Her-Story

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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 Hawaii. She is the proud mother of a GCS  11th grader, Thatcher, and their amazing rescue dog, Noodle.  Her  husband,  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.

Amanda regularly presents at local and national conferences on Creative Problem Solving, Leadership Development, and Teacher Development.  Her work with Guilford County Schools’ Arts Department has lead to the creation of the Creative Leadership Cohort, now the Arts Advisory Board.  She returned to her roots in South Carolina Future Business Leaders of America, serving as the State Officer Adviser from 2023-2025, which resulted in restructuring the state officer roles, helping the State President get elected to a national officer roles, and growing the programs offered to CTE teachers and advisers at the local level.  

Since taking office in 2023, Amanda has served on the Community Development and Transparency, Engagement, and Communication (TEC) committees.  She also serves as the liaison to the Library and Museum Advisory Board, Theatre Advisory Board, Elevate Young Professionals Board, and the Guilford County Continuum of Care Board.  She also serves on the Guilford County Partnership for Children Board as well as the Every Baby Guilford Steering Committee.  The issues she has brought to the table at the February 2024 and November 2024 City Council Retreats include: lack of childcare in the city, need for updates around allowing solar integration for residents, and the expansion of the arts in High Point.  Additionally, Amanda has secured funding for the High Point Schools Partnership, Youth Focus, and the TEAMS eviction mediation program out of UNCG.  Amanda has shown time, and time again, her dedication to serving working people in High Point, putting funds toward meaningful change, and full implementation of the One High Point Commission on reparations (through lasting policy and priority).