David Baird

As Managing Director, External Affairs and Chattanooga, David sets the vision and direction to broaden our network of educational equity champions and supporters through cultivating partnerships with donors, community partners, alumni, and the broader Nashville-Chattanooga community.

Originally from Chattanooga, TN, David joined Teach For America as a corps member after graduating from the University of North Carolina in 2013. He taught Spanish in Baltimore Maryland before going on to serve as Director of School Culture in Chelsea, MA, where he effectively built community partnerships to substantially reduce suspensions through a focus on restorative justice. David has also served as a Legislative Aide for United States Senator Bob Corker in Washington, D.C., a LEE Public Policy Fellow at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and an English Language Instructional Coach at a bilingual high school in Madrid, Spain.

David joined Teach For America staff in 2021 and is excited to lean into the movement for racial justice happening in the city and strengthen Teach For America's partnership with community leaders and organizations driving the push for educational equity for all students. David, his partner, Rachel, and their nine-month-old son, Calvin are thrilled to be in Chattanooga for this next chapter.