As the new Chattanooga 2.0 executive director, Jennifer Bronson will champion the mission to help Chattanooga’s students reach their highest potential.
“Chattanooga 2.0’s plans are very ambitious, very broad reaching,” Bronson says. “We want to hit along the entire ‘cradle to career’ continuum and make sure kids have opportunities to reach thriving wage jobs by design from the moment they are born, all the way through the time they enter the workforce.”
Bronson holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a master’s in education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She began her career teaching elementary school in Clark County, Nevada. During this time, Bronson played a critical role in supporting her students’ academic success and excelled in developing an award-winning after school program. She then served as an assistant public defender for the state of Missouri, representing clients throughout the legal process.
In 2016, Bronson felt the pull back to education and has served in programmatic and strategic leadership roles ever since. She moved to Hamilton County in 2019 and helped launch Student Success Planning, a program that focuses on personalized education by promoting individual student success. Prior to joining Chattanooga 2.0, Bronson served as chief of staff for the Hamilton County Department of Education.
Bronson credits her accomplishments to the dedicated teams that she has found throughout her career. Her heart for community shines through her work and she hopes to accomplish great things by bringing Chattanooga together.
Bronson says that one of her greatest accomplishments as a leader is being a mom of four-year-old twins. Her collective experiences have equipped her with key insights into improving Chattanooga’s schools as she looks to move Chattanooga 2.0 in new and exciting directions.
“If we can get everyone moving together in the same direction with a common agenda for our kids, then we can really make our community a better place. One where all children have opportunity and a future where they can thrive,” Bronson says.
In 2022, Bronson and her team aim to champion Hamilton County School District’s investment with regards to literacy. Bronson also aims to bolster our early childhood industry, support our out-of-school time providers and continue to develop career pathways for high school graduates — among other strategic goals for this year.
“Chattanooga 2.0 is uniquely positioned as an external backbone organization to hold partners accountable, and we know that accountability can ultimately lead to change along the ‘cradle to career’ continuum,” Bronson says. “I am really excited about what we can do for kids if we all just come together. There is not one organization in the community that can do it alone.”
Learn more by visiting Chatt2.org.