Jeremy Beard

B.A. in English and African-American Studies, University of Maryland. Upon graduation from college in 1994, Jeremy was selected from a competitive pool of applicants to join Teach For America. As a 5th grade ESL and Inclusion teacher at Jane Addams Elementary in Long Beach, CA he extended his two-year commitment teaching in an underserved community by two more years before being recruited again by Teach For America, this time to serve as a Corps Member Advisor, as a School Director and, ultimately, as a Program Director. After four years, Jeremy returned to teaching as a Language Arts instructor at IDEA Academy Middle School where he won the prestigious Teacher of the Year Award. He spent a year as Director of College Counseling at IDEA College Preparatory School and since May 2005, has been the Principal of IDEA College Preparatory School in Donna, TX.