Maxine Petty

My current role focuses on leadership and education, particularly working with school districts on family engagement. I've been doing consulting work for about 10 years. My work is really about helping districts understand the population that they serve. I think a lot of times people want cookie-cutter things, and I like innovation. Sometimes we have to think outside the box. God has really blessed me to get those contracts because I bring something new. It's not a system that you buy - it's about building connections and building bridges instead of walls in your communities. Engagement is not this rigid thing, it's building connections. A lot of people come in with all these systems, but what may work in California may not work in Virginia. So it's really about tailoring my services to meet the need of the population that people are serving. My day-to-day involves scheduling meetings, putting presentations together, doing work in my community, and advocating for education and for those communities who have been unserviced. I'm really big on grassroot work, so you'll find me at a lot of community events. My work is research, meetings with districts, and building my brand.