Huntsville, AL on Track for Nation’s Highest Concentration of NBCTs

The Huntsville Committee of 100 (C100), in partnership with The Schools Foundation (TSF) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (National Board), announced today that Huntsville/Madison County has raised $1 million to support 500 new National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) across Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County Schools, placing the community on track to have the highest concentration of NBCTs in the nation of comparable MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas).

The milestone represents a five-year, business-led effort to invest in public education and strengthen Huntsville/Madison County's long-term economic competitiveness. The initiative, called Raise Your Hand, brings together business leaders, educators, and philanthropic partners to elevate teaching quality, improve student outcomes, and retain top talent in Huntsville/Madison County classrooms.

"This achievement reflects what makes Huntsville unique: business leaders, educators, and community partners uniting behind a shared vision for the future of public education," said John Allen, CEO of the Huntsville Committee of 100. "Through sustained collaboration and persistence, we're showing how local leadership can drive real progress. By investing in our teachers, we're investing in the future workforce that will keep Huntsville and Madison County growing for generations to come."

Raise Your Hand was launched in 2021 with a bold goal: to make the Huntsville/Madison County MSA a national leader in teacher excellence. Since then, the number of National Board Certified Teachers in the Huntsville/Madison County area has increased from 156 in 2020 to 254 in 2024, with an additional 178 educators currently pursuing certification.

"This milestone shows what can happen when a community stands behind its teachers," said Jeanne Greer, Executive Director of The Schools Foundation. "As a lifelong educator, I've seen firsthand how National Board Certified Teachers elevate entire classrooms, supporting peers, inspiring students, and driving excellence across our schools. Raise Your Hand is changing what's possible for public education in Huntsville/Madison County, one teacher at a time."

"Every community wants to offer the best environment for their children and families, but few put real action and investment behind that desire. The Raise Your Hand initiative has done exactly that," says Peggy Brookins, NBCT, President & CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Brookins continues, "We are deeply grateful for this extraordinary commitment to Alabama's educators and students. By exceeding the goal to raise one million dollars to support teachers pursuing National Board Certification, the initiative is investing directly in teaching excellence and student success. The return on this investment will continue for decades as students benefit from having Board Certified teachers in their classrooms. When students learn more, communities thrive. Teachers need both encouragement and resources to begin and complete this transformative process, and this kind of philanthropic leadership makes that possible. Partnerships like this exemplify how communities can work together to strengthen the teaching profession and ensure every student has access to the high-quality education they deserve."

National Board Certification is the teaching profession's most respected credential, a rigorous, multi-year process that requires educators to demonstrate advanced knowledge, instructional skill, and measurable impact on student learning. Research shows that students of NBCTs gain one to two additional months of learning each year, particularly among high-need populations.

The community will celebrate this milestone at the Raise Your Hand Milestone Celebration on Thursday, November 6, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at Campus 805 in Huntsville. The event will feature remarks from Dr. Eric Mackey, Alabama State Superintendent of Education; John Allen, CEO of C100; Jeanne Greer, Executive Director of TSF; and Peggy Brookins, President and CEO of NBPTS.

About the Huntsville Committee of 100

Founded in 1995, the Huntsville Committee of 100 is a business leadership organization of more than 350 CEOs and business owners committed to promoting long-term economic development, excellence in public education, and cooperative, collaborative government in the Huntsville/Madison County region. Through advocacy, collaboration, and civic engagement, the Committee works to ensure that Huntsville/Madison County remains a vibrant place to live, work, and do business.

The Committee of 100's initiatives foster innovation, support public education, encourage long-term visioning, and strengthen regional partnerships. Its philanthropic arm, the Creative Cities Fund, invests in projects that advance long-term regional visioning and community vitality. The Committee also operates BizPac, its business political action committee, to support pro-business, nonpartisan candidates for local office.

By uniting business and civic leaders around shared goals, the Huntsville Committee of 100 plays a leading role in shaping Huntsville's future and sustaining its legacy of visionary, collaborative leadership.

