Keith Bridges II has been selected as executive director of the Center for Community and Career Education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Former Executive Director Sandy Cole retired after 15 years in the position.
Prior to his new position, Bridges was the director of the Educational Opportunity Center within the Center for Community and Career Education.
Bridges For the last 24 years, Bridges has helped create instructional lessons for low-income and underserved people. He has been an assistant athletic director at Mountain State University in West Virginia, a tri-state youth mentorship program director based in Southeast Tennessee and director of the adult Educational Opportunity Center for the TRIO Student Support Services program. He has provided supervisory leadership for more than 27 staff members and 800 volunteers who work with more than 122,000 underserved individuals.
Bridges also has obtained and managed a combined total of more than $2.6 million in grants, contracts and sponsorships.
As a hobby, Bridges has been involved in the development of several elite youth athletes as a Team USA Youth Development certified coach. He has helped in the educational and skills development of athletes representing the Federation of International Basketball (FIBA), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Women National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The Center for Community and Career Education annually serves more than 6,000 youth and adults within a nine-county radius of Chattanooga with a budget of more than $4.1 million. Made up of seven programs, the center focuses on post-secondary education, life skills development and other resources.
Bridges is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Council of Education, International Leadership Association, Project Management Institute, Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program and the Tennessee Association of Special Programs.
