TENNESSEE EDUCATORS OF COLOR ALLIANCE, EDTRUST LAUNCH STATEWIDE COUNCIL AIMED AT TEACHER DIVERSITY

The Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance (TECA), in partnership with The Education Trust in Tennessee, has established the statewide Educator Diversity Advocacy Council. The council, which is comprised of current and aspiring educators as well as leaders in education administration, public policy, and advocacy, will be focused on a statewide effort to improve teacher diversity in public schools across the state

The primary goal of the Educator Diversity Advocacy Council is to serve as architects of the 20×25 Campaign. The campaign will seek to increase the percentage of educators of color in Tennessee by 20 percent by the year of 2025. The council will create a policy and advocacy agenda to advance the recruitment and retention for educators of color statewide

​“We are ecstatic to collaborate with these leaders as we work towards a more equitable and inclusive educator workforce reflective of the students we serve in Tennessee,” said TECA Executive Director Diarese George, Ed.D. “We are even more excited about the opportunity to elevate the voices of educators of color in this specific work. We are encouraged to know that this forthcoming policy agenda will be set by people who have a passion for this work and we know that it will be informed by their lived experiences and their professional expertise.”

​Members of the Council are:

Dr. Diarese George, Executive Director, Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance (Co-chair)

Gini Pupo-Walker, State Director, The Education Trust in Tennessee (Co-chair)

Jonathan Brown, First Grade Teacher, Hamilton County Schools

Nicholas Clifton, Child Development Major, Maryville College

David Cowan, Assistant Principal, Rutherford County Schools

Michalyn Easter-Thomas, Instructional Facilitator, Shelby County Schools

Aleah Guthrie, Director of Policy & Government Relations, TN SCORE

Neven Holland, Fourth Grade Teacher, Shelby County Schools

Lindsey Mattingly, Manager of Resident Development, Nashville Teacher Residency

Carlin McGlown, Assistant Principal, Tipton County Schools

Brittany Paschall, ELA Resident Teacher, Nashville-Teacher Residency

Beatriz Salgado, Assistant Principal, Metro-Nashville Public Schools

Evetty Satterfield, School Board Member, Knox County Schools

Shanacia Thomasson, 6th Grade Math Teacher, Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools

Dr. Linda Treadwell, School Counselor, Knox County Schools

Amber Tyus, Director of Talent & Acquisition, Metro-Nashville Public Schools

Dr. Rick Vanosdall, Professor and Interim Dean, Middle Tennessee State University

Angellica Wright, First Grade Teacher, Metro-Nashville Public Schools

Dr. Troy Yarbrough, Special Education Teacher, KIPP Nashville

​ABOUT TENNESSEE EDCUATORS OF COLOR ALLIANCE

The mission of Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance is to amplify the voice, presence, and support for educators of color while remaining student-centered and solutions-oriented. The central belief of TECA is that all students benefit from teachers and administrators of color, especially since many of these educators were once students of color themselves. Because of these shared experiences, educators of color are able to speak to the systemic inequities that students of color face. Many of Tennessee’s policymakers do not look like or represent the majority of students in our schools and TECA believes in elevating teacher leaders of color to be policy advocates for their students.