Michael Adams
Michael is a former school counselor from Annapolis, Maryland, who now spends his time in continued service to youth in Southern Oregon. He has a B.A. degree in psychology, and an M Ed. degree in school counseling. During his 30-year career as an educator, he provided individual and group counseling, as well as specialized crisis intervention in a wide variety of middle and high school settings. 15 years of his service to young people was spent in the trenches with “at risk” students in alternative school settings. Michael has additionally taught drug education and parenting classes to students throughout his career. Since retiring, he has traveled extensively in South America and has worked at several schools in Northern Ecuador. Michael believes strongly that our young people today are faced with immense challenges that are beyond what most middle-aged adults had to deal with in their youth, and that we as adults have a responsibility to care for and support them in any way possible. Michael’s most recent favorite quote is from Dr. Wayne Dyer: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Tanya Maxwell
Tanya has been with The Edge since its inception and says, “I continue to feel very passionate about the positive results I have seen The Edge bring to the youth in our community.” Tanya is a proud parent and a dedicated professional educator, having served as a secondary school counselor for over seventeen years here in the Rogue Valley and beyond. She holds a BA in Dramatic Art from University of California at Berkeley, with an additional emphasis on Cultural Anthropology. Tanya went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Counseling, with School Counseling Certification, from Oregon State University, and then garnered a post-graduate degree in School Administration from Southern Oregon University. Tanya says passionately, “I believe in the full potential of all of our kids to succeed and thrive, and whatever we as adults can do to encourage them to believe in themselves and to pursue their dreams, will always be an important aspect of my own life endeavors.”
Floyd Graves, Co-founder/Vice President Emeritus
Floyd served for 32 years in public education as a Physical Education teacher, an athletic coach, and as a middle school Dean of Students. Constantly looking for better ways to handle the problems kids face, he co-founded The Edge to help the angry, frustrated students he encountered who lacked confidence and direction. Now retired from his career in public education, Floyd currently works with OnTrack, Inc., as a Crisis Prevention Specialist, teaching pro-social skills to 10- to 13-year-olds, enabling them to make positive life choices. “Life can be so wonderfully different if people are given the tools. The Edge, a program that is long overdue, is truly able to fill today’s student’s tool box.”
Help kids in our community help themselves by getting involved today! Tell your school’s administrators and counselor about us, make a donation, join our mailing list, and/or serve as a volunteer. Thank you for caring!