UnifiEd Board Candidate
Janet Radden
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I am running for a board seat to continue the work that was began in me as a student of schools within this city. I was a student of the improbable to what was possible—with the team of caring and talented educators.
I am a life-long resident of this city. My professional carreer of over 30 years has been in service to the families and youth of Hamilton County. I worked to develp programs for at risk youth. I enjoyed watching youth thrive and achieve against all odds to overcome daily challenges to progress. I want to be an active part of solutions for the students of our community. UnifiEd is one vehicle by which I can work in collaboration to achieve great success in advocacy and empowerment of student and families—thus providing impact to inspire students to achieve beyond what barriers sometimes indicate. - Contact Janet |
UnifiEd Membership Committee Chair Candidate
Jaime Peterson
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Being able to work in an array of Non-Profit Organizations as well as the Public School System and in a variety of different cultural areas has allowed me to deeply understand and experience the importance of the connection between education and the community. During my time at the Boys and Girls Clubs, Youth and Family Development Centers, and Mental Health Facilities my emphasis was to create sustainable partnerships with individuals and organizations in the business, art, public education, and higher education communities. These partnerships and relationships benefited both the young people in my programs as well as the local community. Because I am so passionate about creating and sustaining these connections, the work that UnifiEd was doing through the APEX project initially drew me into the organization in 2018. After being involved with one of the APEX action teams and volunteering at other events, I joined the new UnifiEd Membership Committee. I am excited to continue this work through serving as the Membership Board Chair.
I first started working in youth development full time in 2006. Since that time I have had the honor of serving “at risk” youth in Knoxville, Colorado (specifically the Navajo and Ute Nations), Memphis, and now Chattanooga. This work has included after school organizations, detention facilities, mental health facilities, and the public education system. After relocating to Chattanooga in 2016, I spent several years at Brainerd High School before transitioning to the TRIO programs through UTC in the fall of 2019. I am also a local working artist, and have collaborated with several other incredible female teaching artists to create an arts based initiative within local schools. Believing that young people drive social change, this program teaches students to respond to and create narrative about issues that concern them through large installation artwork. My experience over the past years has allowed me the opportunity to explore creative ways for community members and students to interact and benefit from each other. I am excited about exploring new ways to engage our UnifiEd members. By expanding the membership, strengthening the membership committee, and creating collaborative relationships, I think we can move towards creating a more equitable school system and community! - Contact Jaime |