BJ JENKINS

BJ Jenkins at Mercer University's job fair.

More than twenty-five years ago, PAGE implemented a new statewide recruitment model. Membership services representatives (MSRs) were hired to work in districts – each dedicated to multiple school systems.  BJ Jenkins joined PAGE staff in 1998 as the MSR for District 6.

“It’s hard to believe I’ve been here over 25 years,” Jenkins says, “It seems like I just started yesterday.”

Following a successful career as a child advocate, Jenkins began seeking a way to continually make a difference in the lives of educators. “Everyone needs a support system,” she observes “I have always enjoyed helping others by being a source of information, and PAGE afforded me that opportunity.”

Although change is inevitable, we will continue our focus on providing the best in member services.

As a new PAGE MSR serving 22 school systems, her primary responsibilities were increasing the association’s visibility by sharing the PAGE message with educators within each system and building relationships with PAGE Building Contacts (BCs), now known as PAGE Ambassadors (PAs).

“I liked traveling throughout the district, visiting with BCs, and sharing PAGE information,” Jenkins recalls. “However, I quickly realized that what worked best in some systems didn’t necessarily carry over into others.”  This willingness to reflect and adapt led her to apply for a different position.

In 2022, when Director of Membership Jimmy Jordan retired, Jenkins saw an opportunity to work with her colleagues in a different capacity. She applied to be his successor. “Although MSRs are located throughout the state and work independently, I thought moving to a team-centered approach and fostering more collaboration would create greater camaraderie.”

The new model has proven successful. “Our focus on members’ needs is unsurpassed. Working as a team has increased our productivity, which has had a direct impact on membership. The ability to coordinate with internal departments while simultaneously disseminating information to PAs, recruiting, and meeting individual members’ needs fuels the team’s success,” notes Jenkins. 

“Although change is inevitable, we will continue our focus on providing the best in member services.”