With Simmons at the helm, TEACH will continue to reach more than 1,800 educators and 20,000 students within Houston Independent School District and Aldine Independent School District
To Educate All Children (TEACH) announced today Taiam Simmons, the organization’s former director of school partnerships, has been appointed as executive director. In this role, Simmons will oversee a team of more than a dozen employees, direct the organization’s strategic growth and fundraising and serve as a liaison to professional and educational partners to ensure TEACH’s mission is fully realized, among other administrative responsibilities.
Simmons, who has served as TEACH’s interim executive director since January, joined TEACH in 2015 to serve as the connector between school leadership and educators and ensure the implementation of TEACH strategies campus-wide and held the positions of director of community impact and director of principal support. During her time at TEACH, she has helped grow the organization’s program implementation from four to 32 public schools; led the vendor-approval process for HISD and AISD; and worked closely with HISD Research and Accountability and Texas A&M University on a TEACH impact study in 2020.
A third-generation educator, Simmons served as a principal, assistant principal, curriculum coordinator and elementary and middle school teacher within HISD for more than 17 years. She holds a Master of Education from The University of St. Thomas and attended both Spelman College in Atlanta and the University of Houston, receiving a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. Additionally, she is CoachRICE-certified by Rice University’s Doerr Institute.
“I have had the opportunity to see Taiam’s prowess and passion firsthand during the past seven years. She has an intimate knowledge of TEACH and holds strong relationships with our partner schools and our donors, both of which are critical to the organization,” said David Sprague, chair of TEACH’s board of directors. “Our board of directors is proud to appoint Taiam as executive director and confident that she will continue to prove herself an ardent champion of public education and of TEACH’s invaluable mission.”
The independent Houston-based nonprofit, cofounded in 2005 by businessperson and philanthropist Susan D. Sarofim and lifelong educator Mary Yenik, provides educators with ongoing coaching and comprehensive professional development in nonverbal classroom management techniques to create positive learning environments for children.
Using TEACH strategies, educators spend more time teaching and strengthening relationships with their students and less time on classroom management. As a result, TEACH partner schools see fewer disciplinary referrals, increased instructional time and greater student success.
TEACH is now serving more schools than ever. In the 2022-2023 school year, the organization reached more than 20,000 students through its work with more than 1,800 educators in HISD and AISD.
TEACH hosts two major fundraising events yearly – an online auction in the spring and a star-studded gala in the fall – with all proceeds directly benefiting the 501(c)(3)’s work within the Houston community. Donations are tax-deductible and accepted year-round.
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