We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Annise Mabry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Annise, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I want my legacy to be my passion for rural communities especially for mental health (for law enforcement officers and the communities they serve) and transforming adults without high school diplomas into high school graduates. I want people to remember how I created a homeschool diploma program for my children and then took that program into rural Georgia to empower parents and guardians to issue their own homeschool high school diplomas. Diplomas change destinations and Georgia is one of the best states for homeschool families. There is no reason why we should have 866,000 adults in Georgia without a high school diploma when Georgia homeschool law empowers parents to issue their own diplomas.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation is a community economic development (CED) organization that focuses on improving the lives of individuals and law enforcement agencies in rural communities. I am proud that our foundation can be the leverage that rural communities need to access grant funding. But the reality is we didn’t start out to be a community economic development organization. We began as a homeschool cooperative and a podcast network that provided academic curriculum for special needs students and a voice for individuals with stories that weren’t being covered by the mainstream media outlets.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutouts go to the City of Tennille, Mayor Eartha Cummings and Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran. These two are a perfect example of what visionary leadership looks like. Sherif Cochran allowed me to create Georgia’s first multi-agency mental health co-responder model. Now while mental health co-responder models that pair a mental health professional with law enforcement officers for mental health calls, this has never been done inside a Sheriff’s Office. You see things as they are and ask ‘Why?’. I dream of things that never were and ask’ Why not?!’. George Benard Shaw

Website: http://www.drannisemabry.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedrannisemabryfoundation/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drannisemabry/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MabryFoundation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAnniseMabryFoundation

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TiersFreeAcademy

Image Credits
Mystie Medlin Photography

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