A Letter from Board Chair Andrew Brennen: Passing the Baton to Zoë Jenkins

Dear KSVT (and friends 🤠),

Today, I am resigning as Board Chair of the Kentucky Student VoiceTeam, and I could not be more excited to turn the role over to Zoë Jenkins.

Since 2012, KSVT has cultivated student power in Kentucky’s education system and reshaped how people across the country understand what students can contribute when it comes to improving public schools.

Along the way, this organization has become and accomplished more than I ever dreamed.

We won a permanent seat for a student on the Kentucky Board of Education. We secured millions for lottery-funded college scholarships supporting low-income students. We led multiple research studies capturing the sentiments and experiences of tens of thousands of Kentucky middle and high school students to directly inform education policymakers. In the middle of a pandemic, when students needed representation more than ever, our student leaders successfully transitioned from one nonprofit’s program to our own independent organization. And today, KSVT students are plaintiffs in a pioneering lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional condition of Kentucky’s public schools.

Over the years, we’ve touted a few secret ingredients. Chief among them is our intergenerational leadership team, where students and adults share decision-making power and model what’s possible in our schools. Importantly, we believe student leadership is not voluntary enrichment. Every young person on our team is compensated above minimum wage because we believe their time and judgment are valuable. And because we believe power can’t be given away, we often act without permission, invitation, or recognition.

Thank you to the many students, educators, and partners who have co-created more democratic Kentucky schools and communities alongside us and will continue to do so as Zoë takes the reins as board chair.

Zoë joined KSVT ten years ago in middle school. As a student leader, she founded and produced our podcast, co-led our Coping with COVID-19 study, and led roundtables and workshops for students, educators, and policymakers across Kentucky and the country. Most importantly, Zoë was among the student leaders who carried KSVT through its transition to independence and helped build the intergenerational leadership structure we depend on today. Beyond KSVT, she graduated from the University of Virginia with highest honors and now works at Civics Unplugged, developing generations of young civic leaders. She has spent nearly a decade preparing for exactly this role.

Leadership transition is important for any organization, especially youth-led organizations. Because youth is transitory, it's hard for youth-led efforts tog row political power, institutional memory, and organizational capacity overtime.

If a youth-led campaign can’t outlast any one young person, older people can just wait young people out.  

KSVT was built to be bigger than any person, and this handoff is proof. I am proud to pass the baton to someone who grew up in this work and is ready to carry it forward.

Thank you for fourteen years.

The work continues, now in Zoë’s hands, and yours.

With gratitude,

Andrew e. Brennen

Founding Board Chair, Kentucky Student Voice Team