Lacee Rodgers

A native of Mobile, Alabama, Ms. Rodgers began her teaching career in 2012 at Memphis Business Academy (MBA) as a high school English teacher. During her tenure at MBA, Ms. Rodgers taught both high school English as well as 8th grade ELA. She made extensive gains in her department by moving her students from 12% proficient to 76% proficient on Tennessee’s End-of-Course Exams. In addition to teaching at MBA, Lacee acted as a mentor teacher, a PLC leader for 1st year Teach for America (TFA) teachers, as well as an instructional coach during TFA’s summer institute that was hosted at MBA. Lacee then transitioned to Grad Academy Memphis, a project based learning high school located in the heart of South Memphis. There she led as the English Department Chair and was also an English III facilitator. It was in this role that her students exceeded all of their growth goals and scored in the 90th percentile for growth measure.

Prior to joining Aspire, Ms. Rodgers was the Dean of Culture at Memphis Scholars Raleigh Egypt (MSRE). There she focused on reducing school suspensions, implementing character education programs, and providing enriching activities and field trips that exposed students to numerous social and cultural possibilities. Her work at MSRE assisted in reducing the suspension rate by nearly 15 percent.

Ms. Rodgers is a proud graduate of Florida A&M University, where she received a Bachelor’s of Arts in English. Upon obtaining her first degree, Ms. Rodgers received her teaching certification through Teach for America, Memphis. Priding herself as a lifelong learner, Ms. Rodgers completed her Masters of Education at Christian Brothers University. She is currently enrolled at Arkansas State University where she is pursuing her Educational Specialist degree with a focus in Instructional Leadership. In her free time, Ms. Rodgers enjoys traveling, listening to live music, and partaking in multiple performing arts.