TENNESSEE EDUCATORS OF COLOR ALLIANCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- FIRST GRADE TEACHER, MNPS
Angelica Wright is a recent graduate from Lipscomb University. She currently teaches 1st grade in Metro-Nashville Public Schools. Being half Filipina and half white growing up, she never saw teachers that looked like her. Ms. Wright believes it is important for teachers to reflect the population of the kids they teach - be a mirror for them. She attended MLK High School, in Nashville, and truly valued rigorous academics; however, what she valued most was the diversity at the school. Ms. Wright is very passionate about empowering herself and others, growth and exploration. She has traveled to Brisbane, Australia and Santiago, Chile during her time in college, and can't wait to explore more of the world. Ms. Wright aspires to teach, learn from, and love others as much as she can, regardless of where they come from or what they look like, etc. When she is not teaching, spending time with friends, and taking care of her two cats. She also likes trying new foods and watching Selling Sunset.
Job Titles:
- ELA RESIDENT TEACHER, NASHVILLE TEACHER RESIDENCY
Brittany T. Paschall does freedom work as an educator, minister, and organizer, aligning social justice and education. She currently serves as an ELA Resident Teacher with the Nashville Teacher Residency in MNPS. As a second-generation public educator, she has a passion for education and social justice. Brittany believes education is a breeding ground for liberation and feels it is a joy to empower her students to think and act; the world is dependent on them. She understands that to encourage the next generation of students to fully lead our communities and to do that, they deserve to have access to quality education from teachers, facilities, and materials. Brittany is also the founder of We Remember Nashville, an organizing and public memory effort that aims to address the historical terror of lynching in Davidson County. Brittany is a graduate of Grand Canyon University, where she studied sociology. She is a native of Nashville, the great-great-granddaughter of an enslaved man, and is deeply connected to the
Job Titles:
- ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, TIPTON COUNTY SCHOOLS
- Principal at Munford Middle School
Carlin McGlown is an assistant principal at Munford Middle School in the Tipton County School District. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Memphis in 4th-8th grade education and a master's in Higher Education Administration from Wayland Baptist. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Freed-Hardeman. Carlin has served on several district and state committees. She was chosen as the Tipton County Teacher of the Year in 2018 and was one of the nine Tennessee State Finalists. Because of this, she served on the 2018-2019 TN Commissioner's Council Advisory Team under Dr. Candice McQueen. Carlin is a 2019-2020 SCORE Tennessee Educator Fellow and has completed advocacy work centered on bringing career and post-secondary exploration to middle school. Carlin has been married for twenty years and has two sons and one dog. Aside from supporting teachers and students, she enjoys biking, reading, and grilling delicious meals.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education
- Director of Strategic Partnerships
Christiane Buggs is Chair of the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education. She is a Nashville native and former MNPS student who went on to earn a bachelor's degree in physics and two master's degrees in education - from Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University respectively - before returning to MNPS as a middle school math teacher. As Board Chair she manages a $1.2B budget that serves the social, emotional and academic needs of 83,000 students across 159 schools who speak 141 different languages and live in households whose incomes range from poverty through affluence. She proudly oversaw an increase of $84M in the city's education budget that constituted a median $7,000 per year pay increase for Nashville's public school teachers. The management of this system through a tornado, pandemic and changing of Superintendents led to the development of a number of collaborative partnerships that have supported and produced an increase in student achievement throughout her two years in board leadership.
Ms. Buggs was named a member of the 2021 class of the Nashville Business Journal's 40 Under 40 because of her public service leadership and serves on a myriad of other non-profit boards across Nashville that focus on the development, resourcing or general support of historically underserved community groups. She is a founding board member of The Equity Alliance, a Nashville based 501c3 that seeks to educate, engage, and empower minorities around the civic process. Her most recent full-time role at United Way of Greater Nashville kept her heavily involved in supporting Nashville's young people and engaging stakeholders as she regularly surveyed the literacy landscape, both nationally and locally, to coalesce and elevate best practices. She served as the Manager of Literacy Partnerships for the Blueprint for Early Childhood Success, Nashville's city-wide initiative focused on increasing literacy proficiency in our youngest learners.
Ms. Buggs approaches her role as Director of Strategic Partnerships for TECA as a life-long learner and collaborator. Young people, and the community of adults who support them, are made better when we work together. Curating spaces and opportunities for development will make it possible to sustain education long-term.
Job Titles:
- ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, RUTHERFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
- First - Year Assistant Principal
David Cowan currently serves as a first-year Assistant Principal in Rutherford County Schools in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He taught for 10 years, serving primarily as a 7th Grade Science teacher and football coach. Mr. Cowan's passion for the progression of diversity in education comes from being an educator for ten years in multiple roles within my school, district, and state, and from my personal experiences as a student in Tennessee. He has served as a teacher, department chair, district curriculum leadership team member, district PLC leader, textbook adoption committee member, state department trainer, item reviewer, and as a member of state standards committees.
Mr. Cowan's journey as a student began in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee where he attended K-12 public schools while participating in sports and the arts. During that time, he witnessed firsthand the lack of diversity in my teachers and the opportunities made available to students like him. As a first-generation college student and a member of the football team at Middle Tennessee State University, he obtained an undergraduate and master's degree. He is currently completing his second master's degree at Tennessee State University. He is married to his beautiful wife, Brandee, and they have 4 amazing children together.
