Dr. Allen Pratt, left, and Dr. Kim Wingate
Dr. Kim Wingate, a longtime member of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty, has been named director of the University’s School of Education. Wingate joined the UTC faculty as an assistant professor in the School of Education in 2007.
In a related move, Dr. Allen Pratt has been named the School of Education’s director of strategic partnerships. Pratt, who also serves as executive director of the National Rural Education Association (NREA), has served alongside Wingate as the interim co-director of the School of Education since 2022.
The announcements were made by Dr. Jerold L. Hale, UTC provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Dr. Valerie Rutledge, dean of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies.
“In his 2023 State of the University, Chancellor Steven Angle established teacher education as one of this University’s priority areas,” Hale said. “As provost, it’s important to me that we execute with intentionality and operate with excellence. I’m excited about the appointments Valerie has recommended and look forward to the work Kim and Allen will do to support teacher education on our campus and in their continued collaborations in the region and beyond.”
While at UTC, Wingate spent 16 years running the UTC Governor’s School for Prospective Teachers and has overseen the identification of Butterfield Fellows candidates, a program that supports teachers in Hamilton County Schools in implementing classroom management techniques.
Wingate has been leading UTC efforts in Grow Your Own, a statewide program supporting partnerships between Educator Preparation Providers and Local Education Agencies to provide innovative, no-cost pathways to the teaching profession.
Pratt has spent his entire career in education, with much of his experience in non-urban settings. Before joining the NREA, whose national headquarters are housed on the UTC campus, his resume included stints as a high school science teacher and coach, high school principal, assistant superintendent, executive director of the Tennessee Rural Education Association and executive director of the Tennessee Department of Education’s East Tennessee regional field office of the Centers of Regional Excellence.
In 2023, he established a new partnership between UTC and the national Rural Schools Collaborative to improve the K-12 education workforce throughout Appalachia and increase the visibility and profile of rural schools and educators. UTC joined Morehead (Kentucky) State University to co-lead RSC’s Appalachia Regional Hub.
“Kim and Allen have served as interim co-directors for the last year and a half and have done a tremendous job moving the School of Education forward,” Rutledge said. “We have begun implementing some of the great ideas Kim has championed through Grow Your Own, such as an apprenticeship program for aspiring teachers. Allen continues to extend our outreach, championing the rural education piece through his partnership expertise.
“They have both been stabilizers for us, and I am excited to see them grow the School of Education and leverage UTC’s special place as Chattanooga’s university. We are central to our region’s workforce development, and through their direction, we are positioned to lead in areas such as teacher training, rural education, new school models, literacy and leadership.”
