- November 2022
Project Coordinator
MSU Extension, Dept. of Human Sciences
Willie Locke Resource & Referral Center, Gulfport
Years in Position: 1 month
Valerie Bonner may be new to her position, but her passion for education spans a quarter of a century. As the project coordinator at the Willie Locke Resource and Referral (R&R) Center, Bonner’s responsibilities include establishing and maintaining a resource library and other family enrichment programs specifically to serve the Soria City community.
“I chose this job to help enrich the lives of others in a meaningful and impactful way—what greater reward is there than to be of service to others,” said Bonner. “Making a satisfactory impact in someone’s life gives me great reward of purpose and fulfillment.”
The R&R Center is part of MSU Extension and offers support to give high-quality early care and educational programs to serve infant to pre-school age children in the out-of-school setting. Bonner said leadership, sacrifice and commitment are important traits to have when working in education, but she believes having the heart of a servant is essential to being successful.
“My advice to others is to have the ability to do good things for people in need because there is prosperity in serving others. In my spare time, I enjoy volunteering in my community at various events about awareness and giving back to others,” said Bonner.
A native of Florida, Bonner is the proud mother of three children and a “Mimi” to four grandchildren. Her hobbies include traveling and spending quality time with her fiancé, Richard, her family, and puppy, Bruno. She has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Master’s in Library Science with nearly 25 years in education, serving as an academic librarian for 20 of those years.