Teach For America Alumnus to Drive Efforts to Provide Additional Effective Teachers and Leaders for High-Need Local Schools
For Immediate Release
Contact: Rebecca Neale | Teach For America
202.906.9207 | rebecca.neale@teachforamerica.org
PHILADELPHIA, May 7, 2012—Teach For America announced today that alumnus Tre Johnson will serve as executive director of the organization’s Greater Philadelphia site. In this role, Johnson will lead efforts to support the organization’s local teacher corps and cultivate partnerships to help expand educational opportunity for students across the region. Previously, the region was led by executive director Mike Wang and interim executive director Jemina Bernard.
This school year, more than 300 Teach For America corps members in the region are reaching some 44,000 students in high-need schools. In addition, nearly 900 alumni are working across sectors to help ensure that every child in Philadelphia and across the country has access to an excellent education. Nationally, more than 9,000 Teach For America corps members are teaching in 43 regions, while nearly 24,000 alumni continue to lead and support critical efforts to expand educational opportunity.
Prior to this role, Johnson led Teach For America-Greater Philadelphia’s Alumni Affairs team, coordinating and supporting the efforts of Teach For America alumni across the region to improve educational outcomes in under-resourced classrooms and communities. Johnson also served as director of community and district partnerships, where he managed relationships with school and district leaders across the region.
“Tre is a strong and passionate leader with a deep commitment topartnering with our communities to ensure that all students have access to an excellent education,” said Teach For America–Greater Philadelphia Board Chair Robert Hall. “I’m confident that he is the right person to take our region to the next phase of growth and impact, and I look forward to supporting his efforts toward this vision.”
A native of Trenton, N.J., Johnson graduated from the University of Maryland and joined the Teach For America-Houston corps in 2001. He went on to teach in Howard County, Md., and then worked for the Urban Alliance Foundation in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Teach For America’s staff in 2010, he served in grant-writing and admissions roles for the Mariana Bracetti Academy and for Freire Charter School in Philadelphia.
"I’m honored to lead our Greater Philadelphia region and to continue working with so many people who are deeply committed to ensuring educational opportunities for every student,” Johnson said. “In partnership with many other dedicated teachers and leaders across our community, our corps members and alumni are providing kids from underserved backgrounds with the education they deserve and empowering them to achieve their full potential.”
About Teach For America
Teach For Americaworks in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For Americarecruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. Today more than 9,000 corps members are teaching in 43 urban and rural regions across the country, while nearly 24,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. For more information, visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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