Bryan Brownlow, a Georgia native, has over 20 years of construction management experience. Prior to becoming the Director of Facilities for KIPP Metro Atlanta he was a Project Manager for Parker and Company. Previous clients have included CVS/Pharmacy, Coca-Cola, Cisco Systems, Clark Atlanta University, Hewlett Packard and KIPP WAYS, among others. In 2006 he obtained his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification through the Project Management Institute. He is a Desert Storm veteran and has managed construction projects in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Jordan. He is also the father of three daughters and step-father to two daughters and a grandchild.

Having received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Georgia State University and her Masters in Public Health from Emory University, Wheda has always been in the business of empowering others. Prior to entering the field of education, she worked in the healthcare arena as Director of Programs and Services for the Arthritis Foundation, Georgia Chapter. Wheda entered the teaching profession in 2003 through the University System of Georgia's Destination Teaching/Atlanta + program and easily made the transition from director to teacher. As an educator, she has quickly become a leader in school reform. Recognized as a Georgia Board of Regents A-plus success story and an articulate spokesman for teacher leadership, Wheda has participated on numerous panels on the state and local level. Most recently she was featured on Achieving Excellence: Investing in Our Teachers and participated as a panelist in "The Future of Teaching in Georgia" symposium at Georgia Public Broadcasting. As a testament to her commitment and success in the field of education, in just her first year of teaching Wheda was selected the 2004 Teacher of the Year for Alonzo F. Herndon Elementary School and was nominated for the prestigious U.S. Department of Education "Star Teacher" Award. This exemplary educator was also the proud recipient of the Atlanta Families Award for Excellence in Education and attended Yale University as a fellow to participate in the Yale National Teacher Initiative.

Vinice Davis, originally from New York, first moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University in 1996. After graduating from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in 2000, with a Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), Vinice started her career as a consultant with Ernst & Young. Working in the Human Capital practice at Ernst & Young, Vinice spent 4 years, reviewing and analyzing executive compensation plans for a number of large and small companies and nonprofits, including Ruby Tuesday, The Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, and American Cancer Society. In 2004, she left her position as Senior Consultant and moved to New Haven, CT to attend the Yale School of Management, with the goal of focusing her career in the nonprofit sector. While pursuing her MBA at Yale, she co-lead the Black Business Association and the annual auction and spent her summer internship at United Way of America in Alexandria, VA. After graduating with her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Yale, Vinice moved to New York City, where she accepted an offer to be the Director of School Operations at the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence, where she supported the operations of 40-60 charter schools. Vinice returned to Atlanta to join KIPP Metro Atlanta as their Director of Operations and looks forward to continuing her work in support of charter schools, in her second hometown, Atlanta, GA.

Cara Fears, comes to KIPP Metro Atlanta with a diverse background of professional and personal experiences. A native of Atlanta, GA, Cara attended Fort Valley State College in Fort Valley, Georgia and Georgia State University in Atlanta. She has more than 10 plus years of Office Management experience acquired while working in Advertising and Sales, Commercial and Residential Real Estate Development, and 13 plus years of combined experiences in Manufacturing Sales Management, Customer Service and HR attained while employed at Philips Components (a division of Philips Electronics N. A. Corporation). Additionally, Cara co-owned and operated a restaurant and catering service. With clients from the corporate, local government, educational and entertainment sectors, along with a host of private citizens as her client base, Cara grew her home based catering business into a stand alone restaurant in southwest Atlanta, and developed sales of over $100,000 from referrals alone.

Cara is also a veteran performer of stage, studio and theater, performing whenever possible and always for the joy of it. She has performed/recorded with some of America's most notable entertainers from Diana Ross to Dottie Peoples, from George Howard to Donnell Jones, Pebbles to Ciara, and many others. Cara has also performed on stage here with "Theater of the Stars" greats Gavin MacLeod (Love Boat) and Robert Guillaume (famous for role as Benson), and also Tyler Perry (before he became Madea).

David Jernigan is the Executive Director for KIPP Metro Atlanta, overseeing the network of KIPP schools in Metro Atlanta. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director, he was the Founding Principal of KIPP WAYS (West Atlanta Young Scholars) Academy from 2003 to 2008. Under his leadership, KIPP WAYS Academy was consistently one of Atlanta's highest performing middle schools, and in 2008 it was named the #1 "No Excuses School" in Georgia by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. David came to Atlanta through the Teach For America program, where he taught at M. Agnes Jones Elementary School in the West End of Atlanta.

Mr. Jernigan is a Morehead Scholar and graduate of the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and is the recipient of the 2003 Outstanding Young Alumni Award. He received his teaching certification through Georgia State University's Urban Alternative Teacher Certification Program and his Masters in Educational Administration from National Louis University in Chicago. In 2006, Mr. Jernigan was nominated and selected for LEAD Atlanta, a program for emerging young leaders in the Metro Atlanta area. In 2007, he was honored with one of ten Outstanding Atlanta awards. He is passionate about improving the educational opportunities for students in Atlanta and looks forward to broadening the scope of KIPP's impact in Atlanta by helping to open additional KIPP schools in the near future.

Jill Joplin transitioned to the role of development in 2004 after working for three years with the KIPP Foundation as the Director of Trailblazing. She began her career in education over 15 years ago when she joined Teach For America as a language arts teacher in Houston, Texas. She later joined the United State Peace Corps and taught ESOL to young adults in Sri Lanka. After receiving her EdM in Educational Policy and Social Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ms. Joplin moved to Georgia to work for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education. While staffing Governor Barnes Education Reform Commission in 1999, she began working again with her TFA peer, Mike Feinberg in his effort to open KIPP schools in Georgia. Ms. Joplin's other full time job is raising 5 year old twins, Jack and Jane.

