TEA leaders are teachers, administrators and education support professionals who work in Tennessee public schools every day. They represent educators, students and communities across Tennessee. TEA members elect Association Representatives, local, state and national officers, as well as delegates to both the TEA and NEA Representative Assemblies. These delegates are charged with setting association policies, annual budgets, action priorities, as well as electing state and national officers. Would you like to make a difference in your local Association? Contact TEA President Tanya T. Coats to find out how.
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TEA President Tanya T. Coats. Prior to her being elected to her local and state executive boards, she served as an educator for the Knox County School System as a Curriculum Facilitator. Tanya has over 25 years of experience working at all levels of public education. She has been a high school math teacher, middle school science and social studies teacher, an elementary educator, having served as a Kindergarten and fourth grade teacher. She has a dual degree with a B.A. in English & Math and a M.Ed. in Inclusive Early Childhood Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, followed by an Ed.S in Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University, where she is also a doctoral candidate with an emphasis on administration and supervision. Tanya is the proud mother of two adult children, Dreama and Christian. She also has custody of her nieces, Brooklyn, Feliciti and Taegon. She takes great pride in her family.
Having served as a public education advocate for more than 25 years, Tanya is increasingly aware of issues that negatively impact students and educators in Tennessee public schools. Early in her career, Tanya realized she could no longer just “go to my room and teach,” ignoring issues affecting her school, her coworkers and her students. As a result, she has built relationships with educators and community organizations across her community, state, and nation -- relationships with advocates who share a passion for preserving and improving our great public schools. An key part of this journey was becoming an active member of the TEA, an organization advocating for our students, schools and communities for more than 150 years, with the goal of eliminating poverty and inequalities our students face through racial and social injustices. |
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TEA Vice President Joe Crabtree. Joe is serving his first term as a statewide officer. Joe is a proud 7th grade social studies educator at Liberty Bell Middle School in Johnson City, where he has worked for the past 17 years. Joe has served as president of the Johnson City Education Association for the past 12 years, where he is a member of the Collaborative Conferencing Team, the Sick Leave Bank, and the Johnson City Schools Committee for Equity. Joe was honored to be recently recognized as one of the NEA Foundation’s recipients of the Award for Teaching Excellence. Joe loves engaging with the students, families, and staff members of Johnson City - "It is what I am called to do!" |
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TEA Executive Director Terrance J. Gibson. Terrance is a Memphis native and has worked for TEA for more than 20 years, supporting thousands of teachers, school administrators, education support professionals, and students. Prior to being named executive director, he worked at all levels of the association from a student campus president, to coordinating instructional and professional development models, to more recently serving as Assistant Executive Director. Prior to his work with the association, Gibson was a classroom teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools.
In addition to his work in public education, Terrance has worked with non-profit organizations such as 100 Black Men, and holds professional memberships in Phi Delta Kappa, National Staff Association for the Improvement of Instruction (NSAII), ASCD, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), The Legacy Education Foundation (501c3) and the National Education Association. He also belongs to Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, and is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. |
