Mary Towe earns Post Foundation educator of the year

PATRICE JOHNSON | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Retired Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools counselor Mary Towe is the Charlotte Post Foundation educator of the year.

Mary Towe knows she has touched thousands of lives as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools counselor. 

Towe, the Charlotte Post Foundation Educator of the Year, believes in meeting students “where they are” to support their growth. The foundation will honor her at the annual Post Best Banquet on Oct. 3.

“What’s at the core for young people – and all people in general – is that you understand you have value, you are important and you’re significant,” she said.

A genuine champion for high school students and their prospects for success is how Gerald Johnson, president of the foundation and publisher of The Charlotte Post, describes Towe. 

“There is no better candidate for our top educator recognition than Mary Towe,” he said. 

Growing up in Plymouth near North Carolina’s Albemarle Sound, Towe’s mother Julia taught third grade, and her father Edison was a high school science teacher. Towe and her two brothers were expected to get advanced degrees, and they did.  

Except for one year, Towe has served CMS since 1985, fresh out of East Carolina University with a master’s degree in counselor education. She’d previously earned a bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill in psychology.

Her year away was in Atlanta as program manager at the Ronald McNair Foundation, named for the Challenger astronaut. She coordinated space camps, a speakers’ bureau and student activities. 

“I think the strengths and gifts I have include being able to look at a project and break it apart into smaller phases and see what needs to be done,” Towe said. 

Probably no one else in CMS has helped open more high schools than the four she counts. She helped start Providence, Ardrey Kell and Hough. The fourth, from which she retired, was Charlotte Engineering Early College, which partners with UNC Charlotte. She was director of student wellness and academic support and calls it her best position. 

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with school teams to make sure they have the content they need,” she said. “I was trying to put all the disciplines together for the benefit of students.”

The ultimate professional is how Terri Cockerham describes Towe. A retired CMS chief human resources officer and former principal, Cockerham worked with Towe at Providence and Hough. 

“The biggest thing is Mary loved her kids,” Cockerham said. “She loved the people she worked with. Everybody at CMS knew Mary and respected her.”

Though she retired from CMS in 2021, Towe still supports the district’s counseling program part time at selected sites. High school students need a trusted adult to remind them they have value and can achieve goals, she says. The key, she adds, is listening to them and convincing them she wants to help with tough problems. 

Towe admits she presses students of color “really hard” and that’s especially true for young men. 

“There are times that I push them a little bit harder,” she said.

Antawn Jamison played basketball at Providence and at UNC, then the National Basketball Association for 16 seasons. Semi-retired and back in Charlotte, he remembers how Towe counseled him before he graduated in 1995.

“Miss Towe is one of the nicest individuals you will ever want to meet,” Jamison said, “but when it comes to education, she didn’t play around. She did the best job possible of not crushing my dreams, but letting me know I needed a backup plan in case I get hurt or even if I did make it in basketball. So get an education.”

Tar Heels basketball coach Dean Smith reinforced that advice, as did Jamison’s parents, Kathy and Albert, who live in Waxhaw. Jamison, who earned a degree in African American studies and communication, and Towe remain close.

“He’s a better person than he is a basketball player,” Towe said. 

“She’s the main reason I am the person I am today,” Jamison counters. “She pushed me. I’m blessed to still have her in my corner.”

Towe refers to Karen Thomas as her mentor. A retired executive director of student services for CMS, Thomas worked with Towe for 20 years.

“Mary has a heart for children and what’s best for students,” Thomas said. “She has that compassionate side, but she’s also very logical, very smart and always focused on the right way.” 

Towe also earned a Master of Divinity degree and an urban ministry certificate from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. She is an elder at Temple Church International, responsible for Christian education and new member integration.  

“I don’t want to get stagnant,” she said. “With the Lord’s help, I want to continue to grow. There are places of impact that God still has for me.”

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