Courtney Elizabeth McCord

Courtney Elizabeth McCord was born September 30, 1986 in Atlanta, Georgia, and what an exceptional child she was! Courtney accepted Christ as her Savior at an early age and was baptized at Decatur Seventh Day Adventist Church.  Courtney and her family later joined Berean Church where she was quite active, including being a member of the Youth Choir.

Courtney always had a radiant spirit, and it was apparent early on that her destiny and life’s calling would be centered on educating, motivating and supporting young people to reach their potential. After graduating from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, she continued her education at Alcorn State University in 2008 where she excelled academically and received numerous honors. These include Dean’s List Scholar (2009-2011), Phi Gamma Mu Honors Society and recipient of the Ronald E. McNair Scholarship and the ASU Foundation Scholarship.

Courtney’s academic achievements at Alcorn eventually garnered the notice of others outside of the school, and led to her being named into the Congressional Award Internship Program in Washington D.C. in 2012. At this time Courtney’s passion for history and political science was awakened, and her tenure in the nation’s capital allowed her to gain even deeper insights into the mechanisms of the United States government. She then followed the example of President Barack Obama by becoming a grass roots political organizer in the Washington D.C. area in support of the President’s 2012 re-election campaign.

After graduating with honors from Alcorn with a B.A. in Political Science/Pre-Law, Courtney continued her education at Central Michigan University and in 2014 obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with an overall GPA of 3.83. In alignment with her Christian values, pursuit of her Ph.D as well as her passion for uplifting her community, Courtney joined Teach for America and discovered her true calling as an Educator, culminating in her relocation to the Birmingham, Alabama area and taking a position with Bessemer City High School. While at Bessemer High School, Courtney served as a math instructor, in addition to cheerleading coach, and senior prom chaperone.  As usual, Courtney became deeply involved in her community and her school and was instantly a favorite of her students and fellow faculty members.