Congratulations to Karen Stanley for being chosen as this week's BOE Employee of the Week! Ms. Stanley serves as the school district's Family Engagement Specialist.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Ms. Stanley and her mother made the move to Dublin, Georgia when she was a baby, where she still resides today. She is a graduate of the Dublin High School Class of 1988. She earned her Associates Degree in Health Education from Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Georgia and a Bachelors of Arts in Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern University. She also obtained her Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor II (CADCII) certification from the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Certification Board of Georgia.
Ms. Stanley has worked for the Baldwin County School District for three years and brings a wealth of experience to her role as our Family Engagement Specialist.
"I began my career as a Family Advocate/Parent Coordinator with Dublin City schools through a grant written to Truancy Prevention in 2001 through the Laurens County Family Connection. After the grant ended, I was offered a position as the first Middle and High School Parent Coordinator and remained in the district until 2010 when I completed my bachelors degree."
After leaving her job as the Middle and High School Parent Coordinator, she began her career as a Substance Abuse Counselor/Facilitator with Spectrum Health in June 2010 at Johnson State Prison, working with male offenders.
"After receiving my CADCII certification in 2013, I started teaching SAAS Aftercare part time to returning offenders on probation or Parole. These five years were the most influential in my decision to return to being an Advocate. I began to watch the students that I served in school go from lunch number to GDC (Georgia Department of Correction) numbers."
With her mind set on returning to advocacy work, Ms. Stanley decided to return to the field of Family Engagement for a specific reason.
"I went back into Family Engagement because I wanted to be a part of the work for prevention and rehabilitation."
She then began working at Wilkinson County High School as the Family Engagement Liaison through a School Improvement Grant from the Department of Education. In fact, her work in Wilkinson County led to her position with the Baldwin County School District.
"I was actually referred to this position by one of my parents in Wilkinson County, Shameka Walker who held the position before resigning to accept a job as Mental Health LPC. And here I am, three years later, still actively involved and loving the work that I do in the Baldwin County community."
In her spare time, Ms. Stanley enjoys small wedding and event planning for people who are on a budget. She is a member of the Living Hope Word Church in East Dublin, Georgia where she is part of the Hospitality and Outreach Ministries.
She has two children, Miah Ashlee' 28 and Tayler Jordan 25. She is also the proud grandmother of Micah, Wendell Jr., M'Kiya, Clay, Jordan and Audree'. She is affectionately called KK by her grandkids, a name given to her by her first grandson Micah when he was 1 year old.
Ms. Stanley you do outstanding work for our school district and we appreciate you. Thank you for all that you do for the families and students of Baldwin County.
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