A message from our Executive Director

In our first 10 years TFAA had two primary aims. First, we focused on recruiting and retaining outstanding folks to teach and lead across Eastern Kentucky, which led to over 175 teachers joining our network since 2011. Simultaneously, we began working across our four-state alumni region to build relationships with individuals and groups of alumni, across sectors, who were passionate about our work. At this juncture, TFAA is entering a new era – one in which we pursue our bold 10 year goal: By 2030, twice as many students in Central Appalachian communities will achieve postsecondary readiness and success, indicating that they are on a path to economic mobility and a future filled with possibility.

And while we remain relentlessly focused on the work of new classroom teachers, it’s clear that it will take leadership in all sectors to ensure that students are ready for and successful in the postsecondary path of their choosing. As teachers shape student outcomes in the classroom, we need a similar equity-minded focus on excellent healthcare, infrastructure and social services to ensure kids show up healthy and well-resourced. If we want to change the limited national narrative about Central Appalachia, we need a new generation of journalists, artists, and community leaders – and that’s just the beginning.

These beliefs led us to build and launch the CALL program, through which we will recruit seasoned leaders from across a wide range of sectors and industries who will refine and act on personal theories of change in pursuit of our region’s 2030 goal. The Leadership Lab is also a testament to the leadership we believe our communities deserve, with both Rooted and Relocating track applicants. This moment in our regions history calls for bold yet humble leaders, those seeking to create while also acknowledging the incredible assets and resources mountain folks have nurtured for generations. Leadership Lab members have a tremendous opportunity to elevate the power, potential and possibility of Central Appalachia through systems change, collective impact, and community partnership - whether they’re deepening their roots or coming to find their new home.

— Stephanie Devine, Teach For America Appalachia Executive Director