Tia Morris
New York '98
Tia Morris is a servant leader and a passionate advocate for equity.
Tia is a lifelong New Jersey resident that has dedicated more than 20 years to improving educational opportunities for young people. She believes that we must shift our conversations from discussions on how to reform education, to plans for collectively transforming communities. Tia began her formal teaching career in Harlem in 1998 when she joined Teach For America. In 2002, she left the New York City public school system and joined forces with four other TFA alumni to help start the KIPP charter network in New Jersey. As a founding KIPP-NJ teacher, she was a recipient of the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award. Additionally, Tia helped to grow the KIPP presence in New Jersey from one school in Newark to one of the largest and highest performing charter networks in the state.
After ten years at KIPP, Tia was the Chief Family and Community Engagement Officer for the Newark Public School system and Camden City School District. In these roles, she helped to transform family and community engagement, including the creation of professional development programming for staff and parents. In addition, she developed, cultivated, and stewarded relationships with key community stakeholders, including philanthropic, non-profit, faith-based, and elected leaders. All told, she played key roles in leading external affairs endeavors related to both districts’ turn-around efforts. Tia strongly believes in building the capacity of parents and that strategic partnerships between families, schools, and community stakeholders can positively influence student outcomes.
She served as Executive Director for the New Jersey region of Teach For America, where she boldly led a community of more than 1500 in transforming the educational landscape across the state. In this role, Tia continued to push for systems change, and served as a thought leader in numerous capacities, including being appointed to the Governor’s Transition Committee for Education, being invited by the State Senate to testify on issues of education, and serving on the Department of Education’s statewide working group to reauthorize ESSA. Moreover, she has worked tirelessly to reimagine and redefine the role and reputation of TFA across the state. In June 2020, Tia joined Teach For America New York as Executive Director, ensuring that TFA NY continues to play a leading role in NYC’s movement for educational equity.
Tia completed undergraduate studies at Seton Hall University. She holds a master's degree from The Bank Street Graduate School of Education and from Columbia University’s Teachers College, and is pursuing a doctorate in Urban Education Leadership at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Tia remains proximate to local issues impacting low-income and at-risk students by serving on several non-profit boards and as an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.