Angela began as the NC Center for Resilience & Learning program manager for the southeast region in 2021, primarily providing trauma-informed schools training and coaching in Robeson, Bladen, and Columbus counties.
Prior to joining the Forum, Angela was employed with Bladen County Schools for twelve years as the district’s Behavior Specialist and also as the MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) Coordinator for four of those years. Prior to working with Bladen County Schools, Angela had a diverse career serving in various child, youth and family service areas (Medical Social Work, Child Welfare and Systems of Care). Angela has a passion to help change the stigma in our society associated with Mental Health/Behavioral Health and aspires to bring insight and understanding on issues of trauma and resiliency to school staff and others who work with children and youth.
Angela resides in Elizabethtown, NC (Bladen County) with her husband of 26 years. They have two daughters, Lexie (22) and Lorna (19).
I have always found that I am at my very best when I am serving others, lifting others up and helping lighten others’ loads. I started my career as a medical social worker serving disabled adults and medically fragile children and their families. I had the great pleasure of managing their plans of care so that they could remain in their own homes. Otherwise, they would have been placed in facilities, separated from their families. It was such a rewarding job that brought so much joy and meaning to my life that I was sure I would continue on that path for my entire career. However, God had other plans for me, and due to life and location changes, I found myself working in child welfare. This was an area I never thought I’d work in, but it did not take long for me to realize I was exactly where I should be. I soon found a passion for advocating for children and their families from a whole different perspective.
I quickly moved into an administrative role as the System of Care Coordinator. In this role I had the responsibility and wonderful opportunity to work with multiple child-serving systems, including Child Welfare, Mental Health, the Department of Juvenile Justice, Public Schools and Public Health. Together, we worked to break down barriers, promote collaboration and advocate for family perspective and voice. It was during this time that I was introduced to ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and the impact of trauma and stress on the development and formation of the brain. This information had a powerful impact on me, both personally and professionally. Understanding ACES provided a real explanation to so many things I had witnessed and experienced.
The Passion Behind the Work
In 2010 God once again decided He had other plans for my life and I was led to yet another place I was to serve. I accepted a position as the Behavior Specialist for Bladen County Schools. In this role, I served the most behaviorally and emotionally challenged students in the school district. They very quickly became “MY KIDS”. My passion and desire became to help these students find success and a sense of belonging, to help others understand them and to advocate that they be given the same respect and chances as other students. ACEs became an everyday conversation with the teachers, administrators and parents. In addition, a great deal of my time was spent training school staff on mental health issues, de-escalation skills, classroom management, relationship building and Multi-Tier Systems of Support (MTSS) . I was always looking for the “needs behind the deeds” and tried to help staff understand that until we dealt with the trigger (the “need”), we would never be able to change negative behavior.
My sense of service and importance of helping others is something I have always tried to instill in my two daughters Lexie and Lorna Jade. Both are now in college and I am very proud to say both are pursuing careers in the medical field and plan to work in underserved rural areas once they graduate.
This past July, after twelve years of service with the school system and twenty seven total years of public service, God decided it was time for me to retire and start my service with the Public School Forum as a Project Manager with the Resilience and Learning Project. I am so excited for this chapter of my life and for yet another opportunity to serve others.
What Is My “Why?”
My “Why” is very personal. I had a very traumatic childhood and have dealt with the ramifications of that all of my adult life. I always thought that something was really wrong with me and that I would never or could never be enough. I always felt so misunderstood and judged. The first time I attended a training on ACEs I left it in tears. Tears of joy, tears of anger, tears of peace, tears of hurt, tears of understanding and tears of excitement. For the first time in my adult life it all made sense. I finally understood that the real question was not “What is wrong with me?” but rather, “What happened to me?” It was a very freeing moment and really set me on the road to healing from within myself. I finally realized that my own traumatic childhood, my negative experiences and times of mental unwellness were not in vain and actually had a purpose. I was to use my experiences and knowledge to help others, to enlighten others and if at all possible help prevent others from going through the same thing. Every day when I open my eyes I thank God for a new day to serve Him and ask Him for opportunities to be His hands and feet on the earth to serve others.
I truly believe that trauma-informed care and education is so very important, more so now than ever before. My hope is that this movement will continue to grow in North Carolina and be prioritized in every school district. I would hope that every educator would know and understand the important role that they play in the life of a child and the great significance of helping build resilience and establishing trusting, meaningful relationships. I am so beyond blessed to be a part of the Resilience and Learning Project and very proud to be part of the team helping to spread this critical information. Everything happens for a reason, and I know my life has led me here “for such a time as this”.