Mona Humphries Bailey of Seattle, Washington was born December 14, 1932 in Apalachicola, Florida. On January 12, 2018 Mona went to be with the Lord after her courageous example of living with cancer.   She was surrounded by her loving family.  Mona Humphries Bailey was a loving devoted Wife to her beloved Husband William P. (Pete) Bailey and Mother of her two beloved sons: Colonel Peter Govan Bailey, United States Air Force of Montgomery, Alabama and Christopher Evans Bailey (Chelsea) of Seattle Washington, Founder and CEO of the Seattle based company, MindSeekers.

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Mona Humphries Bailey has been defined by her three passions; Family, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and K-12 Education.

 

In her thirty-two year career in public education, Mona Bailey has worked to promote equity and excellence for all students, especially for underachieving students. She has served as a junior and high school science teacher, high school counselor, Middle School Principal, Personnel Administrator and Assistant and Deputy Superintendent in Seattle Public Schools, and as Assistant State Superintendent in the Washington State Office of Public Instruction. Immediately after retiring, she served as a Senior Associate with the Institute of Educational Inquiry, a nonprofit Seattle-based organization focusing on educational renewal in partnership with the National Network for Educational Renewal. She continues to play a role in education as an educational consultant and as a volunteer with advocacy groups to reform education for K-12 students.  She served as the Head of School and the Mistress of Generals for The Forest Ridge Sacred Heart School in Bellevue.

 

Mona co-chaired the HB2722 State Advisory Committee to Close the Achievement Gap of African American Students in the State of Washington. She also served on the Pacific Science Center Board of Directors and chaired its Science Education Advisory Committee; the Seattle Art Museum's Education and Community Advisory Committee; United Way of King County’s Community Building Committee; the Seattle YWCA's Communities of Color Advisory Committee; and the Black Education Strategy Roundtable Board of Directors. She was a founding member of School Board Leaders for the Future. She was also a long time member of the Seattle Rotary Club

 

Mona received many awards throughout her lifetime. The MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) State Board established the annual Mona Bailey MESA Teacher Award in 2003 in honor of her services to the State MESA Program from its beginning in the 1980s. She has been recognized by the Johnson Publishing Company as one of the 100 influential Black Americans and is listed in Who's Who among Women and Who's Who among Black Americans. Florida A&M University awarded her the Meritorious Achievement Award and Distinguished Alumnus Award; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., honored her with the highest award bestowed upon its members, the Mary Church Terrell Award. In 2014, Therapeutic Health Services of Washington awarded her its annual Alvirita Little Award.

 

Mona had a BS Degree in Chemistry from Florida A&M University and a MS in Science Education from Oregon State University. She was a candidate for the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership and Administration at the University of Washington.