Dr. Alicia Averette currently serves as Executive Officer of Student Support and Community Engagement for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), one of the nation’s largest school districts. With nearly 30 years of experience in public education, she has dedicated her career to expanding educational opportunities, improving outcomes for students, and designing comprehensive systems of support for students and families. Her leadership reflects a steadfast commitment to ensuring that every student has equitable access to the resources, opportunities, and supports needed to succeed.
Dr. Averette began her career as an elementary teacher before serving as a school counselor, elementary principal, district leader, Assistant Superintendent, and Executive Officer. As an elementary principal, she successfully led the transformation of a school through a strong focus on instructional leadership, schoolwide social-emotional learning, collaborative culture, and student achievement. Her doctoral research examined instructional leadership in urban schools, focusing on how principals assess instructional programs and monitor student learning to improve educational outcomes. That work continues to shape her approach to systems leadership and continuous improvement.
Throughout her district leadership career, Dr. Averette has led districtwide efforts to strengthen the interconnected systems that support student success. Her leadership has included programs and services for students with disabilities, Early Childhood Education, Multilingual Learner Services, School Counseling, School Mental Health, Health Services, Family Engagement, Crisis Response, Suicide Prevention, Community Support Services, and Family Resource and Youth Services Centers (FRYSCs), which provide school-based family support services. Under her leadership, programs and services for students with disabilities, along with Early Childhood Education, successfully exited state monitoring while strengthening services and improving outcomes for students and families. She also led the development and adoption of the district’s Language Services Policy and secured multilingual learner programming in every school, expanding equitable access to language supports throughout the district.
Understanding that learning extends beyond the traditional school day, Dr. Averette led the development of the Elev8 Student Learning Centers, an after-school learning model recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a best practice. Elev8 provides expanded learning opportunities through academic support, enrichment, family engagement, and community partnerships that help students succeed during and beyond the school day. Dr. Averette also expanded districtwide school mental health services and strengthened coordinated student support systems that connect schools, families, and community partners to improve outcomes for students.
Beyond her district leadership, Dr. Averette actively contributes to the advancement of education through professional service and collaboration. She is a member of the Education Research and Development Institute (ERDI), where she collaborates with educational