‘An amazing project’: Former Austin teacher returns to head education nonprofit
Published 10:28 am Thursday, May 1, 2014
Jennifer Lawhead has been named the new executive director of Austin Aspires. She will step into the role this June where she will help build partnerships between Austin’s schools and area organizations and businesses. Photos by Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Jennifer Lawhead has long been interested in Austin education.
As an educator, she has been amazed at how many opportunities Austin students have. As a mother, she is pleased with Austin Public Schools’ efforts to educate her children. Now, as the incoming executive director for Austin Aspires, she is excited to partner Austin schools with area businesses and organizations.
“We’re all doing amazing work, now let’s get that work together in one place,” she said.
Lawhead will become the head of the education nonprofit at the end of June, though she has been in Austin much longer than that. She moved to the area in 1998 after receiving her master’s degree in elementary education from the University of St. Thomas.
Jennifer Lawhead took part in a Vision 2020 Education Leaders committee meeting Wednesday in the Town Center basement.
In addition, Lawhead worked in Austin Public Schools from 2006 to 2011, where she taught at Banfield Elementary School and specialized in gifted and talented education.
Now, Lawhead is the Gifted Services coordinator at Rochester Public Schools. She became interested in gifted education after working with so many students in Austin.
“A lot of times, perception is that gifted services are something extra for students, and what I have known as a student and as a classroom teacher is that that is a necessary part of the experience for gifted students,” she said.
That experience will serve her well as she spearheads a Vision 2020 initiative to emulate the StriveTogether network out of Cincinnati, which created partnerships between schools and businesses to better help students in the classroom. Austin Aspires is the result of Vision 2020’s Education Leaders committee, and Lawhead hopes to bring those same kind of partnerships here.
Her first mission will be to gather information on programs Austin Public Schools and Pacelli Catholic Schools currently do well, according to Lawhead.
“Even within the public and private schools, we don’t always know the amazing things our counterparts at other schools are doing,” she said.
Yet it will be Lawhead’s job to create more community partnerships throughout Austin education, something she’s excited to take on.
“It’s an amazing project,” she said.
