an investigator in the department’s Organized Crime Unit. Armstrong also served at the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, major and colonel. In 2010, Armstrong was appointed deputy director overseeing the day-to-day operations for the Memphis Police Department.
In 2011, Armstrong was appointed director of Police Services after only 22 years of service becoming the youngest director in the department’s history.
"It is not surprising that one of the crown jewels of our city, St. Jude, would recognize the talent and leadership of our city's Police Director, Toney Armstrong," Mayor Jim Strickland said. “I sincerely thank Toney for his commitment and dedication to the city, and for his work with the Memphis Police Department.”
Armstrong is a native of Memphis and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Christian Brothers University.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.