Home Lifestyle WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: Jordan excels as educator in Richmond County

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: Jordan excels as educator in Richmond County

Dr. Wendy Kelly Jordan has earned multiple awards in her educational career as a teacher and adminstrator.
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Today we celebrate a leading lady who has made and continues to make an enormous impact on our community as the director of Student Services for Richmond County Schools.

There must have been something extra special about Richmond Senior High School in 1988, as she makes our fourth feature from the graduating class of that year — Marchell Adams-David, Derek Dervin and Ronald Kenny Durham were also featured this year in our Black History Series. Much like the other exemplar ’88 graduates, Dr. Wendy Kelley Jordan has a dedicated her career to the service and betterment of others. 

Accrediting the influence of the teachers in her early years at Rohanen schools and the loving support at home with her grandparents, Jordan is fiercely passionate about the importance of early education that encompasses a holistic approach that places equal values on the emotional and social development and academics.

As a first-generation college graduate, she acknowledges the impact of the genuine concern of her teachers when she was a student. Her experiences as student throughout her educational journey — coupled with her personal convictions, determination, and love of learning — make her the ultimate educational powerhouse leading lady, who has made an immeasurable difference in the lives of so many.

After graduating from RSHS, she enrolled in the transfer program Richmond Community College, where she earned an associate degree in 1990 and transferred to Appalachian State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in elementary education (1992), both of which being summa cum laude. 

With no open teaching positions available when she graduated, she began working at the Department of Social Services in Moore County until a position in fifth grade came open in Scotland County. The following year, her husband, Butch, who was in his final year of active duty with the United States Army, was stationed in Augusta, Georgia, where she taught pre-kindergarten. Upon returning to Richmond County, she taught kindergarten before returning to her own educational pursuit to earn a master’s degree in school administration with a curriculum instructional specialist license in 1999 from East Carolina University. 

In 2000, she was named the assistant principal at Monroe Avenue Elementary and was promoted to principal in 2005 of the former Rohanen Primary School until its closing in 2010, at which time she was appointed to lead Mineral Springs Elementary School. During her time at Mineral Springs, she led the school from being a transformation school with low performance to gaining 14.9% in performance composite over a two-year period, achieved “exceeds expected growth” for three consecutive years, and truly set the bar for all elementary schools in the county. 

Being the superwoman she is, during the time Jordan was leading the way at Mineral Springs, she was also working on her doctorate at East Carolina University and successfully defended her dissertation, “A Study of the Effect of Kindergarten Entrance Age on the Referral and Placement Rate into the Exceptional Children’s Program” in 2012 and became Dr. Wendy Kelly Jordan with a doctorate in educational leadership (Ed.D). 

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In 2014, she was named the principal of the largest middle school in the county, Rockingham Middle, where she quickly proved her expertise and talent was not limited to an elementary setting. In 2017, the school achieved academic excellence with the prestigious honor of being designated a “School to Watch” as defined by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. 

After three years at Rock Middle, Jordan was promoted to her current post at the district level as the director of Student Services, where she oversees the many components of student support systems, including school counselors, nurses, social workers, pre-kindergarten, and other areas of support. 

She has been recognized numerous times for her accomplishments and dedication: Richmond County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year (2004); Ralph Brimley Enrichment Fund Recipient at East Carolina University (2006 and 2008); Richmond County Schools Principal of the Year (2009 and 2013); Sandhills/ South Region Principal of the Year (2013); National Distinguished Principal/ National Association of Elementary School Principals (2013); committee member on the Governor’s Task Force on Safer Schools for two terms (2013-2020); and named the Outstanding Alumni of the Year for Richmond Community College in 2018. 

Jordan has also been a member of the North Carolina Principal and Assistant Principals Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals, Richmond County Principal and Assistant Principal Advisory Council (2013-2016), and the National Conference Proposal Review for National Association of Elementary School Principals from 2013-2014. She served as a dissertation content mentor for Walden University from 2016-2017 and is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 

Additionally, she is an active member of Freedom Baptist Church, where she loves to work with the children as a Sunday school teacher, serves on several committees, and helps direct vacation bible school. Further evidencing her dedication to service in the community, Jordan has supported the Richmond County Humane Society and other local animal rescue groups for many years. Butch and Wendy Jordan have one son, Noah, who is currently attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Join us today in celebrating the continued success of this leading lady for her steadfast dedication to our education system in Richmond County and our community as a whole.

Meghann Lambeth is executive director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority. Republished from visitrichmondcounty.com. Throughout March, Visit Richmond County will feature a local leading lady in honor of Women’s History Month.

 



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