Chandra C. Scott is the Executive Director of Alabama Possible, a non-profit organization headquartered in Birmingham, AL, whose mission since 1993, is to break down barriers to prosperity in Alabama through advocacy, education, and collaboration.
Chandra is driven by the need to increase equitable postsecondary access and success in Alabama and to shift mindsets on how to eradicate poverty.
Under her leadership, Alabama Possible convenes statewide and regional networks including the Alabama College Attainment Network, the Higher Education Alliance, 75,000 Degrees Talent Hub, and Bold Goals Coalition FAFSA Action Network. The organization leads the Alabama Goes to College Campaign as a strategy to increase FAFSA completion and postsecondary enrollment. Alabama Possible also couples advocacy at the Federal and State level with community level civic engagement to impact policy and practice. In 2021, Alabama Possible was a critical partner in launching the nation’s and Alabama’s first Predominately Black and Historically Black Community College Network along with making applying to over 60 Historically Black Colleges and Universities free for all high school seniors in Alabama.
Prior to joining Alabama Possible, Chandra served as the Director of Strategic Outcomes for the Mobile Area Education Foundation (MAEF) in Mobile, AL. She has provided strategic direction and messaging as an advocate for education equality for more than 19 years.
During her time at MAEF, Chandra developed and led the state’s first post-secondary attainment goal and blueprint collaborative, known as 75,000 Degrees which was launched in January 2017. This collective impact work has earned Mobile the Talent Hub designation from Lumina Foundation along with 25 other cities. Mrs. Scott also led the state’s 2018 FAFSA Completion Challenge in three local school districts. Chandra also co-developed the Addressing Basic Student Needs Amid COVID-19 Webinar series that engaged leaders from several Alabama colleges/universities to address college students’ needs amidst an unprecedented pandemic.
Chandra was a member of the leadership team that launched Alabama’s first charter school- ACCEL Day and Evening Academy. She’s a graduate of Coastal Leadership Alabama. Currently she serves as a board member for the Alabama Association of Nonprofits and A+ Education Partnership; as a task force member for the Alabama School Readiness Alliance, Alabama Coalition for Community Benefits and Bold Goals Policy Committee. Chandra has also been appointed by the Governor to serve on the CTE Course of Study Committee (2021) and Alabama Postsecondary Mathematics Task Force (2023). Chandra has been featured by Lumina Foundation, IHEP, Higher Learning Advocates, AL.com, uAspire, and National College Attainment Network for her advocacy on broadband access and Universal FAFSA.
Chandra received her certification in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Michigan State University, and a bachelor’s in chemistry from Xavier University in New Orleans, LA. She completed America’s Promise Alliance’s Data Leadership at Tuft’s University in Boston, MA.
She and her husband, Loren, have been married since 2004. They have two children, Leah and Logan.