Bill Clinton to speak in Nashville at LEAD charter school event

Bill Clinton will be in Nashville on Monday to serve as the keynote speaker as LEAD Academy celebrates its inaugural class of graduates.

During the same stop in Nashville, the former president will attend an evening fundraiser at the Forest Hills home of real estate developer Bill Freeman benefiting the nonprofit Clinton Foundation.

LEAD, the first and only charter high school in Nashville, has boasted 100 percent college acceptance this spring among its 44 seniors.

Clinton has remained friends since 1999 with LEAD founder Jeremy Kane, who dated his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, while the two attended Stanford University.

He was a key backer before LEAD opened its doors in 2007 and now will be here during a private "senior signing day" in which graduates will reveal their college plans.

"President Clinton believed in and supported our mission from the beginning," Kane wrote in a letter to LEAD supporters, confirming a visit that had been rumored for weeks.

"I'll never forget our first day of school almost eight years ago — it was special for so many reasons, including when President Clinton promised to speak at our first graduation if all of our seniors graduated and were accepted to a four-year college. Eight years later, I'm honored that he will lead us in celebrating our kids and their incredible accomplishment.

"Following his speech, each of our seniors will announce where they plan to attend college next fall. The announcements will honor our kids' tireless determination in climbing the mountain to college while also celebrating their incredible journey ahead."

Kane, who has overseen the expansion of LEAD Public Schools to include five charter schools today, plans to leave the charter network at the end of this school year. He's weighing a run for Nashville mayor in 2015 and has said that Clinton has encouraged him to jump in.

Later Monday evening, Clinton will be meeting another Nashvillian considering a run for mayor when he visits Freeman for the Clinton Foundation event.

Freeman, former treasurer of the Tennessee Democratic Party, is co-chairing the Clinton Foundation fundraiser with former Tennessee Democratic Party chairman Chip Forrester.

Forrester said months ago they had expressed interest about raising money for the Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit that Clinton founded after his presidency that focuses on global health and wellness, climate change and other issues. When the LEAD event materialized, they proposed the date for the foundation fundraiser as well.

"The Clinton Foundation is doing amazing work around he world, and for us to be able to help with that effort is a true honor," Forrester said.

He declined to say who else would be attending the dinner, which he said is a private event.

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.