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Teach For America St. Louis offers various professional development opportunities for our Alumni.
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Aspiring School Leaders Fellowship

Aspiring School Leaders Fellowship

Next to the teacher in the classroom, research shows that the school building leader has the most significant impact on a student’s achievement and future trajectory.

The Aspiring School Leaders Fellowship prepares a racially and professionally diverse cohort of educators to lead high-performing schools by cultivating their skills to positively influence student outcomes and educational equity, and supports them in advancing along a pathway to school leadership. 

History

Since it's launch in 2014, the program has graduated more than 100 participants, with 73% of participants identify as coming from an underrepresented background (BIPOC, low-income background, and/or first in family to attend college). Previous fellows include over a dozen leaders of local public schools—including traditional district schools and public charter schools—more than 30 mid-level school leaders, and two elected school board members. Our 15 2022-2023 fellows represent 13 schools across 8 districts in St. Louis with an average of 10 years in education.

Diverse group of people sitting and facing camera

Program Components

The Aspiring School Leaders Fellowship is a nine-month program with more than 55 hours of programming designed to accelerate participants’ leadership development through networking with education leaders in St. Louis and monthly professional development sessions from national and local facilitators. 

Program components include:

  • Monthly sessions on topics relevant to aspiring school leaders like setting a school vision.
  • School visits & learning from local and national education leaders.
  • Two individualized career discussions throughout the year
  • Optional Master’s Degree and principal certification through Saint Louis University.
  • Meetings will take place monthly (exact timing TBD)
  • Participants may be asked to miss up to five days of school/work to participate in PD opportunities as part of this cohort including trainings, university seminars, or school visits.
“I was better prepared for a school leadership role as a result of this program. The professional development, school visits, resume assistance, interview preparation, and connecting to local leadership was extremely helpful in securing an assistant principal role. I am also equipped with the tools to sustain a long career in the education field due to the ASLF Program.”

ASLF Fellow

Application Process

Click here to learn more and apply to be a 2023-2024 fellow. You can also use this link to nominate someone for the program. The priority application deadline is June 15, 2023.

Ignite Fellowship

Ignite Fellowship

Ignite is a virtual, paid, part-time tutoring fellowship sponsored by Teach For America, that accelerates learning and fosters belonging with students.

Make an immediate impact by leading small group virtual learning experiences for students with the support of a veteran educator. As an Ignite Fellow, you’ll build meaningful relationships with youth, accelerate student learning, and gain skills that propel forward your own leadership.

Alt text: Students in a classroom

History

St. Louis is one of 20 Ignite sites across the county. Launched in Fall 2022, the program started in two schools, KIPP Wisdom Elementary and St. Louis Language Immersion School, and has since expanded to a third, Brittany Woods Middle School, in spring 2023. To date, 50 fellows (20 in the fall and 30 in the spring) have served nearly 150 students in 3rd grade reading and 6th grade math and we intend to expand to 60 fellows a semester in the 2023-2024 school year. This translates to more than 3,600 hours of tutoring over the fall and spring semesters.

“Ignite made a huge impact on the confidence and joy that kids have. It is formative to say you're going to sit with a college tutor, someone who is not me or another adult in the building. It has built their confidence and instilled this joy and excitement to come to school.”

Christina Salmo

Reading Interventionalist, KIPP Ignite Trainer

St. Louis Corps Member 2014

Program Components

  • Virtual tutoring 3-5 hours per week for 10-12 weeks during school hours
  • 1-3 students per fellow in groups that are consistent to deepen relationships
  • A school-based trainer that delivers ongoing training and support to Ignite fellows 
  • Fellows receive an award of $1,200 for completion of the program and school based trainers receive a stipend of $4,000

Ideal Candidate Criteria

  • Be available to work approximately 5 hours per week: ~3 hours directly with students weekly and ~2 hours learning and preparing for student session
  • Be a current undergraduate or graduate student, TFA alum, or renewing Ignite Fellow
  • Fellows must be authorized to work in the U.S. and at least 18 years of age
  • Undergraduate GPA must be at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or a cumulative 3.0 high school GPA if the candidate is a first year undergraduate without a college GPA upon applying)

Application Process

Applications for the Fall Cohort are now closed.

Instructional Excellence Fellowship

Instructional Excellence Fellowship

Through IEF, TFA St. Louis prepares participants to lead high-performing classrooms and supports them to build their networks to increase their impact. 

Research shows that the classroom teacher is the single most significant factor in driving student academic growth and learning. But many teachers feel that after their first few years in the classroom they don’t have as many opportunities to grow their skill and education network.

The Instructional Excellence Fellowship (IEF) is an 8 month program with 45+ hours of programming, designed to accelerate participants’ teaching skills and build their network of experienced, equity-focused educators, leading to stronger student outcomes and tenure in the classroom. We pride ourselves knowing that we continue to uplift our underrepresented educators - 65% of fellows identify as BIPOC, coming from a low-income background, and/or are first in family to attend college.

