A Rich History

Mandy currently works for Blount County Schools as an Itinerant Teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Visually Impaired. She also serves as an instructional coach and Child Find coordinator. She has been with Blount County Schools for seven years. Mandy graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a minor in Child and Family Studies. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in Education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Mandy’s second master’s degree in Education of Visual Impairments from Trevecca Nazarene University. In 2022, Mandy received the Southeast Regional Institute on Deafness Outstanding Teacher of the Year award.
At a very young age, Mandy was diagnosed with Bilateral Sensorineural Moderate-Severe Hearing loss and was aided. She attended an oral/aural program at the University of Tennessee for 2 years before mainstreaming into a public school system. For this reason, she decided to pursue a degree in education after exploring various career fields.
In addition to teaching, Mandy works as a Parent Advisor alongside a Deaf Mentor with Tennessee School for the Deaf working with families and their children ages birth-6 with hearing loss. This job allows her to pursue her passion in ensuring that every child is offered equal access to his or her community and educate families on how to advocate, support, and provide a language rich environment in both spoken language and American Sign Language. She is able to offer her unique personal experience in navigating a world made for the hearing while remaining unbiased in parent choice for child’s communication method. Mandy is involved with other agencies that work with individuals with different hearing levels such as being a council member on the TN Council for Deaf, Deaf Blind, and Hard of Hearing as well as being a co-president for the local Knoxville Hearing Loss Association chapter, which is a support group for adults and families who are living with hearing loss.

The Honorable Stephanie M. Jones is a trailblazer, recognized thought leader, and expert in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), with over 20 years of experience in Labor and Employment Law. As the Founder & CEO of Omega Daughter, LLC, Judge Jones leads a pioneering workplace training and investigations firm specializing in DEIA education, helping teams foster a more inclusive, collaborative, and impactful workforce. Her firm also addresses complex challenges such as harassment, discrimination claims, risk compliance, and shareholder matters, supporting organizations in navigating these critical issues with integrity. An East Tennessee native, Stephanie earned her BA from Duke University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Her career reflects an unwavering commitment to advocacy and justice. Notably, in February of this year, she was appointed Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Knoxville, Tennessee Hearing Office, a U.S. Federal Agency. Stephanie has played a pivotal role in advancing civil rights and DEIA efforts across the nation, particularly through her work with the American Bar Association (ABA), where she became one of only three At-Large Labor and Employment Law Section Council Members representing the public sector. Judge Jones is an active board member with United Way of Blount County and Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee and serves on the Diversity Committee with Family Promise National. Through these roles, she continues to empower others and foster community, embodying a bold vision for a more equitable and just future.

Wendy Wand is the Vice President of United Way of Blount County, bringing over 20 years of nonprofit experience locally and internationally. She holds a Master of Public Administration from UT Chattanooga and is a certified *Bridges Out of Poverty* Trainer with a decade of experience in poverty awareness education in East Tennessee. Active in the community, Wendy serves as Co-Chair of the Blount Ecumenical Action Council, Organizational Chair for the Downtown Maryville Association, a member of the Tennessee Nonprofit Network’s Community Action Council, and a board member of *Share the Light.* She is also a graduate of Leadership Blount (2014), East TN Regional Leadership (2016), and United Way Worldwide LEAD (2020). Wendy lives in Maryville with her husband, John, their child, and their beloved dog. An avid adventurer, she is on a mission to hike every U.S. national park—22 down and counting!