Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Amy New announced as new member of the Communities In Schools of Tennessee Board of Directors.
New said the organization partners with public and charter schools to connect students with mental health services, food, clothing and attendance intervention. New said maintaining a strong K-12 pipeline is a priority for the Chamber of Commerce because supported students are essential to the future workforce and quality of life.
“For us at the Chamber of Commerce, it’s very important that our K-12 pipeline is very strong and a very strong pipeline means that most of those kids, I mean they have to be supported in some aspect and so being able to have those services for our students is very important,” New said.
New said the organization works alongside local groups like the Putnam Education Partnership to hire coordinators who work directly inside schools. New said these coordinators act as a gap-filler for counselors by identifying students who are homeless or lack basic necessities like shoes and food.
“For me, it’s something I’m very passionate about is one our youth and making sure that like I said, they have the absolute best foundation possible because the stronger your foundation is the stronger you will be post-graduation,” New said.
New said her role on the board involves providing strategic oversight to strengthen statewide partnerships and supporting fundraising efforts. New said she will draw on her experience in government to advocate for the organization’s mission to expand services that receive financial support from state and federal sources.
“Being able to connect the Communities In Schools organization with either additional funding whether it’s through again our government partners or maybe even the private sector,” New said.
New said her previous experience as an Tennessee Economic Development Assistant Commissioner involved working with local governments and school systems to build a workforce pipeline for company recruitment. New said she intends to use those skills to navigate conversations within the K-12 system and serve as a connector of resources for school systems.
“We had a situation here in Putnam County where there was a little girl who just was not doing good in school and they could not figure out what was going on,” New said. “She was tore up every single day to go to school but then being at school, she couldn’t concentrate. They finally found out that her shoes were about three sizes too small and her sweet little feet were absolutely killing her every single day.”
New said after the child received better footwear, her academic performance improved.
New said there are hundreds of similar situations across the state where students lack a support system or a home. New said data from last year showed nearly 800 children were considered homeless in Putnam County alone.
“I’m still also very new to the board so I will be learning a lot more but I am, like I said, I am so excited to serve on this, serve with this group of people too and then maybe even take away some best practices and bring them back to the Upper Cumberland,” New said.
