{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Michelle McKissack","chatgptsummary":"McKissack's tenure on the Shelby County School Board since 2018 demonstrates direct policy judgment and constituent relations experience. Her background as a journalist and former PTA president supports community engagement, while her role founding Crosstown High School shows hiring and curriculum development skills. The biography contains no record of controversy or disciplinary action. Bio does not indicate specific budget literacy for operating capital budgets or completion of state-required annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMichelle Robinson McKissack of the Shelby County School Board of Education, and has served on the Board since 2018. McKissack is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with a passion for helping children and supporting public education. Michelle is the former editor of Memphis Parent magazine where she provided parents with guidance through articles and the tools to promote healthy families. But many local TV news viewers recall her as, \u201cMichelle Robinson, the news lady.\u201d She worked for years in Memphis as a news anchor and reporter at ABC 24, News Channel 3, and even began her broadcast career as an intern at Action News 5. Michelle has also worked as a reporter in Washington, D. C., and Chicago, covering events such as the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention nominating Barack Obama who became the first African American U.S. president.\n\nBorn and raised in Memphis, Michelle attended Campus School, then White Station Middle/High School, graduating in 1987. She received bachelor and master\u2019s degrees in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.\n\nMichelle married her college sweetheart, John P. McKissack, and they have four children. Her only daughter and youngest child, Bliss, is in the second grade at Downtown Elementary where all of her children attended their neighborhood school. Her sons, Peter and Everett are in 10th and 11th grades, respectively, at White Station High School. Her eldest son, John, attends Yale University after graduating from White Station.\n\nMichelle has enthusiastically served in roles as a room parent, PTA president, and serving on the leadership councils at her children\u2019s schools. She is especially proud of two programs she helped establish at Downtown Elementary, the annual Turkey Trot hosted at AutoZone Park and the Heart 4 Art fundraiser, which have both raised thousands of dollars for art programs and technology improvements at the school. Michelle has also worked to design the school of the 21st century with the XQ Project, and served as a founding board member of Crosstown High School, which opened in August 2018. Over a three-year period to create Crosstown, she helped to develop the curriculum and hire school leaders. Michelle has also served in education at the state level being appointed to several advisory councils including the inaugural Tennessee Board of Education Parent Advisory Council representing Shelby County Schools in 2016-2017. Michelle has been a constant voice for educators, students and their parents and will continue to do so in her role as a member of the Shelby County School Board.\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n- **2026** \u2014 [School Board (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=ROBINSON MCKISSACK&id=80168&f=194966&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n- **2025** \u2014 [School Board (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=ROBINSON MCKISSACK&id=80168&f=189135&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n- **2024** \u2014 [School Board (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=ROBINSON MCKISSACK&id=80168&f=177242&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n\n*Source: [Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/search.htm). Scraped 2026-04-25.*\n","firstname":"Michelle","lastname":"McKissack","middlename":"Robinson","suffix":null,"token":"hhjfaz0E17"},"token":"michelle_mckissack"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"school_board","o.office":null,"office":"county_school_board_district_1","officedescription":"A school board member serves on the elected body that governs a public school district. The board sets district policy and budget priorities and hires and evaluates the superintendent, while leaving day-to-day management to the administration.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment for a public school district \u2014 setting direction while leaving day-to-day management to the superintendent.\n- Budget literacy for operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the county commission (which appropriates) and the state.\n- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent \u2014 the board's highest-stakes recurring decision.\n- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"School Board Member","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-16","title":"Shelby County Election Commission \u2014 2026-08-06 Sample Ballot (General)","url":"https://www.electionsshelbytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-State-and-Federal-Primary-and-State-County-with-Sample-GEN-7.6.26.pdf"},"title":"County School Board District 1"}