Seven candidates are vying to fill the Memphis-Shelby County School Board vacancy created on Feb. 11, when Shante Avant resigned her District 6 seat that covers South Memphis, Riverside, Westwood, and Whitehaven. Avant announced that she now lives in Cordova, outside the district, and is currently campaigning to represent that area on the County Commission. The appointment to fill the remainder of the term will be a short one as voters will get to select a new school board member during the Aug. 4 general election.
Board members Miska Clay Bibbs and Althea Greene are also running for County Commission seats, representing their respective home districts, and remain on the board at this time. County commissioners will interview the seven applicants for the District 6 seat during their March 9 meeting and vote at their March 21 meeting. The seven applicants are:
- Juilette Eskridge, a caseworker at G.W. Carver College and Career Academy and a part-time guest relations supervisor for the Memphis Grizzlies, according to her application.
- Charles Everett, a technical principal at FedEx Services and a 2013 graduate of Leadership Memphis, a professional development program, according to his application.
- Kenneth Lee, a former weekend analyst for former Councilwoman Janis Fullilove, a former deputy court clerk for Juvenile Court, and a former manager at Crystal Palace skating center, and a youth gun violence awareness activist, according to his application.
- Timothy Lee Green, Jr., owner of the education consulting firm Greenlit Consulting and vice chair for Blues City Cultural Center, according to his application.
- Tiffani Perry, Chief of Staff at Rust College and co-founder of the Whitehaven Empowerment Expo, according to her application.
- Sharon Webb, senior pastor at Life Changing Word Ministry, according to her application, and a former school board member.
- Keith Williams, executive director of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association, one of the two teacher’s unions in Memphis, and a former research analyst for the Tennessee Valley Authority, according to his application.
Bureau Chief Cathryn Stout, Ph.D. oversees Chalkbeat Tennessee’s news coverage. Contact Cathryn at cstout@chalkbeat.org
