Keith presently teaches American History at Airways Middle School where he is also the assistant football coach, softball coach, baseball coach, and head of the Social Studies Department.  After serving five years in the U.S. Navy, Keith attended Syracuse University where he received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Anthropology/Archaeology. Upon graduating from Syracuse in 2003, he worked at Primary Source in Boston, where he helped develop a professional development curriculum to help teachers K-12 integrate and teach West African History. While earning a Master’s of Arts in History degree from Arkansas State University (2006), Keith conducted research on Free Persons of Color in Shelby County, TN 1850-1860, and presented the results at the Phi Alpha Theta Convention in 2006.  Keith has taught on the middle, high, and collegiate levels.  Most recently, Keith received a Master’s in Education degree from Union University where he conducted research on the impact of high teacher turnover in urban and rural school districts.

As a 6^th Grade Reading/Language Arts teacher at Snowden Middle School, Katrina recently earned National Board Certification (November 2010). Katrina earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Human Development in 2006 and a Master’s in Education in 2007, both from Christian Brothers University.  In her 5 ½ years of teaching, Katrina has sought opportunities to reflect and improve on her own pedagogy so that she can see the impact on her students every day, believing that “all flowers of all tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”  One such way Katrina improves her practice is through her active participation in the Gates’ Measures of Effective Teaching Project.

Monica Brown is a 4^th grade teacher at Oakhaven Elementary.  She currently serves on her school’s leadership and Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies (PBIS) teams, as Memphis Education Association (MEA) representative, as co-coordinator of annual Career Day, an after-school tutor, and a CSTEM (Communications, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teacher.  She has also served as 4^th grade level chairperson and AdvancED: Vision and Purpose Committee chairperson.  A product of Memphis City Schools, Monica made a mid-career change to become a teacher following a 15-year career in healthcare administration.  After serving as a community tutor, a Memphis City Schools (Our Children-Our Future) tutor, and a teacher at her church, she saw the need to give back to her community through her love for teaching.  Monica has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a double minor in African-American studies and sociology from the University of Memphis, a Master of Healthcare Administration from Tulane University, and a Teaching Certificate from Crichton College.    

Terri Campbell is a 5^th grade teacher at Evans Elementary.  She is a member of the National Science Teacher Association. She has a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and an Ed.S. in School Administration from Freed-Hardeman University.  Terri serves on the school’s leadership team.  She enjoys reading about policy changes as they relate to teacher and student achievement. Terri contributes extended training to student achievement.  She was selected for the Teacher Envoy Training and extends her knowledge by taking Harvard Wide World classes: Getting Started with Data Wise and Teacher for Understanding 1: Focus on Student Understanding. Terri works often as a volunteer in the community.  One of her most joyous volunteer efforts is volunteering as Girl Scout Brownie Co-leader for service unit 10641.  She presented “Expect Excellence,” a presentation that focused on what is working to help motivate students with fellow teachers and the school’s administrator, at the Tennessee’s Conference for Striving Schools. Currently, she is participating in the MET project and is a mentor for the Memphis Teacher Residency program.

Allyson Chick is a 2nd grade teacher at Richland Elementary in Memphis. She is a graduate of the University of Memphis and studied Spanish at La Universidad de Idiomas in Guanajuato, Mexico. She is working on completing an endorsement in ESL. Allyson was honored as Rotary Teacher of the Year in 2005 and achieved National Board Certification in Middle Childhood in 2006. She enjoys working with new teachers and has mentored many student teachers from the University of Memphis, Crichton College, and Christian Brothers University. She is very active in the National Education Association and has been elected to attend the annual convention 5 times. Allyson has represented new teachers as the New Teacher Board Member on the Tennessee Education Association Board of Directors for three years and held a board member position on the Memphis Education Association Board of Directors for four years. She has been a building representative for each of the nine years of her teaching career.

Brittany Clark teaches 10^th through 12^th grade English as well as Dual Enrollment Composition at Middle College High School.  Brittany is also an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis where she teaches Composition 1010 and 1020, which she has done for the past seven years. Brittany has mentored teachers for the past two years through the Memphis Teacher Residency Program, and she is also involved with The New Teacher Project as a consultant working with school districts around the country. At Middle College, Brittany has served as the English Department Chairperson and in-house New Teacher Mentor. In June 2010, she presented a workshop entitled, “Bridging the Gap Between High School and College.” The workshop was part of the Middle College National Consortium yearly conference.  Before making the decision to teach in urban schools, Brittany taught freshman, senior, and AP English at Immaculate Conception Christian School. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Rhodes College, a Maste’rs in Literary Linguistics from the University of Birmingham, England, and plans to eventually begin her doctoral work in Education Policy or Literacy.

