Recent News

Accelerate MS

1 week ago

After a committed career of service to Mississippi, AccelerateMS teammate Nathan Oakley is stepping away from the state workforce office to continue his career in the education nonprofit sector. Dr. Oakley worked most of his 25-year career in public education at the school, district, and state level as a teacher, an administrator, and a champion for student success - serving at the Mississippi Department of Education during a decade of historic student academic performance.

In 2021, Dr. Oakley joined AccelerateMS in an effort to formulate, strengthen, and stabilize the organization's strategy to link K-12 education and workforce development. During his time with AccelerateMS, Dr. Oakley launched a robust career coaching program, built the framework for a comprehensive return-on-investment study of career and technical education across the K-12 and community college systems, and laid the foundation for alignment of statewide credentialing efforts, all while fostering the trust of policymakers, the respect of colleagues across the educational spectrum, and the admiration of his AccelerateMS teammates. He will continue in his current role until the end of April before he enters this new phase of his career.

Dr. Oakley will continue to serve as a trusted ally to AccelerateMS, and we are confident that his next role will benefit students for years to come. We thank Dr. Oakley for his years of service, his love for his home state, and his heartfelt desire to see continued improvement in student outcomes focused on preparedness for life and work beyond school. ... See MoreSee Less