INNOVATIVE CAREER EDUCATION
TENNESSEE CAREER ACADEMY
Launching in July 2025 to provide an innovative, world-ready education at 4775 American Way in the Parkway Village/Oakhaven area in Memphis, Tennessee
WELCOME TO TENNESSEE CAREER ACADEMY:
YOUR PATHWAY TO SUCCESS
At Tennessee Career Academy (TCA), we believe in empowering students to create a successful future. With our innovative Career and Technical Education (CTE) program for grades 6-12, we are bridging the gap between education and the workforce in Memphis and Tennessee.
In today's rapidly evolving job market, traditional education methods are not enough. Our school will provide a unique blend of foundational core curriculum and hands-on CTE experiences, aligning with the workforce demands and providing students with real-world learning opportunities.
TCA focuses on four key pathways: Business & Communications (e.g., web designer, cybersecurity expert), Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing (e.g., industrial maintenance technician, machinist), Health & Human Services (e.g., teacher assistant, nurse), and Skilled Trades (e.g., HVAC technician, plumber) Our offerings range from cybersecurity and web design to nursing services and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
Business & Communications
(e.g., web designer, cybersecurity expert)
Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing
(e.g., industrial maintenance technician, machinist)
Health & Human Services
(e.g., teacher assistant, nurse)
Skilled Trades
(e.g., HVAC technician, plumber)
Want to know more? See our frequently asked questions.
Our Leadership Team
Dr. Meah King
Founder & Head of School
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Ms. Meah King is Founding Head of School for Tennessee Career Academy which begins schooling in Fall 2024. As a native Memphian, Ms. King understands present societal dynamics that prevent the youth from being successful and adopted different approaches to address this phenomenon in effort to supporting the development and support of youth being efficient resources for the workforce.
Ms. King formerly served as an educator for over twenty years where she was a Senior Reading Advisor for Memphis Shelby County Schools. Ms. King has over twenty-one years of experience in classroom instruction and as an interventionist.
As Faculty Champion for a local tutoring and mentoring program for over 14 years, Ms. King governed over an initiative that employs high school and college students to provide enrichment, intervention, and mentoring for urban, rural, and suburban students. Ms. King also served as liaison between businesses and schools to provide effective academic intervention and an exposure curriculum to maximize and bridge opportunities for corporate and non-profit partnerships and for students to develop into assets to society.
Ms. King is the recipient of the following educator accolades: Educator of the Year by Memphis Alliance of Black School Educators, University of Memphis Arts & Science Department Young Alumni of the Year, Memphis City Schools Prestige Award, Memphis City Schools Golden Apple Award, Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, and NAACP Mahogany Young Alumni of the Year Award. She was the keynote speaker for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ECET2 Conference and was invited to several other national conferences to speak and advocate education and educators. Ms. King was a 2017-18 fellow of the State Collaborative of Reform Education for the state of Tennessee. Ms. King also presented a TEDX talk for the Milken Educators’ Award Conference in Washington, D.C. As an educator, Ms. King promotes excellence in instructional strategies, classroom management approaches, creating instructional frameworks, expert in project-based learning, creating exposure opportunities, college and career readiness frameworks, and educational reform.
Ms. King is the daughter of Herbert and Joyce King. She also has four siblings: Herbert Jr., Michael, Marsha, and Marva.
Dr. John Barker
Founder & Executive Director
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A native of Humboldt, Tennessee, Dr. John R. Barker is the Executive Director of Tennessee Career Academy (TCA), a first-of-its-kind charter school for students in grades 6-12. TCA will begin classes (Summer 2024) in Memphis and is the only middle/high charter school in the state to focus on career and technical education.
Dr. Barker formerly served as Deputy Superintendent over the operational areas (e.g., human resources, information technology, safety, finance) for the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district. In 2016, Dr. Barker founded his own consulting firm (JB Logical Solutions) and was previously the Chief Accountability Officer for Chicago Public Schools, leading the district’s work in teacher/principal/school accountability, performance management, and data quality. Dr. Barker also served for several years as Chief of Staff and Executive Director of Research, Evaluation and Assessment with the Memphis City Schools.
Dr. Barker holds the Ph.D. in Education and Human Development from Vanderbilt University and was a summa cum laude graduate in history and communications from the University of Tennessee at Martin.
With more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications and scores of scholarly presentations to international audiences, Dr. Barker is committed to sharing lessons learned from practice and leading the complex task of decision making. Dr. Barker publishes Leadership News and Views, a popular blog post on the elements of leadership, every Tuesday and Thursday morning.
Dr. Barker is married to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientist Dr. Katherine (Kathy) Simpson Barker and is the proud father of one daughter, Sophie, a student at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.