Outside Chief Legal Officers

Terri Sharpley Reynolds is an attorney, strategist, and entrepreneur who helps local governments, nonprofits, and businesses design programs, policies, and partnerships that strengthen communities and improve operations. As Of Counsel with Outside Chief Legal LLC, she collaborates with the firm’s clients on complex public‑sector and nonprofit matters from her bases in Montgomery and Birmingham, further expanding Outside Chief Legal’s footprint across Alabama while continuing to serve as CEO of Levitate Logic & Consulting, where she leads a multidisciplinary team that integrates legal compliance, fund development, and strategic innovation to help organizations meet their goals. Under her leadership, Levitate has helped clients secure over $200 million in state and federal awards, implement major grant programs, and build systems that promote accountability and measurable results.​

Terri’s professional journey reflects nearly two decades of leadership at the intersection of law, government, and community development. She began her career in politics, serving as Political Director and later the inaugural District Director for Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-7), where she built coalitions across Alabama’s Black Belt and Jefferson County to address economic and infrastructure needs, and later served as Director of Public Affairs and Legislative Counsel for the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, helping shape the state’s historic 2019 infrastructure investment and training hundreds of local officials on governance and compliance.​

Today, Terri’s work focuses on helping organizations translate policy into practice, bridging the gap between vision and implementation for clients navigating complex government programs. Her firm is a trusted partner for initiatives involving federal grants management, housing, workforce development, public administration, and intergovernmental collaboration, and she also provides legal and strategic guidance to nonprofit boards and public agencies on governance, fiscal accountability, and operational planning.​

Drawing on personal experience, Terri co-founded Levi’s Grace, Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides support to mothers coping with pregnancy and infant loss, and she also serves on the boards of the Freshwater Land Trust, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the River Region, and Alabama Blackbelt Scholars, Inc.​

Terri earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Outside her professional endeavors, she enjoys international travel, creative projects, and spending time with her husband, Venny, and their three children, Xavier, Nova, and Savannah.