Alma Powell, chairwoman of the board of director's for America's Promise Alliance, has agreed to speak at the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy's seventh annual Odyssey Awards Luncheon this year.
Powell, who is married to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, has for years been a fierce advocate for improving education nationwide in all socioeconomic sectors. In her position, Powell coordinates with educational leaders to connect young students with the resources they and their schools need.
She is also a leader in the Alliance's GradNation Campaign, an initiative to raise the nation's high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020.
Because of her longstanding record of education advocacy, leaders at CGLA recognized Powell would be an ideal keynote speaker for the school's largest fundraising event of the year. The all-female charter school currently serves 326 students, 21 of whom were part of the inaugural sixth grade class when the school started up seven years ago to teach underserved girls in Chattanooga.
"We are just absolutely thrilled," said Bess Steverson, director of advancement and fund development.
"The mission of CGLA is to offer these women a first-class education and help them excel in whatever they choose to do, and that lines up beautifully with the mission of America's Promise," she said.
CGLA started with fewer than 100 students, but enrollment has tripled and the school is now receiving recognition for impressive academic performance.
It has been named a Tennessee Reward School for two consecutive years, placing in the top 5 percent of schools for academic progress in the state, moving all subgroups forward at the same incremental pace.
Part of the goal of the Odyssey event is to showcase that progress.
Steverson said Powell is perfect for this event because she can identify with "our mission of educating the underserved."
Executive Director Dr. Elaine Swafford said, "We are extremely honored to have her address our 2016 Odyssey event, and we look forward to sharing the success story of our school with Mrs. Powell and the broader Chattanooga community."
"It's a going to be an important day to hear what she has to share, and it's an important day for the students who are graduating," she said.
"I think we'll graduate them in a better place than they began."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.