Melissa Collins teaches 2^nd grade at John P. Freeman Optional School and has been teaching there for 10 years.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Murray State and a Master’s and Specialist’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is currently working on her Doctorate, and she is expected to graduate in spring 2011. In 2005, she became a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Childhood. She has mentored teachers through the National Board process. Through her leadership, several teachers have accomplished National Board Certification.  She is passionate about helping teachers accomplish National Board Certification. As a result of her dedication, she has assessed in Jackson, Mississippi and Charlotte, North Carolina and presented numerous workshops to assist National Board Candidates. She enjoys working with others for the benefit of increasing student achievement. Her loyalty lies among her students. She is passionate about teaching students science. As a result, she received the Presidential Award for Science and Mathematics Excellence in Teaching in 2008. Because of the award, she had the opportunity to meet President Barack Obama, and along with other teachers, she was featured on CNN during the “Educate to Innovate” Campaign. During that time, she was given the opportunity to lobby for students with senators, congressmen, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.  Congressman Steve Cohen announced her accomplishment during a “House of Representatives” speech.

Aimee Cothran is a math teacher at Craigmont High School.  She teaches AP Calculus, AP Statistics, Dual Enrollment College Algebra and Elementary Calculus, and Pre-Calculus.  She has recently been offered an opportunity to teach Dual Enrollment classes online for Memphis City Schools.  Aimee received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mathematics from the University of Memphis.  She has recently returned to school and is working on her Ph.D. in Educational Technology at Walden University.  She is currently working with the Memphis school system to develop a new rubric for teacher evaluations.   She is also on the math textbook adoption committee and will work on a committee to rewrite the Statistics Curriculum.  Previously, she was on the team that revamped the Pre-Calculus Curriculum.  Aimee will be completing her three years summer internship this summer at Oak Ridge National Laboratories.  All of this, and she also plays a vital role at Craigmont.  She is on the Leadership Team and is the Dean of one of Craigmont’s academies.  She also serves as the chair of the math department.  Being a senior teacher, she has also taken it upon herself to mentor her four new math teachers (all are corps members of Teach for America).  In addition, she is active with the students by being the senior activity coordinator.  She works with a committee of senior advisors (teachers) and students’ representatives to make sure the seniors have an exciting, fun, and successful senior year.

Pattie has been a middle school science teacher for 10 years with Memphis City Schools. She has degrees in Elementary Education, Adult Education, Distance Learning, and Education Administration, and she is currently working on her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. She has facilitated both in and out of the school setting.

Crystal E. Harper is a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher at Hickory Ridge Middle School. She has been a teacher for Memphis City Schools for 6 years. Her 15-year teaching experience is also inclusive of: teaching Oral Communication at the University of Memphis, teaching reading and writing at the Memphis Literacy Council, teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at Ikawa Jr. High School in Tokushima, Japan and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Crystal also works for NBPTS (National Board of Professional Teaching Standards) as an assessor and has served on the Tennessee State Department of Education board for TCAP/ELL assessment.

Jaime Siebrase Hudgins is currently in her 4th year of teaching at Raleigh Egypt High School, where she teaches U.S. Government, AP U.S. Government, and Honors Humanities. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from George Washington University, an M.A. in History from Catholic University, and a Post-Baccalaureate Degree in Social Studies Education from Western Governors University. In addition to teaching, she has coached the Raleigh Egypt Debate team, whose finest moment was advancing to the Chase National Urban Debate Championships in April 2010, the golf team, and has served as the Social Studies Professional Learning Community Chairperson. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys tennis, golf, photography, and spending time with her husband, Brett, and their pets.

