Today, we are honored to profile Tori Jackson Hines, the extraordinary founder and CEO of Resurgence Hall in Metro Atlanta.
“What an honor it is that we get to be among children and help raise them,” said Tori Jackson Hines, founder and CEO of Resurgence Hall, a K-8 public school in metro Atlanta. Tori’s work has always been about kids first, no matter what.
While studying pre-med at the University of Maryland, Tori was recruited by Teach For America (TFA). Tori was heavily moved by a recruiter’s story about a student opening their eyes to the inequities in public education and the idea that she could help change it.
“I was like, well, absolutely! Every kid should have a great school and a great teacher,” said Tori. “And you mean, I can make that happen?”
Tori packed up her Prius the day after graduation, drove cross-country to Los Angeles, and found herself immediately hooked during TFA’s Summer Institute. She remembers calling her mom and telling her, “Can you believe they pay people to be with kids all day?”
A Glimpse at What’s Possible
Tori began her time in education in a traditional district school, only to be laid off due to budget cuts.
“I was devastated,” she said, but that diversion led her to Uncommon Schools in New York. Uncommon was her first encounter with high-performing charter schools. The difference was clear.
“If one kid wasn’t making progress, it was like the house was on fire,” she said. “Once you see that, you can’t unsee it.”
Tori eventually relocated to Atlanta to start her family and joined TFA’s staff as a teacher coach, where she supported more than 30 schools across the metro area.
“I would go into schools and work with new teachers who so desperately wanted to do good for kids,” she said, “But they weren’t set up in ideal conditions. I saw folks who should be in front of kids quit because they didn’t have the support.”
While working at TFA, she saw a flyer for a local school design fellowship, and she attended the info session just to gather resources for her fellow corps members. But she was moved to act.
“I applied that night. I was so moved by the potential and possibility of this. I just thought… someone’s got to do something, or else no one else is going to go into teaching, right? If we aren’t setting teachers up for success.”
Tori was awarded a Building Excellent Schools Fellowship in 2015 and founded Resurgence Hall, bringing the lessons she learned at Uncommon into the heart of Atlanta.
Launching Resurgence Hall
Today, Resurgence Hall is headed into its ninth year and is an example of excellence in Georgia public education. It is the first public school in the state of Georgia to introduce computer science beginning in Kindergarten, and it became the #1-ranked state charter school in 2019.
It was named a Distinguished School by the Georgia Department of Education, a designation reserved for the top 5% of Title I schools statewide, and Resurgence received an “A” rating from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement in 2019. Under Tori’s guidance, it ranks among the top 3% of public schools in the state.
“We’re not these super smart magicians who figured out the secret,” said Tori. “We just do those same things the same way consistently over time. And that is what’s hard.”
From the beginning, Tori built a system that sets teachers up for success through structure, support, and laser-sharp alignment. Resurgence teachers don’t write their own lesson plans or improvise their schedules. Every classroom plan is turnkey, and every teacher has a coach. Tori says that this system is what drives the success at Resurgence. Tori recognizes that not all teachers thrive in that model.
“People love it or hate it,” Tori said. “But the ones who love it? They’re the ones who want to focus on building relationships with kids. They’re like, ‘Wait, I get to spend all my energy on teaching and connecting kids? Sign me up.”
Kids come first. At Resurgence, adults come second.
That mindset may seem harsh to some, but it’s about justice for Tori.
“Our staff? They have education. They have housing. They can vote. Our kids don’t have any of that yet,” said Tori. “So, I’m not concerned with your comfort, I’m concerned with their future.”
A Leader Grounded in Purpose
Tori sees herself not as the hero of this story but as the person who keeps the boat moving in the right direction. According to Tori, she is the coxswain keeping everyone moving together in the same direction, on behalf of kids.
“I’m a huge hope person,” Tori said. “This generation, our kids, will be the ones to solve the problems we couldn’t. They’ll be the ones to right the wrongs. And when we as educators keep that as our North Star, that’s what gives you the courage and fuel to continue the good work.”
In addition to driving success at Resurgence, she serves on the Georgia Charter Schools Association board. As a GCSA board member, she was honored with the 2021 “Champion for Children” award.
In 2022, Tori launched “Lead with Excellence”, a leadership development program designed to support Black and female charter school founders across Georgia. Since its inception, it has supported founders across at least eight Georgia charter schools, helping them build community‑based, impact‑driven schools with shared values and high expectations for student success.
In 2025, Tori was named one of Atlanta Magazine’s Top 500 in Education and Healthcare, recognized for her innovative approach to teaching and leadership in building community demand for high-quality charter Schools. Her work reflects a broader trend in Georgia where charter schools are seeing increased enrollment and long waitlists.
In April 2025, the Georgia General Assembly passed Bill 82, the Local Charter School Authorization and Support Act of 2025. The new law represents a major step forward in meeting the demands of families in the community and clearing pathways for schools to launch and grow.
Standing Firm in Times of Crisis
“We were in a crisis before COVID,” said Tori, acknowledging the urgency of this moment for public education. “We were in a crisis before the so-called ‘racial reckoning.’ But somehow we numbered ourselves to it. People are scared right now, and I get it, but what’s even scarier? Giving up on kids.”
Tori says that instead of hiding, charter leaders need to lean into what we know is best for kids, and if they stay grounded in that, they’ll find success.
“I think when you are faced with moments of crisis, you have one or two options: You have the courage to stand up and be like, ‘I’m not backing down. This is what we’re going to do, or you can run and hide,” said Tori. “I think that in the charter world, folks are lending more on the let me tuck my tail in between my legs and hide because things are really scary.”
Tori acknowledges that there are a lot of big changes and ‘scary things’ that are happening in education. “But what’s even scarier is if we give up on kids. So you know, go keep, keep fighting.”