Acting as liaison between local business and public schools is one of Andrews’ duties as Director of the Education Initiative at the Chamber. The new initiative is a four-year plan developed to articulate the workforce issues of business to educational leaders, while enlisting support from the business community to support educators in reaching their goals.

"Education is, of course, critical to economic development," Andrews says. "Without an educated labor market, businesses will not be successful. The Chamber wants to recruit more business support for and more business familiarity with our public schools. At the same time, we want to make educators more aware of the competencies their graduates need to excel in 21st Century jobs."

Since joining the Chamber, Andrews has met with representatives of local foundations, Hamilton County Schools’ officials and business leaders. "I’ve been gaining an understanding of how the Chamber can partner with foundations to support public schools, getting a grasp of the needs of our schools and listening to businesses describe the job skills they are seeking in their employees," she says.

Andrews has had conversations with banking and credit union representatives about incorporating lessons on fiscal responsibility into the public schools curriculum. "The Chamber is already offering an excellent program on money management in our high schools on a once-a-year basis," she says. "Incorporating this kind of information into the curriculum would take it to the next level."

Since mathematics and science education is essential for business success in the global marketplace, Andrews has spoken at a Hamilton County Public School Mathematics and Sciences Coalition meeting and is planning a Mathematics and Sciences Forum.

Andrews emphasizes that the Education Initiative encompasses public and privateeducation from kindergarten through college. She is involved with Chattanooga State and other organizations in working to bring the P-16 program – that helps students make seamless transitions throughout their schooling – to Chattanooga. And she has accepted an invitation to serve as a Leadership Faculty Fellow for UTC’s Ed.D. degree in learning and leadership.

"The performance of our public schools is important to every member of our community, because all of us are affected by our local economy, which is driven by our workforce," says Chamber President and CEO Tom Edd Wilson. "As the primary economic development agency in the community, the Chamber has an obligation to find ways to support our public schools as they strive for excellence."

After graduating from Brainerd High, Andrews received a B.S. degree in general psychology from UTC. She went on to take an M.A. degree in psychology from Duquesne University and a Ph.D. degree in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. Andrews served as head of the sociology and anthropology department at Carlow College in Pittsburgh and as dean of social sciences at Cypress College in California before returning to Chattanooga three years ago. She left a position as head of the Chattanooga State social and behavioral sciences department to join the Chamber on January 1.