Tarah Burris

Tarah Burris currently serves as Vice President of Programs at EMERGE since January 2024. Prior to this role, Tarah held various leadership positions at IDEA Public Schools from August 2015 to January 2024, including Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Persistence, and Completion. Tarah's experience also includes serving as Director of Elementary at Teach For America from August 2012 to May 2015, where a quarterly professional development program was designed for over 200 teachers, receiving high effectiveness ratings. Earlier in Tarah's career, teaching roles were held at Austin Independent School District and HISD, focusing on special education and early childhood education, with a strong emphasis on developing individualized education plans and employing diverse instructional strategies. Academically, Tarah obtained a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Education in Multicultural Urban Special Education from the University of St. Thomas in Texas.