LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Dr. Charlene Winley was nominated by her sister, Frederica Winley-Tokponwey.

Dr. Winley is a speaker, trainer, teacher, leader, and a change-agent for this generation. She has been in education for over 30 years and taught in three school districts; New York City Board of Education, Norfolk Public Schools, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools. In each district, she has always been an advocate for her students and their families.  Dr. Winley has taught Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, third and fifth grades. She held various roles in and out of the classroom over the course of her career as an educator. She served as an instructional technology resource teacher, where she won a community service award for having the most instructional minutes in training and teaching technology to teachers, parents, and community stakeholders. She was also the coordinator of the Home Instructional Program for Preschool Youngsters,    (H.I. P.P.Y) PROGRAM, where she trained a staff of eight to teach parents how to prepare their children for school-readiness. Additionally, Dr. Winley was the Process Manager of School Improvement and a math interventionist in Norfolk Public Schools.

As an educator, Dr. Winley mentors students, adopts families, and uses her talents and abilities to enrich the lives of students and colleagues. Since her arrival at Holland Elementary School, she has been actively involved in school programs and initiatives. She attended the six-week sessions for Courageous Conversation, empowering the staff to talk openly about race and racial issues.  She is currently the Transformation Learning Lead Teacher for kindergarten, grade level chair, and Virginia Readiness Kindergarten Program representative.

For the past two years, she co-chaired the Black History Month Program at Holland Elementary School and works extra hard in bringing cultural diversity to the school.  This is evident in that she was Teacher of The Year at her elementary school and placed as one of the top five finalists for Virginia Beach City Public Schools' Teacher of the Year. Currently, Dr. Winley is working on a program to decrease chronic absenteeism in kindergarten students. In an effort to end the disproportionate number of suspensions of African American males compared to other students, Dr. Winley has collaborated with school guidance in creating a professional development program for educators, providing them with strategies on Trauma Informed Practices in the classroom.

Dr. Winley is very active in her community. She is the second Vice President of the Virginia Beach NAACP, as well as the Education chair, where she is bridging the gap and addressing disparity in the Virginia Beach City Public School system. Currently, she is working with district leaders to implement the NAACP ACT-SO (African-American Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics), a national competition awarding scholarships for college. As the NAACP Community and Outreach chair, she joins forces with community leaders to address the concerns of local people of color.

Dr. Winley participated in the N.E.S.T. program, which provides food, toiletries, and shelter for the homeless for a week in the church facilities. Additionally, she volunteered to clean up Ocean View Beach, participated in feeding the homeless with Judeo-Christian Outreach, filled baby bottles for Crisis Pregnancy Center, and hosted a back to school drive for students.  Additionally, she is an active member of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services' (GEMS) to support young women, ages 12-24, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation, and she's certified as a trained facilitator.

Additionally, Dr. Winley is past president and founder of the Daughters of Life, a non-profit organization of positive women extending themselves to bring hope, encouragement, and stability into the lives of others. In addition to helping people in crisis, the DOLs (Daughters of Life) educate, empower, and equip women from all racial, ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds through workshops and equipping sessions. Under her tenure as president, the DOLs collaborated with five local elementary schools. Through these partnerships, they held a Parent University to empower families, conducted weekly workshops for parents in crisis, and connected them with community resources. Over a period of three years, the Daughters of Life paid for and sent over 200 students to a week-long camp, and provided them with all the camping necessities. Thanks to a local contractor and interior designer, they designed and remodeled the family room of a local women’s shelter. Additionally, this organization paid mortgages, rent, utilities, bills, and purchased groceries for countless families. With the help of various community partners, members of the Daughters of Life provide over 60 Thanksgiving baskets to families in the Hampton Roads Area each year. Through community partners, private donors, and fundraising events, they also provide Christmas wish list items, clothes, shoes, and coats to children in need.

Dr. Winley is an influential speaker and presenter who encourages and uplifts those who are broken-hearted, cast down, or others who lack vision and purpose. As CEO and owner of ReScriptedLife Coaching, Dr. Winley emphasizes the importance of Living Life by Design and Not by Default. She empowers those who are disappointed about where they are in life to "ReWrite the Script." She has equipped countless people with strategies in leaving their past behind and ReScripting their lives toward a more fulfilling future.

Finally, Dr. Winley has a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a Master’s Degree in Human Development, Cognition, and Learning from Columbia University. Dr. Winley will have an endorsement in Supervision and Administration in 2020, which will enable her to obtain a leadership position in the school district. This will afford her the opportunities to create greater changes to ensure the academic success for all students. She is a certified Life Coach and the author of ReScriptedLife-31 Days to Reconnect to Your Purpose. She has three sons and lives in Virginia Beach.

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