Ms. Hughey is an advocate for STEM Education. She has had the opportunity to address the impact of STEM in education by lobbying on Capitol Hill, engaging in the Clinton Global Initiative, speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus, advising Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the STEM Teacher Corps, and supporting Google’s STEM Teacher Corps White Paper.
Birdette Hughey, joined Teach for America in 2009. As a corps member she joined the team at Greenwood High School to serve as an Algebra I Teacher. During her first year as a teacher, Hughey’s students along with all the students at Greenwood High School beat the state average on the Algebra I state test. During her second year of teaching, Ms. Hughey was named Mississippi Teacher of the Year. Before joining Teach for America, Birdette has also had the opportunity to serve within the private sector. She has worked with Fortune 500 Companies such as International Business Machines (IBM), Kimberly Clark-Corporation, and Johnson & Johnson (Vistakon). She served in the roles of customer service, marketing, and sales. Moreover utilized her corporate skills to found a college readiness program called Dream Katchers Solutions, where she served as the CEO.
Birdette Hughey laid her educational foundation at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. Through her matriculation at the University, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree and went on the obtain her Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing. Ms. Hughey is strongly supported by her family (Willam and Willie Hughey, and sisters Ebonie and Alisha Hughey). Ms. Hughey believes that if you seek God first in all that you do, everything else will fall into place.