Mr. Nelson L. Render has successfully served over 25 years of educational leadership toward purposeful instructional outcomes for students. Mr. Render’s philosophy is that every student deserves the opportunity to have an extraordinary learning experience through educational access and equity in order to become a productive citizen. Mr. Render has held several leadership positions in public education beginning as Director of Bands and Assistant Principal at DeKalb County Schools, Assistant Principal and Implementation Specialist for 9-12 College and Career Readiness at Atlanta Public Schools, Principal at Clayton County Schools, and Chief of Secondary Schools and Associate Superintendent of High Schools at Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin. Mr. Render is known to be a professional and well-respected leader among his colleagues and the communities he has served.
Mr. Render holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Instrumental Music Education from Delaware State University and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership from Jacksonville State University. Mr. Render completed The School Superintendents Association Howard University Urban Superintendents Academy Certification Program. Mr. Render received various awards and commendations during his career, which include Teacher of the Year Finalist, Who’s Who Among American Teachers, the Citation of Excellence award from the National Band Association, and the State of Georgia Governor’s Commendation for outstanding musical leadership. Under his instructional leadership as a principal, the school was twice named AP STEM School by the GA Department of Education, received the AP CSA Female Diversity Award from College Board, and was awarded the top Regional Award for the largest increase in Lexile scores from Achieve 3000.
In addition to serving as an educator, consultant, and mentor to teachers and rising leaders, Mr. Render enjoys recreational time with his wife and two children. His hobbies include composing music, playing the trumpet, golfing, reading, cooking, creating media art, producing voice-over commercials, and volunteering during the holidays.