Angie Markum

Charter School Operator, Chief Consult, and Director of Development

amarkum@ivyacademychattanooga.com

Angie Markum is a hometown veteran educator, a product of Hamilton County Public Schools, and a graduate of UTC. She began her career as a 7th grade math teacher in 1985 at Soddy-Daisy Middle School. Since then, she has dedicated many years as a classroom teacher in both Tennessee and Georgia, curriculum developer, administrator, and educational reformer. She has taught mathematics at every grade level K-12, emphasizing logic and math, nature and art. Director Markum chose Ivy after contrasting learning with nature, or isolated from nature, and she concluded, “Nature WINS!”  

Awards bestowed through the years include Teacher of the Year within buildings where she served, Environmental Educator of the Year in 2016 for East Tennessee by the Tennessee Environmental Education Association, Tennessee’s Administrator of the year by Professional Educators of Tennessee in 2019, and one of the top three finalists in Tennessee Charter School Center’s Administrator of the Year in 2021. She is on the State Board of Directors for Professional Educators of Tennessee, and is on the board for Youth for America where she serves as treasurer. She has served on the Legislative Advisory Council for Charter Schools in Tennessee, and has participated in the Administrative Input Group for SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education). 

She and her husband of 35+ years reside in Possum Creek. They have three adult sons, two daughter-in-laws, two grandsons and counting. Angie says, “Educational models must adjust to meet the demand of the learner, or we will end up lacking in our results. Unfortunately, we are seeing some of that now. Every child deserves the best education, and it is up to the educated to deliver that gift. We must do it with quality, integrity, accountability, and efficiency.” 

In addition to her training in mathematics, Director Markum has a passion for helping others and pursued graduate level studies at Jacksonville Theological.  She believes that, “Every person is a unique creation of God who deserves to develop to his or her fullest potential. Education is the essential part to developing that full potential.”  Two quotes that inspire Angie are:
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”  —Booker T. Washington
“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”  —Ronald Reagan

Angie’s hobbies include watercolor, photography, hiking, kayaking and writing.  Her artwork has been published nationally, and she holds one U.S. Patent. Among the service projects in which she has participated, she has prepared gift packages for the homeless and helped annually with the Tennessee River Rescue (with Ivy).