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A Conversation
with
Elissa
Kim
State Board of Education, 5 District
th
After graduating from Northwestern University, Elissa joined Teach for America and
taught English for three years at the largest public high school in the city of New Orleans.
In 2012 she was elected to a four-year term on the Metro Nashville Public Schools’
Board of Education, representing its fifth district,. She now serves on the State Board of
Education in the 5th District representing Davidson, Cheatham and Dickson counties.
She also serves on the board of Nashville Public Radio, and advises education and non-
profit organizations as an independent consultant.
Q
You seem so mission driven with education, let’s cut straight to the chase
- what do you do to unwind and have fun?
A
I love people and food, and when I can combine the two, I am at my
happiest and best. Nothing beats cooking for my friends and hosting
parties where people from all walks of life can get together and mingle.
Given my penchant for dinner parties, people are often surprised to hear
I’m an introvert at heart; books occupy my alone time and I read roughly
a book a week- nothing beats the learning I can extract from a good
book. Beyond that, I practice yoga almost daily and try to stay active so
all that food focus and couch surfing doesn’t weigh me down!
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