Brenda Lester is a native of Georgia. She attended Augusta State University and Piedmont College where she received degrees in Accounting and Business Management, respectively. Since then, she has attained a wide range of accounting and payroll experiences including serving as Accounting/Payroll Manager and Director of Accounting/Payroll for the Zaxby Franchise and Corporate Office with over 250 restaurant locations. Continuing to pursue excellence during her tenure at Zaxby's, she obtained her certification as a Payroll Professional (CPP) from the American Payroll Institute. She is also a certified Tax Specialist, soon to be certified as a Tax Advisor. She has worked with H&R Block seasonal tax services for two years, with over 10 years tax experience. Prior to Zaxby's, Brenda worked in the banking industry for several years.

Brenda comes to KIPP Metro Atlanta with over 15 years of accounting and payroll experience. In her role as Accounting/Payroll Specialist, she serves as the accountant for all KIPP MAC entities and shared services. This includes managing the entire accounts payable and payroll processes. She also provides support for the Director of Finance and the Director of Operations. She is excited about utilizing her abilities in the educational environment and working with such an impactful organization.

Brenda's other full time job is balancing the activities of her sons, Joseph and Derrick Lester. Joseph is currently attending college at Stanford University in California and Derrick is enjoying high school in Gwinnett County.

Troy Wright graduated from Morehouse College in 1999 with a Bachelor in Business Administration. He started his career as an internal auditor with International Paper in Memphis, TN. After 3 years, he was promoted to a Controller at a lumber mill in Folkston, GA. Troy left International Paper in 2004 to pursue his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. After graduating with his MBA in 2006, he joined Harrah's Entertainment in Atlantic City, NJ. Troy was in their President's Associate program, where he supported 4 casinos in a planning & analysis role. Later he became a revenue manager. In 2009, Troy joined KIPP Metro Atlanta as their Director of Finance.

Lead Founder & Head of School, Ed Chang was recently selected to become a Fisher Fellow, a rigorous training program designed to prepare future school leaders to run KIPP schools. In 2006, he was also selected as one of thirteen outstanding leaders from across the country to participate in the highly competitive Building Excellent Schools Fellowship. The Building Excellent Schools Fellowship is a rigorous, year-long training program in general charter school management, which in some ways places it in parallel with programs offered at graduate schools of business and education. Mr. Chang is currently receiving training in school design, human resources, board development, and financial management that will allow him to successfully develop a strong board to govern a high performing charter school.

Prior to being selected as a Building Excellent Schools Fellow, Mr. Chang attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned a B.S. in biology and psychology and attended the Master's Program in Physical Therapy through the School of Medicine. He then went on to serve the students of Atlanta for four years as a Teach For America corps member and seventh grade science teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School. During his tenure at King, he was selected as the Teacher of the Year and was a semi-finalist for the Atlanta Public Schools Teacher of the Year. In addition, he received numerous awards and grants, including being named an Atlanta Hawks All-Star Teacher and being awarded over $17,000 in grants from the Toshiba Family Foundation and Nike's Jordan Fundamentals program. He also worked as a Corps Member Advisor and Science Learning Team Leader for the Teach For America Summer Training Institute. Recently, he was a founding teacher and played an integral part in the founding of the Atlanta Charter Middle School in Southeast Atlanta where his students posted some of the highest scores on the GCRCT. Mr. Chang most recently served as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for KIPP WAYS Academy in the 2007-2008 school year.

Steven Jones has taught in the Atlanta Metro area for over 8 years, with in the Atlanta Public school system, Fulton County school system, as well as serving three of those years in Private schools. Most recently, Steven Jones served as the Upper Level Dean at KIPP WAYS Academy in Atlanta, where he was also a Leadership Team Member. He also served as a teacher at various schools in Atlanta, and was a Site Coordinator at Ben Carson Science Academy. He participated in the KIPP Educational Leadership Program, and received his BA from the University of Georgia. Steven is currently a Fisher Fellow with the KIPP Foundation and plans to open KIPP Vision Academy, a middle school in Atlanta in July 2010.

Kim Karacalidis, the KIPP WAYS Academy Principal, received a B.A. in Religious Studies from Agnes Scott College in May 2000. She then went on to join Teach For America in Atlanta, and worked with students from several different grade levels at Oglethorpe Elementary School, where she taught for three years. Prior to starting at KIPP WAYS Academy in 2003 as a founding teacher, Mrs. Karacalidis completed her last year of graduate work at Georgia State University, where she received a Master's in Early Childhood Education. Aside from her elementary teaching experience, Mrs. Karacalidis has also taught 6th and 7th grades through the Reach For Excellence program, where she designed and implemented several of her own courses. Prior to being appointed the Principal of KIPP WAYS Academy, Mrs. Karacalidis taught 5th grade math for three years at KIPP WAYS Academy and was the recipient of the 2004-2005 Excellence in Instruction Award and was most recently the School's Assistant Principal.

Jondré Pryor is currently the School Director, Head Coach of the girls basketball team, as well as the 5th grade thinking skills teacher at KIPP: South Fulton Academy in East Point, Georgia. He has been with KSFA for four years. In his first year, he was the sixth grade mathematics teacher. Prior to joining the KIPP team and family, he spent two years as a program director for Teach For America. Jondré received his B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Law from Hampton University. He has been involved in the field of education for the past 14 years. As a 1994 corps member of Teach For America, he has taught in Oakland, CA, New York, NY, New Orleans, LA, and his hometown of Atlanta, GA. For the past three years, Jondré has dedicated countless hours to improving the academic and athletic programs, which included meeting the needs of accelerated and struggling learners, collaborating and teaching with the math department, and leading the basketball team to a runner-up trophy for the league championship.