House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, appointed the final member of the Memphis-Shelby Schools (MSCS) oversight committee two days before its first meeting.¶
Karen Vogelsang served as the Tennessee Teacher of the Year in 2014. Sexton selected her to be on the oversight committee on Tuesday ahead of the committee’s meeting Thursday morning.¶
From Banker to Teacher
Vogelsang was originally a mortgage banker before pivoting to a career in teaching in 2003. She taught at various MSCS elementary schools for 15 years before retiring in 2018.¶
After retiring from teaching, Vogelsang now works as a self-employed early childhood literacy consultant and served as the director of ARISE2Read, a nonprofit tutoring network in Memphis, in 2024.¶
“The board of manager appointees are all very qualified individuals with unique talents and abilities,” Sexton said in a statement to the Tennessee Firefly. “I was looking to round out the board with someone who had classroom experience. Karen Vogelsang brings exactly that perspective. As a former Tennessee Teacher of the Year who remains deeply rooted in the community through her work in Arise2Read, these experiences will be indispensable as the hard work begins to rebuild MSCS. I have full confidence in the board we’ve assembled to turn this school system around for the students and families who deserve much better than they have been getting.”¶
Other Committee Members
There are nine committee members in total, including Vogelsang. The others are:¶
Appointed by Governor Bill Lee:¶
- Tyrone Burroughs, Chairman, First Choice Global and Founder, The Burroughs Foundation.
- Dorsey Hopson, Partner, City Fund.
- Shanea McKinney, Senior Advisor of Product Management, The Cigna Group.
- Nisha Powers, Founder and President, Powers Hill Design.
- Beverly Robertson, Co-Founder and COO, Trust Marketing and Communications.
Appointed by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge:¶
- Billy Orgel, former Memphis-Shelby County school board member.
- Dedrick Brittenum Jr., a Memphis attorney and former councilman.
Appointed by Sexton:¶
- David Mansouri, director of Tennessee SCORE, and the only member not residing in Shelby County.
What Led To This
Calls for the state to intervene in MSCS began last year after the board voted to dismiss former superintendent Marie Feagins, despite having only served in the position for less than a year.¶
The district has also faced criticism for low academic performance and for a preliminary audit conducted last April by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, which Comptroller Jason Mumpower said uncovered “widespread operational failures.”¶
The agenda for the oversight committee’s meeting can be found here.¶