Meet John Allen, CEO of the Huntsville Committee of 100

A Huntsville native, John Allen graduated from Auburn University with a degree in mechanical engineering, working at BP Chemicals for 5 years. After obtaining his professional engineering license, he worked in a multitude of industries in North Alabama, from poultry processing to rockets. Following this, he was President of Southern Construction & Design (SCD) Inc., a family residential construction company, for 15 years. SCD was awarded the Huntsville Chamber Small Business of the Year in 2006 and 2016 and won the BBB Award for Marketplace Ethics in 2014. He has been involved in numerous community, political, and business leadership experiences. A graduate of Leadership Greater Huntsville and Leadership Alabama, he brings a deep and broad perspective to goal setting and growth. An avid CrossFit member and outdoor enthusiast, he enjoys the physical and mental challenges of outdoor adventure. Since 2020, he has twice mountaineered on Mount Rainier in Washington, trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal, and raced Chattajack three times, a 31-mile kayak endurance event. He is married to Tami Culver Allen, and they love to travel and the joy of living life together.

About The Schools Foundation

The Schools Foundation serves as a leading advocate for public education in Madison County, Alabama, providing a central voice for strategic engagement on education issues that impact Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County Schools. The Foundation works closely with local and state leaders, education stakeholders, and community partners to advance initiatives that strengthen student success and teacher excellence across the region.

Believing that there is nothing more important than our students, The Schools Foundation fosters collaboration among parents, businesses, and the broader community to build a strong, supportive environment for quality education. The organization champions professional development opportunities for educators, promotes cross-district collaboration, and seeks financial and community support for innovative programs and strategic needs in public education.

Through advocacy, engagement, and partnership, The Schools Foundation ensures that every constituency has a voice in shaping the future of education in Madison County and that every student is empowered to succeed.

Meet Jeanne Baird Greer, Executive Director of The Schools Foundation

Jeanne Baird Greer recently retired from Huntsville City Schools as the Principal of Grissom High School. A graduate of Grissom and Auburn University, she has been involved in education for more than 30 years. Mrs. Greer achieved a Master's Degree from Auburn University in Montgomery and taught elementary school in Montgomery and Madison, Alabama, prior to moving to Huntsville City Schools. After obtaining her administrative credentials, she was named Assistant Principal at Challenger Middle School from 2000-2006. Mrs. Greer served as Principal at Jones Valley Elementary from 2006 to 2013. In 2013, she became Principal of the Academy for Science and Foreign Language and led the school to earn the prestigious 2016 National Blue Ribbon award from the United States Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Greer was named Principal of Grissom High School in 2018. In her role as Executive Director of the Schools Foundation, Mrs. Greer continues to work with all of the schools in Madison County, promoting high-quality education for our community. She will collaborate with Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County Schools to advocate for principals, teachers, and over 56,000 students. Mrs. Greer was born in Huntsville and has lived here most of her life. She is married to Jody Greer, a Huntsville attorney, and they have two children. Bailey is a freshman at Auburn University, and Jake is a senior at Harvard University.

About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

The founding mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by: maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do; providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards, and advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers. Recognized as the "gold standard" in teacher certification, the National Board believes higher standards for teachers mean better learning for students.

Meet Peggy Brookins, NBCT, President & Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Peggy Brookins, NBCT, joined the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (National Board) as Executive Vice President in December 2014 and was appointed President and CEO in November 2015. A former board member of the National Board (2007-2011), Brookins brings decades of experience as an educator, leader, and advocate for excellence in teaching.

Before joining the National Board, Brookins co-founded the Engineering and Manufacturing Institute of Technology at Forest High School in Ocala, Florida, in 1994, where she served as director and mathematics instructor. In July 2014, President Barack Obama appointed her to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans in recognition of her national leadership in education.

Brookins has held numerous national leadership and advisory roles, including service on the boards of Digital Promise, the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences Ad Hoc Committee on Teachers as Professionals, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, Content Technical Working Group, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the P21 Executive Board, and the Southern Regional Education Board Teacher Preparation Commission. She has also served as a national trainer for the American Federation of Teachers.

She currently serves on the boards of the National Center on Education and the Economy, Fund for Teachers, Out Teach, and Teach Plus. In addition, she contributes her expertise to advisory boards for Bowie State University, the STAR Program, National Geographic Education Audit, the Eddie and Jules Trump Foundation of Israel, Class Strategic, the Learning Variability Project, Global Teacher Leadership, be100KIN10, Beyond100K, and the Learning Policy Institute's Spencer/Yidan Advisory Committee.

Brookins earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescence/Mathematics in 2003 and successfully renewed her certification in 2013 and maintained her certification in 2024. Her numerous honors include induction into both the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame (1978) and the University of Florida Hall of Fame (2009). She has also been recognized as a Florida Education Association "Everyday Hero" and recipient of the association's Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2013, she was named an Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar.