Meet a new class of Tennesseans of color who are tackling issues of education equity
Fifteen people across Tennessee are being charged with spotlighting issues of equity and coming together to design solutions to better serve all students, but especially students of color.
The group was named as the second class of Mosaic Fellows by the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition in conjunction with Conexión Américas, a nonprofit Latino advocacy group.
“Leaders of color must play an integral role in the K-12 education ecosystem in Tennessee, both to better reflect the communities served by our public schools, but to also bring an essential mix of experience and insights that are required for long-term improvement in student achievement,” the two organizations wrote in the announcement of the fellows.
In recent years, the state has grappled with a shortage of teachers of color. About 14 percent of new teachers in Tennessee training programs identify as non-white, compared with 36 percent of the state’s student population. More than 100 school districts did not have a single Hispanic teacher and 27 did not have a single black teacher, according to state data from 2014.
Three of the fellows are from Shelby County Schools – the state’s largest school district – including Lin Johnson, who as chief financial officer has overseen a move to student-based budgeting, a key component of Shelby County Schools’ efforts to ensure state and local money is distributed based on student need.
The fellowship launched last year with a class of 16 and was designed as the state’s first fellowship aimed specifically at educators of color. This year’s class ranges from a Nashville teacher to charter organization leaders to higher education officials.
The year-long Mosaic Fellowship will include four three-day seminars that focus on current and historic issues in Tennessee education, leadership and diversity.
West Tennessee
Lin Johnson, chief financial officer, Shelby County Schools
Jacques Hamilton, program coordinator, Tennessee Charter School Center
DeVonté Payton, advisor for school development, Shelby County Schools
Joshua Perkins, advisor, Shelby County Schools Office of Charter Schools
Middle Tennessee
Indira Dammu, education policy advisor, Office of Mayor David Briley
Laura Delgado, program director, College of Education, Lipscomb University
Chris Echegaray, community achieves site manager, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Karla Coleman García, director for adult learner initiatives, Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Keilani Goggins, director, Hope Street Group
Joseph Gutierrez, program associate, Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund
LaKishia Harris, director of equity and access, STEM Preparatory Academy
Tomás Yan, STEAM teacher, Metro Nashville Public Schools
East Tennessee
Janine Al-Aseer, New Hopewell, site coordinator, Great Schools Partnership
Denise Dean, project director, East Knoxville Freedom School
Brook Dennard Rosser, talent acquisition and retention liaison, Knox County Schools
