Photo Gallery

---

Amanda was born on Election Day 1982.  She is the daughter of a retired  deputy  State  Treasurer, Paige Parsons Lewis, and an award-winning salesman, Clifford D. Parsons, III  (who  sadly  passed  away  in  2006).  With mom growing up in the upstate of South Carolina and dad a lowcountry boy, they met in the middle and Amanda grew up in the capital city of Columbia, SC.  She is the oldest of three children, with brothers in Alaska  and Minnesota. She is the proud mother of a GCS  8th grader, Thatcher, and their amazing rescue dog, Noodle.  Her  partner,  Paresh,  has  been  a  long-time  NC  resident  and  works  as  a  senior  manager  in  corporate  IT.    She has been in North Carolina since 2005 when she came to study Dance Education and Communication Studies at UNCG. 

Upon graduating from UNCG in 2008, Amanda was hired by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools as a dance teacher.  She served middle and high school students in Forsyth County for 9 years, as a dance teacher and as an award winning coach in the sports of tennis, swimming, dance, and cheerleading.  

In 2017, Amanda transferred to Guilford County Schools to bring back dance at Southwest High School.  She grew the position from part-time to full-time in one year and took on the role of Department Chair of the Freshman Focus Department soon after.  She continued to coach the newly formed Spurs Dance Team as well as the Women’s Lacrosse team.  

In 2020, Amanda went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in Teacher Leadership. Curriculum, and Instruction with an additional certificate for Gifted Education.  She graduated from Gardner Webb University in July of 2021.

Following her experience in the Young Professional Educators Association in 2019, Amanda began to imagine a new organization for teachers. In the summer of 2020 she founded The Teacher’s Edge, Inc (501c3).  In June of 2021, she resigned from GCS to follow her mission of elevating the teaching profession through her work in The Teacher’s Edge, as well as running for Guilford County Board of Education.  In 2022, Amanda completed the Executive Leadership Academy with Guilford Nonprofit Consortium, organized TEDxHighPoint, and ran a clean campaign.  The majority of her time and commitment to teachers this school year has been dedicated to subbing wherever she can.  She has completed over 60 sub jobs in GCS since September 2021, serving mainly High Point schools

She has visited 7 National Parks and enjoys reading, journaling, movies, e-biking, and spending time with her family.  She serves as a mentor for new dance teachers through NDEO.  You are likely to bump into her at the grocery store, Rockers Stadium, Johnson Street Sports Complex,  or in anywhere fun is being had!