Rebeca Clay-Flores
The Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation, the founding sponsor of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, has appointed educator and student advocate Rebeca Clay-Flores as its new executive director. She will succeed Executive Director Maxine Bailey, co-founder of the Foundation as well as the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy.
Ms. Bailey, who has transformed the lives of hundreds of girls and women in Hamilton County since moving to the Scenic City 13 years ago, is retiring to Philadelphia, Penn.
“Though we are saddened to see Maxine leave us, we are certainly grateful for the meaningful contributions she has made in our community,” said Sue Anne Wells, board chair of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy and Co-founder of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy. “After an extensive search to find Maxine’s replacement, we were very fortunate to find Rebeca. Rebeca personally understands how educational opportunity can change the life of a child for the better. Her experiences, expertise, and knowledge will undoubtedly strengthen the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts and help us to further our mission.”
An undergraduate of Princeton University, Ms. Clay-Flores received a Masters in Education from Harvard University. She has taught at the secondary and postsecondary levels and was a founding teacher at the KIPP Aspire Academy in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Clay-Flores’ previous experience also includes developing and implementing youth empowerment community programs in Illinois and Texas. She founded and led a nonprofit organization in San Antonio that worked to break the cycle of poverty, violence, and teenage pregnancy.
Ms. Clay-Flores has traveled extensively throughout the world and was an English instructor in 2008 at the Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas in Tampico, Mexico. Most recently, Ms. Clay-Flores served as Student Missions coordinator at Southern Adventist University, preparing students for year-long foreign missionary assignments.
“I am excited to be part of an organization dedicated to bettering the lives of girls and strengthening our communities through educational empowerment opportunities,” said Ms. Clay-Flores. “I look forward to working with the Foundation’s board of directors, staff, volunteers and the many supporters of the Foundation’s work on behalf of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy.”