Alt text: two teachers help students in a classroom
“This program has helped me to gather resources and gain perspectives from other teachers on topics across the region. The best impact was being able to use what I learned in the session the very next day in class”

2021 IEF Fellow

Program Components

  • Monthly sessions aligned to the TNTP core teaching rubric
  • Content-specific PLC break out sessions
  • Visits to local schools (*fellows' may be asked to miss up to 2 days of school/work to participate)
  • Participants receive a $1,000 stipend for completing the program and an additional $500 teacher retention bonus for committing to teaching the following school year

Ideal Candidate Criteria

  • Equity-focused teachers
  • 3+ years of teaching experience
  • Committed to growing their skillset and professional network
  • Have the support of their principal or manager to participate in this fellowship

Application Process

Click here to learn more and apply to be a 2023-2024 fellow. You can also use this link to nominate someone for the program. The priority application deadline for the 2023-2024 cohort is June 15, 2023.

Questions?

Meet the Teach For America St. Louis Regional Advisory Board.

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BOARD CHAIR

FORMER PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER EVOLVE24

Dennis Hummel

FINANCIAL SERVICES CONSULTANT THE CHAMPAGNE GROUP LLC

Lyell Champagne

CEO, CLARK-FOX FAMILY FOUNDATION, FOUNDER, BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, CHIEF INSPIRATOR, THE DELMAR DIVINE

Maxine Clark

VP, CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT BAYER FUND

Al Mitchell

DIRECTOR STRATEGY, MASTERBRAND

Micah Northcutt

PRINCIPAL EDWARD JONES

Lisa Peel

DISTRICT WELLBEING DIRECTOR SCHOOL DISTRICT OF UNIVERSITY CITY

Nikole Shurn

ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS, DEAN OF STUDENTS WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Rob Wild

Meet the Teach For America Bay Area Team.

Local Leadership

Beatrice Viramontes_Bay Area

Beatrice Viramontes

Bay Area '08

Executive Director

Teach For America Bay Area

Beatrice Viramontes is a longtime champion for our students and their families and a coalition builder who believes deeply in the power of communities to envision and realize a more just and equitable world.

Meet Our Staff

Vice President, School, Community & Policy

Lorena Chavez

Senior Managing Director, Head of People Strategy & Operations

Jenn Camus-Beebe

Senior Managing Director, Regional Partnership & Impact

Ashley Walker

Managing Director, Leadership Development

Aditi Bhattacharyya

Managing Director, Leadership Development

Amber Wetherford

Managing Director, Leadership Development

Angelica Rodriguez

Managing Director, Leadership Development

Daniela Espino

Managing Director, Leadership Development

Elise Peck

Managing Director, Foundation & Corporate Partnerships

Justin Douglas

Managing Director, School Partnerships & Alumni Talent

Marissa Kanemura-Morin

Managing Director, Individual Giving

Michelle Fort

Director, Marketing Communications & Development

Savannah Campbell

Director, Individual Giving

Vincent Rietmeijer

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Meet the Teach For America Bay Area Regional Advisory Board.

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BOARD CHAIR

President & CEO, Digital Promise

Jean-Claude Brizard

VICE CHAIR

Chairman and CEO, Prophet

Michael Dunn

CEO, Give Forward Foundation

Michelle Boyers

President & CFO, AppLovin

Herald Chen

Community Leader, Education and Conservation

Tammy Crown

Small Business Owner, Investor & Philanthropist

Inger Dewey-Golob

Organizing and Bargaining Chair, United Teachers of Richmond

Jesús Galindo

Founder, P16 Partners

Aditi Goel

Managing Director, J.P. Morgan

David Harkin

Community Leader, Education

Puja Kaul

Partner/Principal, Finance PwC

Rohit Nath

Partner, Acrew Capital

Kendra Ragatz

Chief Human Resources Officer, TPG Global

Anilu Vazquez-Ubarri

Founder and CEO, Lane 9 Consulting

Shannon Wheatley

EX OFFICIO BOARD MEMBER

Principal, Arthur Rock & Co

Arthur Rock

Meet the Teach For America Oklahoma City Team.

Local Leadership

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Sarah Park

Hawai'i '08

Executive Director

Sarah Park serves the Executive Director of Teach For America Greater Tulsa and Oklahoma City and brings 15 years of experience in education. Sarah’s passion for educational equity started in the classroom as a 2008 Teach For America Hawai’i corps member where she taught 7th and 8th grade math. She took the lessons learned alongside students to become a Corps Member Advisor and a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development with TFA Hawai’i.

 

In 2013, she joined the Oklahoma team where she held various programmatic roles and increased rigor and student learning in math and science classrooms across Oklahoma, launched Regional Summer Institute, and strengthened the corps and alumni experience for over 550 educators. Sarah now leads a localized strategic vision and plan, works side-by-side with local stakeholders to ensure TFA plays its critical role in advancing educational equity, and aims to influence the conversation about education, learning, and economic mobility in Oklahoma.

