Wilson was born in Topeka, Kansas and was raised by parents who both believed strongly in public education, her news release said. Her mother was the first in her family to graduate from college, and she worked her way through while raising three young children. Wilson’s mother started as a school bus driver and after earning two college degrees, she taught high school art, special education and later worked in administration for Memphis City Schools. When Wilson was young, her father was active in the PTA and served on the Shawnee County School Board while she was in elementary school. Her father’s example is a driving factor in her interest to pursue this role in Botetourt County, she said.
Wilson has been a physical therapist in the Roanoke Valley for 19 years. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Mississippi in 1999, and her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Tennessee in 2002. Wilson held multiple leadership roles during her undergraduate and graduate education, including secretary/treasurer of her undergraduate class, the undergraduate Ambassador Director where she worked closely with administration in recruiting and orienting new students, and president of her physical therapy class.
Wilson said she has always loved working with children and served three summers as a camp counselor, including at Camp John Marc in Texas working with children with special needs. She also completed physical therapy clinical education rotations at St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and the Shriners hospital in Lexington, Ky.
In her professional career, while working on the inpatient rehab unit at Lewis Gale Hospital, Wilson served as the Clinical Coordinator of Education for physical therapy students and as a clinical supervisor for physical therapy students. She currently works full time as a physical therapist for Amedisys Home Health. She serves the Botetourt community in her employment and thus has formed relationships from all parts of the county that have helped her to gain greater understanding into the unique needs of the area, she said.
Wilson is married to Morgan Wilson, a professor in Biology at Hollins University. They have a daughter, Abbie, who is a freshman at James River High School, and a son, Sam, a sixth grader at Central Academy Middle School. She enjoys playing an active role in her children’s education and extracurricular activities. She said that having children in the Botetourt County school system would help her relate to the needs of students in the community.
When choosing a place to buy a home 13 years ago, Wilson said, it was the quality schools and strong sense of community that led them to Botetourt County. She recently served three years on the Buchanan Elementary School executive board of the PTA, two of those years as PTA president. She worked with her executive committee in fundraising and grant writing efforts and, in collaboration with Botetourt County Schools and Botetourt County Parks and Recreation, received funding necessary for the construction of two different playground units at Buchanan Elementary School.
As a physical therapist, Wilson said recognizes the immense value of physical activity and outdoor education in child development. She has served on the parent/superintendent advisory council and the countywide PTA committee in Botetourt County. In her role on the superintendent advisory committee, she gained valuable insight into the Botetourt County school system budget-making process, as well as the ongoing and future funding needs to support countywide school capital improvement projects.
Wilson said she hopes to serve as an advocate with local and statewide representatives for continued support in funding capital improvement needs in the county. With her background in healthcare, she believes she can be an asset to area education initiatives, such as the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers initiative championed by Delegate Terry Austin. Programs such as this will help streamline the career paths of Botetourt county students into the healthcare fields, make this education more affordable, and help retain workers in this area, she said.
Wilson is a member of Buchanan Presbyterian Church and volunteers at the Buchanan Theatre, the BAMA food pantry, the Sunflower Festival, Muddy Squirrel races, and the Rise Against Hunger event. She says she is a strong believer in volunteerism and hopes to integrate more opportunities for students to give back to their communities. In her free time, Wilson said she loves “to spend time outdoors, hiking on the Appalachian Trial, trail running, and photographing all the beauty that surrounds us in Botetourt.”
