Mrs. Morris received her bachelor’s degree in English from Jackson State University. On April 28, 2017, she returned to her alma mater, Jackson State University, where she was awarded her Golden Diploma. Mrs. Morris obtained her Master’s degree and an Educational Specialist’s degree and certification in administration, leadership and supervision from Delta State University. She began her professional career as an English teacher in the Chicago Public Schools and in Shelby, Mississippi. She was the first teacher of gifted talented education and special education in the North Bolivar Schools. In 2001, she was selected to serve as the Project Director of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers in the Drew, Sunflower County and Montgomery County School Districts. During this time, she met the energetic, beautifully-spirited and dedicated educator, Mrs. Dorothy Jackson, who served as the Project Ascend Contact Person for Ruleville Middle School. Mrs. Morris retired from her educational career in 2010 as the principal of the A. W. James Elementary School in Drew. She retired from education, but redirected her energies and talents in countless other community and civic engagements.
In 2008, the Drew School District named her as the Administrator of the Year. She is a life member and Silver Star of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She and 15 other members chartered Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s Chi Mu Omega Chapter in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, in 2003. She presently serves as the chapter’s Historian. She holds membership in the Shelby Chamber of Commerce, the Clarksdale Chapter of the NAACP, AARP, the Mound Bayou Civic Club, the ReCon League, and she holds life membership in the Retired Education Personnel of Mississippi, the Mississippi Association of Educators and the National Education Association.
As a successful grant writer, Mrs. Morris has written and received funding for the North Delta Safe to Sleep Initiative for the past 11 years, which allows for educational, awareness and training sessions on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). In addition, she has also written and received grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi. In 2014, she was the recipient of a grant written on behalf of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which allowed the Mound Bayou Historic Preservation Commission to bring “Music in the Park” to the community. The grant showcased the musical talents of local artists, as well as artists from the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Artists’ Roster.
Mrs. Morris chairs the St. Gabriel Board of Directors, the Mound Bayou Historic Preservation Commission, the Bolivar County Long Term Disaster Recovery Committee, and was certified by the National Institutes of Health as a Safe 2 Sleep Champion (SIDS). In 2012, she was listed in Who’s Who in Black Mississippi. As chairman of the Bolivar County Long Term Disaster Recovery Committee, and for their efforts in bringing disaster relief to residents in Bolivar County who were affected by the 2016 March flood out of 73 nominations, the Bolivar County Long Term Disaster Recovery Committee was one of 13 nominees selected to receive the Governor’s Initiative for Volunteer Excellence (GIVE) Award for Outstanding Service in Disaster Relief.
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