Meet Our Staff

VICE PRESIDENT, STATEWIDE INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS

Amber Masters

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, STRATEGY & IMPACT

Ellen Lee

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

MANAGING DIRECTOR, PROGRAM CONTINUUM

Foluke Olorunnisola

OKLAHOMA CITY TEAM

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALUMNI IMPACT

Parisa Pilehvar

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

MANAGING DIRECTOR, TALENT & OPERATIONS

Allie Stites

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS

Jessica Fraire

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

MANAGING DIRECTOR, SCHOOL & TEACHER LEADERSHIP

Megan Cox

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

DIRECTOR, ALUMNI IMPACT

Nicole Silvestri

OKLAHOMA CITY TEAM

MANAGING DIRECTOR, IGNITE PROGRAM IMPACT

Tisha Clay

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

MANAGER, OPERATIONS, DATA & COMMUNICATIONS

Michael Cox

OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TEAM

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BOARD CHAIR

ATTORNEY HALL ESTILL

Kelly Offutt

SENIOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGER RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES

Aaron Brooks

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT AHS STAFFING

Brett Burleson

INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA CITY RENAISSANCE, INC. (NEOKCR)

Quintin Hughes

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE VERGE OKC

Kristin Garcia

REGISTERED PATENT ATTORNEY MCAFEE & TAFT

Chase Webb

SENIOR DIRECTOR INSTITUTE FOR HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT

Shannon Welch

OKLAHOMA COUNTY COMMISSIONER OKLAHOMA COUNTY DISTRICT 1

Carrie Blumert

DIRECTOR OF PARTNER ENGAGEMENT AND SPECIAL PROJECTS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA CITY RENAISSANCE, INC (NEOKCR)

DeAndre Martin

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FIREFLY ENERGY SERVICES

Brent Smith

Meet the Teach For America St. Louis Team.

Local Leadership

Elizabeth Bleier

Elizabeth Bleier

St. Louis '06

Executive Director

Elizabeth serves as the Executive Director of Teach For America St. Louis where she works to support a network of 600 local educators and educational equity advocates to improve outcomes for students from historically underserved communities.

Meet Our Staff

MANAGING DIRECTOR, PROGRAMS

Amanda Harless

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALUMNI AND PARTNERSHIPS

Daniel Huebner

MANAGING DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Jennifer Sherer

DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS

Jordan Jackson

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Meet the Teach For America San Antonio Regional Advisory Board.

Local Leadership

Nick Garcia

Nick Garcia

New York '05

Executive Director

Teach For America San Antonio

Nick has played an integral role in San Antonio since 2013, leading multiple teams at Teach For America before assuming the role of executive director.

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Meet Our Board

Board Chair

Semi-Retired, Auto Insurance Industry Consultant

Scott Palmer

Board Vice-Chair

Retired, Real Estate Agent

Deborah Amini

Board Member

Senior Account Executive, KGBTexas Communications

Celine Dobbs

Board Member

Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo

Ali Mayahi, PMP

Board Member

Group Sales Account Manager, Spurs Sports & Entertainment

Nancy Gonzalez

Board Member

Private Wealth Advisor, Texas Capital Bank

Sonali Patel

Board Member

Assistant Vice President for Leadership Strategy, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Cece Frost Griffin

Board Member

Director of Externships, St. Mary's University School of Law

Amanda Rivas

Rio Grande Valley

03

Board Member

Chief of Staff, Allcat Claims Service

Rebecca Hirsch

Board Member

Consultant Former Chief People Officer, Wendy's

Scott Weisberg

Board Member

Managing Partner, Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein

Joseph Hoffer

Board Member

Associate Director, Executive Search, VACO

Brenda Zabojnik

Meet the Teach For America Greater Philadelphia Regional Advisory Board.

Local Leadership

Anna Shurak

Anna Shurak

Greater Philadelphia '04

Executive Director

Teach For America Greater Philadelphia

Anna's corps experience inspired a career dedicated to the students and communities in Philly and rooted in educational equity. She has since spent her career working to strengthen classrooms, redesign schools, and lead systems-level change in Philadelphia and Camden. 

Meet Our Board

Andrew Bell

Board Member

Superintendent Woodbury School District

Andrew T. Bell, Sr.

Teach For America Chicago Northwest Indiana board member Joseph William Clark

Board Member

VP & SR. Deputy General Counsel, Government Relations Comcast Corporation

Joseph William Clark

Teach For America Chicago Northwest Indiana board member Michael A. DeCandido

Board Member

Chief Operating Officer CE3 Solutions

Michael A. DeCandido

Omoro Jean-Baptiste

Board Member

Director of Project Management PECO

Omoro Jean-Baptiste

Candace P. Kenyatta

Board Member

Chief Executive Officer Grovider

Candace P. Kenyatta

David Loder

Board Member

Partner Duane Morris LLP

David Loder

Cara McCutcheon

Board Member

Principal Chief of Staff, Vanguard

Cara McCutcheon

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Board Member

Senior Managing Director, Chief Human Resources Officer FS Investments

Ania Mikson

Liza Rodriguez

Board Member

Chief Administration Officer JEVS Human Services

Liza M. Rodriguez

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Board Chair

President ServiceNow.org

Vanessa C. Smith

Teach For America Chicago Northwest Indiana board member Kenneth S. Solon

Board Member

Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer & Head of IT, Digital & Enterprise Services Lincoln Financial Group

Kenneth S. Solon

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