Mary Jane Akerman, LTC Training Associate PDF Print E-mail
(Thomasville, NC) Mary Jane Akerman has been actively involved youth leadership for many years, most recently in youth development and service learning. Her passion is providing young people the tools and resources they need to be successful in life and helping them navigate the journey. She is currently the Wellness Coordinator for Thomasville City Schools and is responsible for pregnancy prevention programs, safe and drug free schools, improving physical activity and nutrition, and anything else that improves the health and wellness of the students in Thomasville. A number of the programs developed by Mary Jane have received state and national recognition. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies and Advocates for Youth have both identified Thomasville’s pregnancy prevention program as a model program. The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina honored Thomasville with the Hispanic Outreach Award in 2005 and the Youth Achievement Award in 2006. Mary Jane is a trained Low Ropes facilitator and oversees the local Challenge Course including training of new facilitators. She is a successful grant writer, a necessity to support her programs and see her great ideas come to fruition. Active in the community, she serves on the CIS of Thomasville, YMCA, Thomasville Parks & Recreation boards. Mary Jane earned her BA at Austin College, Sherman, Texas and her MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. She lives in the suburbs of Thomasville where she enjoys family, friends and the slower pace of life. She holds fast to the motto “go forth until apprehended”.