Stand for Children exec accepts fellowship
Education group grew under Bradshaw
Kenya Bradshaw, executive director of Stand for Children Memphis, is leaving the organization June 15 to participate in a yearlong fellowship with Minneapolis-based Policy Innovators in Education Network.
Bradshaw, 33, started working for Stand for Children here in 2005 as a community organizer. Eight years later, the public education advocacy group has 1,300 members.
“We will replace Kenya. We are very committed to our work in the Memphis area, and we are actively recruiting,” said Pam Welch, Stand’s national chief operating officer. “She has laid some important groundwork that we are so committed to continuing.”
Stand is the largest grass roots advocacy group here for public education. It has pushed for expanded prekindergarten, offered classes to help parents be better advocates for public education and learn how to improve their children’s opportunities for college.
Bradshaw spearheaded a campaign in 2005 to increase local spending for K-12 education. That year, the Shelby County Commission added $21 million more for schools, the first fund- ing increase 13 years.
“As far as campaigns, the most i mportant for me were school funding,” Bradshaw said. “My f irst project in was school funding and my last project is school funding. Our community must do more to invest in public education and its children.”
Bradshaw left Stand Memphis once before in fall of 2011 to become executive director of the Tennessee affiliate. She returned to Memphis last winter when then-director Mark Sturgis left Memphis.
Bradshaw served on the 21-member Transition Planning Commission, the panel appointed by city, county and state leaders to made recommendations for the merged district.
With Bradshaw’s leadership, Stand funneled more than $40,000 into several key school board races last summer, including Kevin Woods’ race in District 4 against Rev. Kenneth Whalum.
Woods won by fewer than 150 votes. Whalum is contesting the election in Chancery Court be- cause hundreds of people were given the wrong ballots.
Stand counted the election as one of it largest local victories after four of its seven candidates won, including Reginald Porter, Chris Caldwell and Billy Orgel, who ran unopposed.
“We had worked on school board races before, but this one was our largest one,” Bradshaw said. “I want everyday people to know they can run and serve and be leaders, that they have the power to really make a difference. We believe we should have education champions in every elected seat, not just on the school board.”
Bradshaw will study education and community organizing in Africa this summer.