Cierra Burnett

Cierra Burnett (she/her/hers) is a proud Memphis native with a background in Higher Education who is passionate about college access, equity and empowering young people of color to thrive. She is new to the nonprofit world, but has a wealth of experience in education, DEI work, and community building. Cierra is excited to join America’s Promise Alliance as Manager of Alliance Growth, working to recruit organizations in our partner cities!

Cierra graduated with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Memphis and then went on to pursue a M.A. in Higher Education Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs from Louisiana State University. Before joining APA, Cierra served as the Leadership Coordinator in the Jones Center for Leadership and Service at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and as a Student Activities Coordinator at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ. She previously worked at GRAD Academy Memphis with summer enrichment programs for students in South Memphis and worked for two years in the Office of Community-University Partnerships at LSU. She was the 2021 recipient of the UTK NAACP Outstanding Mentor Image Award, and received the honor of Ms. University of Memphis in 2015.

Cierra strongly believes in the importance of authenticity. She loves Audre Lorde and lives by this quote in her work and life: “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I’d be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

She currently resides in Knoxville, TN with her son (Leo) and Maltese (Prince). In her free time, she loves reading, watching reruns of her favorite shows, and cooking. She is an Enneagram 2 and her Clifton Strengths are Intellection, Adaptability, Developer, Input & Futuristic.