A4E Endorses Dr. Tawana Mattox | Athens for Everyone

Athens for Everyone is proud to announce our endorsement of Dr. Tawana Mattox for District 9 of the Clarke County Board of Education. Dr. Mattox possesses a skill set that weaves together a strong background in education, a deep connection with the community and extensive experience advocating for parents and students who have faced injustice in the system. We need School Board members who know education practices and policy and who possess the courage to engage in difficult conversations about how to reverse the effects of racism, economic inequity and social trauma.

Our public schools can only succeed if the concerns and needs of parents, teachers, students and community members are effectively addressed. Schools that work for only a segment of Clarke County’s population are, in reality, not working. For too long, the Clarke County School District (CCSD) has prioritized improving its image and statistics over providing lasting solutions to complex problems. These problems are caused in part by generational poverty, an unequal distribution of resources and disproportionate discipline practices: systemic problems that require system-level redress. Superintendent Means has expressed his desire for all stakeholders in CCSD to “move forward together” in the district’s goals of creating equity for all of our county’s students and schools, improving the literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional skills of all students. Moving forward together in the face of these challenges requires leaders who walk with vision. Dr Mattox walks with vision.

As co-founder of the local nonprofit Destined, Tawana Mattox has mentored more than 250 kids from Nellie B to Rocksprings to Winterville for nearly 20 years. During her career at Athens Technical College, she was awarded the Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction and the Junior Trailblazer Award. As secretary of the Athens NAACP and a member of its Education Committee, she was instrumental in helping reform CCSD’s hiring practices. At Words of Faith Christian Church, Tawana serves as Youth and Education Co-Chair as well as Director of Media Services. Dr. Mattox is currently a member of a multitude of community organizations, is a founding member and currently serves on the board of the Athens Black History Bowl committee, serves on the board of the Multiple Choices Agency for Differently-abled Adults and is a member of her Local School Governance Team. Beyond and between all of these activities, Dr. Mattox has stood as a tireless advocate for students and parents, speaking truth to power whenever there is a need. All of this has earned her the trust and admiration of her academic colleagues, fellow educators and community members that only a life of service can garner.

Dr. Mattox has also been a strong voice calling for stronger accountability of the superintendent and the school board to the community, and for more to be done to support low-income and minority students in bridging the achievement gap and meeting their personal goals. Athens For Everyone knows that as our 9th District Representative to the CCSD Board of Education, Dr. Mattox will continue to champion the interests of students, parents and teachers. She will work toward a positive transformation of the educational system that will better meet the needs of everyone within our diverse community. After decades of speaking truth to power, we are eager to see what Tawana Mattox will do with it for all of us.