Charity Vesey-Upchurch is a 2025-2026 Teach Plus Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator and associate principal at Wells Elementary School in East Moline, Illinois. She oversees family engagement programs and student discipline protocols, as well as develops and implements social-emotional learning strategies. Charity has been a middle school English language arts teacher and 8th grade team chair, among other roles. She was Houston Independent School District’s Teacher of the Year (2018-2019) and named Teacher of Excellence by the Federal Department of Education (2020). Charity serves on the board of Inspire Next. She earned a BA in Asian language and literature and Japanese and International Business Certification from the University of Iowa, MA in educational leadership and counseling from Prairie View A&M University, and is pursuing an EdD in educational policy and leadership at the University of Iowa. Charity holds certifications in English as a Second Language, Special Education, and Educational Administration.
