David Jernigan is the Executive Director for KIPP Metro Atlanta, overseeing the network of KIPP schools in Metro Atlanta. Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director, he was the Founding Principal of KIPP WAYS (West Atlanta Young Scholars) Academy from 2003 to 2008. Under his leadership, KIPP WAYS Academy was consistently one of Atlanta's highest performing middle schools, and in 2008 it was named the #1 "No Excuses School" in Georgia by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. David came to Atlanta through the Teach For America program, where he taught at M. Agnes Jones Elementary School in the West End of Atlanta.

Mr. Jernigan is a Morehead Scholar and graduate of the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and is the recipient of the 2003 Outstanding Young Alumni Award. He received his teaching certification through Georgia State University's Urban Alternative Teacher Certification Program and his Masters in Educational Administration from National Louis University in Chicago. In 2006, Mr. Jernigan was nominated and selected for LEAD Atlanta, a program for emerging young leaders in the Metro Atlanta area. In 2007, he was honored with one of ten Outstanding Atlanta awards. He is passionate about improving the educational opportunities for students in Atlanta and looks forward to broadening the scope of KIPP's impact in Atlanta by helping to open additional KIPP schools in the near future.