Doctor Grammy (Dr. Mara Jane Cawein) is a retired educator, mother of 3, and grandmother of 14. She has a BS in Mathematics, MSE in Math Education, and PhD in Leadership Studies, all from the University of Central Arkansas. She was a computer software engineer, a high school mathematics teacher with national board certification, and a university instructor for educators and pre-service teachers.
While on a college of education staff, she worked with pre-service teachers and national board candidates. She led state sites for non-traditional licensure and candidate support for teachers pursuing national board certification. She served on the board for Arkansas Teachers for National Board Certification (ATNBC). She has also assessed teacher candidate entries for the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NTBPS).
She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), an international honor society in education. She served as counselor for the Pi Beta chapter, led sessions at multiple conferences, and volunteered to assist with scholarship selection. She was honored as a KDP Teacher of Honor. She also co-authored a chapter for a teacher leadership book published by KDP.
She has served as a Sunday school teacher, youth director, attended numerous Bible study groups, and led many as well. Some of the topics of the special mission studies that she led include Native Americans, Haiti, and poverty.
As a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), she has served as chapter treasurer, chapter regent, state historian, and state scholarship chair. DAR's motto is "God, home, and country". During her tenure as regent, her chapter's motto was "In God we trust."