Darrell Hugueley is a 7^th grade Language Arts teacher at Cordova Middle school in Cordova, Tennessee. He found his way to teaching after successful careers in sales and corporate training. Darrell has a Master of Arts in Teaching degree, with an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing. He has worked with the Memphis City Schools curriculum department writing curriculum, and has been a perennial presenter at Tennessee Association of Middle Schools, as well as at district in-services across the state of Tennessee. At his school he is a team leader, department chair, and serves on his school leadership committee. He is a trained mentor for new teachers. Darrell is a Team Coordinator with Stand for Children at his school. He also writes test items for the state Constructed Response Assessment committee. He has provided value-added teacher input on the state writing assessment test committee. Darrell has acted in Community Theater, reads at poetry readings, and has had two exhibits of an art project at local venues. Darrell is a published author of poetry and plays, and has just published a new children's book, The King of Stories.

Tanya is a wife and mother of four children - two of them college students at Rhodes College. One of her daughters will follow her into teaching as the 7th generation teacher in the family. She has taught in her church as well as private schools, public schools, college, and now charter schools. Consistently, she finds children who want to learn and crave direction from strong teachers. She has a passion to help students succeed in a world where too much emphasis is placed on high-stakes testing and not enough emphasis is placed on high-stakes learning. Teaching is more than a career to her; it is a way of life.

Tamira is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. She has been teaching for eleven years and she currently teaches 6th grade Social Studies at Memphis Business Academy Middle School, Home of the Executives! When she is not teaching or being bombarded by students' hugs, you can find her at home reading, cooking and eating, or spending time with loved ones.

Amy is currently an art teacher for preschool through fifth grade students at Coleman Elementary, a Memphis City School in the Northeast region. She is also a mentor for the Visual Art and Theatre department in the district. She holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts, a Master of Arts in Education: Elementary Teacher Education, and an add-on certification endorsement in Art Education grades K-12. Prior to teaching art, she started her career in the classroom. As a new teacher she was surrounded by some of the city’s best educators that taught her many key tools to being successful with her students. Outside of the classroom she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, creating art of all kinds, and being outside whenever possible.

Annetra is a fourth grade teacher at Riverwood School. She is a graduate of the University of Memphis and Grand Canyon University. She has taught in the Memphis City School System for six years.  She is known for her classroom management skills and ability to effectively provide rigorous instruction that leads to student growth. It is her goal to be a catalyst for the changes needed to strengthen student achievement in the entire Memphis community.

Charles Seaton, Jr. is an 8^th grade Exceptional Children Instructor at Sherwood Middle School.  Charles was a successful nonprofit executive for 15 years.  Charles stated, "I felt a higher calling" and sought and secured employment in a striving inner city school.  Charles sets the standard for professionalism, motivation and teamwork at Sherwood Middle.  He is an active member of the PBIS Committee and SACS accreditation committee. Charles also finds time to enjoy coaching baseball, basketball, and golf.

A native Louisianan, Meredith received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 2006 before moving to Memphis. Through Teach for America, she taught special education at Sheffield High while completing her Master of Arts in Teaching at the University of Memphis. She trained new teachers at Teach for America summer training institutes and got an in-depth knowledge of the district while serving as a School Board Fellow. In 2009, Meredith began teaching visual arts and photography in her current role at Southwest Prep Academy. She is pursuing National Board Certification.

Angela Staples is a 6th grade math teacher at Ridgeway Middle School. She is a participant in the Measures of Effective Teaching Study through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As a member of the study she had the privilege to speak on a panel of other Ridgeway Teachers with Bill and Melinda Gates to discuss education reform. She is currently a candidate for National Board Certification with a concentration in Early Years Mathematics. She is a member of the Memphis Education Association, Tennessee Education Association, National Education Association, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. At Ridgeway, Angela serves as Team Leader, Field Trip Coordinator, Events and Activities Coordinator, Student Council Sponsor, and Journalism Sponsor. Angela holds a Bachelor's in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN.

Aisha Thornton is a 6^th grade Social Studies teacher at Hickory Ridge Middle School in Memphis, Tennessee. In her six years teaching in MCS, Aisha has served in several leadership capacities, including Team Leader for the School Improvement Plan, Social Studies Department chairperson, and Instructional Team Leader. Aisha has worked with MCS in developing and revising the curriculum for middle school Social Studies. In addition to teaching, Aisha works with the Memphis Teaching Fellows, assisting with the recruitment and selection of aspiring teachers for Memphis City Schools. She received a B.A. in History from the University of Memphis, an M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Tennessee State University, and an M.B.A. in Human Resource Management from Walden University.