The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has announced Kimberly Walker Nailor as the 2023 Mississippi Parent of the Year.
Nailor, a mother of two students, was nominated by the Vicksburg-Warren School District and is described as a model parent who cares about her community and school district.
She is employed as the city attorney of Vicksburg and always finds time to volunteer for the school district and the community. She has invested in finding solutions to make the Vicksburg-Warren County community a better place for the development of students.
Nailor’s participation in various service-oriented activities and organizations has helped the community be a better place for student development. She assisted financially in sponsoring and serving meals for football players before games and practices. Due to a lack of funding allotted to the athletic budget, there was no money for football players to have meals.
In 2021, Nailor joined the Vicksburg High School Booster Club, and they raised tens of thousands of dollars to sustain the athletics program. In 2019, she volunteered weekly in a sixth-grade classroom to assist the teacher with encouraging students to perform well on the state test. The class was successful in passing the benchmark state test.
With a passion to mentor, Nailor spearheaded weekly sessions from 2015-2016 for approximately 30 teenage girls at Warren Central Junior High School to build self-esteem and encourage proper lifestyle choices.
Through her dedication to the community and school district, Nailor has served on the parent committee for Vicksburg High School (VHS), as chairperson for the Child and Parent Center, as an advisory board member for both the West Central United Way and the Randy J. Naylor Memorial Foundation, and provided book scholarships to seniors.
She is currently the chairperson for the board of advisors of the Warren County Children’s Shelter and serves as Vicksburg High School Mock Trial Advisor.
Other Parent of the Year finalists for 2023 were:
- Ashley Quimby (Congressional District 1 finalist) – nominated by the Tupelo School District for being a compassionate servant with strong leadership skills, respectful, and an advocate for students and teachers. She has two children in the district.
- Leigh Sargent (Congressional District 3 finalist) – nominated by the Madison County School District for keeping the school and community connected by leading, supporting, and being a morale booster for teachers and students. She has five children, including two in the district.
- Crystal Wallace (Congressional District 4 finalist) – nominated by the Columbia School District for volunteering countless hours to schools, serving students and teachers, and boosting staff morale. She has two children in the district.
