Biography

Dr. Vanessa Garcia is an experienced educator who has held various leadership positions in her 20-year career. That career has seen her serve as a middle and high school teacher, a middle school principal, district administrator, and adjunct professor. Prior to Lipscomb, she served as the Interim Chief Academic Officer for Metro Nashville Public Schools while the district conducted a nationwide search for a Director of Schools. Currently, Dr. Garcia serves as the Director of Instructional Practice programs at Lipscomb University while teaching graduate courses. She has presented both locally and nationally on Grow Your Own initiatives and leadership topics. In 2020, she partnered with various TN K-12 school districts and started the Grow Your Own program. She is committed to ensuring students are given a variety of opportunities to become productive, global citizens. In 2022, Dr. Garcia was awarded the AILACTE Partnership Award, an award presented to a faculty member who has been significantly engaged in substantial P-12 partnership.

Dr. Garcia has a true passion for teaching and learning. She has spent the last eight years serving as an adjunct at Lipscomb University teaching topics on strategic planning, valuing diversity, and vision and change. Dr. Garcia holds an undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University and Masters and Doctorate degrees from Trevecca Nazarene University. She and her husband have two school-aged children and a chocolate lab named Lucy.