Tempestt Gilmore is a native of Jackson, MS.  She holds a B.A. in Neuroscience Studies from Macalester College and a M.A. in Teaching from Belhaven University.  Tempestt’s passion for literacy began over ten years ago while serving in the Reading and Math Corps as a preschool literacy tutor in Minnesota.  Through this program Tempestt was first introduced to SEEDS and was inspired by the effectiveness of the program model.  Her desire to see children develop strong literacy skills was ignited and she wanted to see the same results in her home state.  Tempestt moved back to Mississippi and pursued a career in education first as a teacher assistant, then an interventionist, and served as a 4th and 5th grade elementary writing instructor for the past three years. Her intent was to observe and understand what happens when children do not receive a strong literacy foundation. After many years developing her skills as an educator and gaining classroom experience in the elementary setting, she is excited to continue the journey by joining the FluentSeeds team and introducing SEEDS to Mississippi and other communities that will benefit from what the program has to offer.