Throughout my journey, I have gained immeasurable experience and knowledge, met countless impactful individuals, and gained numerous tools to aid in the promotion of diversity. He hopes to use his passion and experience to continue to push education forward in Tennessee.
Job Titles:
- Education, Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA. For 2 years, she has been involved with the
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- MEMBER of the EXECUTIVE BOARD
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- PASSAGE Coordinator, Metro - Nashville Public Schools
Derrick M. Williams currently works for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools as the PASSAGE Coordinator. The focus of Positive and Safe Schools Advancing Greater Equity (PASSAGE) is to address disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of Black and Latino students across the school district. Since beginning his career at Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) as a behavioral specialist in 2009, Williams has supported the district's students and families through a variety of positions, such as family involvement specialist, community outreach specialist, behavior support coordinator, and SEL coordinator. In 2003, Williams received his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from South Carolina State University, where he was a member of Psi Chi and Pi Gamma Mu honor societies and the recipient of the Presidential Scholar Award - Bronze five years in a row. In 2009, he earned his Master of Science degree in psychology at the University of Phoenix and, in 2015, completed coursework in applied behavioral analytics at Lipscomb University, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society. Derrick has always been an advocate for change when it comes to addressing inequities, and the lack of diversity & inclusion.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Associate Director of Talent With RePublic Schools
- Captured by Lady Di
Diana Anosike serves as Associate Director of Talent with RePublic Schools. She has been working in education now for 5 years. Diana is incredibly passionate about ensuring that students have access to a great education and she believes that having excellent teachers in schools is one of the highest leverage ways to ensure that students are getting a high-quality education. Diana also serves as the Chairperson for the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) coalition at RePublic Schools because she believes that reimagining public education in the South isn't possible without operating through an equity lens.
Job Titles:
- Syracuse University School of Education
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Founder
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- SCHOOL COUNSELOR, KNOX COUNTY SCHOOLS
Linda Treadwell is a seasoned school counselor, and she works diligently to serve as an advocate for her students. Linda Treadwell has been a school counselor since 1997. She has been commended as Counselor of the Year for middle school and high school from her local counseling association. Linda Treadwell graduated Lincoln Memorial University in 1997 with a Masters in School Counseling and started working for Knox County Schools as a high school counselor. In 2007 she transferred to a middle school and is currently at Farragut Middle School. She has two grown sons and two grandchildren.
In 2016 Linda Treadwell received her Doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has worked as an adjunct professor for Lincoln Memorial University in the Ed.S Program. Linda Treadwell enjoys teaching and has recognized the lack of people of color in the field of education.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Dr. Taja M. Welch is a Pre-K-3 teacher at Fair Garden Early
Learning Center. She has taught preschool for 5 years and
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Programming and Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Kevin Haggard was born and raised in Louisville, KY, but has been serving students and families in the Nashville community since 2009. A graduate of Tennessee State University, Kevin started his career in child welfare, specifically helping families to find reunification and permanence. While in this role, he was exposed to an array of systems, including juvenile justice, healthcare, socio-emotional wellness, and education. In response to the varying needs of the community, Kevin began working in Nashville schools as an advocate and counselor, working in partnership with community members, students, families, and various stakeholders to alleviate non-academic barriers to student success. Kevin holds a Masters of Social Work from Western Kentucky University and a Doctorate of Education from Trevecca Nazarene University. He currently serves as the Director of Talent Management for a local Charter Management Organization.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founding Member of Templeton Academy
- Nashville Teacher Residency
Lemuel Holifield is a founding member of Templeton Academy. He currently holds the title of Student Life Coordinator and STEM teacher, he coordinates internships, club activities, sports and a multitude of other activities. Lemuel is in his 9th year in education, beginning his career as a middle school science teacher and head coach, he then progressed to teach and coach the High School level. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Lemuel has also served as the summer site director for Instructional Partners. Lemuel has facilitated successful Professional Development sites in Crossville, Memphis and New Orleans. Lemuel comes to Nashville by way of Johnson City, Tennessee, He is a happily married father of four children. He regularly mentors and advised former and current student with an emphasis on future career and life goals. Lemuel's main charter in life is to empower his students to successfully navigate through life as well-rounded individuals with a strong sense of cultural identity.
Job Titles:
- Independent Consultant
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Executive Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Metro Nashville Public Schools
Tameka H. Marshall is a veteran public-school teacher with a proven track record of excellence against state evaluation standards. She has been named Teacher of the Year by her school level peers and her classroom is a model space for culturally responsive teaching, anti-racism and student voice. Tameka is a SCORE, Tennessee Educator Fellow and a panelist for Metro Nashville Public Schools New Teacher Academy. She is a National Board-Certified teacher in Literacy-Reading and Language Arts. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fisk University, summa sum laude, a Master of Art in Teaching, MAT from Belmont University, holds a license endorsement to teach dual language learners from Lipscomb University and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Tameka regularly engages with community stakeholders on behalf of students. She believes in the power of collective efficacy, culture, and eliminating deficit mindsets regarding underserved students through strong accountability systems and effective leadership.