Each week, #SpanningtheNeed will present an “Inspirational Person of the Week’ and have a “Q & A” with one of its many gifted individuals and/or groups who are willing to go out of their own way to help others. This week’s featured is Andrea Mahone Blackmon from The Andrea Mahone Foundation & Just in Time Employment Agency.
Name: Andrea Mahone Blackmon
Position: Chief Executive Officer
Organizations: The Andrea Mahone Foundation & Just in Time Employment Agency
Bio
Andrea Mahone-Blackmon is a proud Youngstown native and graduate of South High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communications from Kent State University and went on to obtain a Master of Arts in Human Services Leadership and Counseling from Liberty University.
Currently serving as the Chief Operating Executive for both Just in Time Employment Agency and The Andrea Mahone Foundation, Andrea has dedicated her career to empowering others and strengthening her community. She is a former Youngstown City School Board Member, the former WYTV talk show host of Increase the Peace, and was appointed as the first Community Youth Director for Mahoning County and the City of Youngstown.
Andrea is married to Elder Anthony D. Blackmon, and together they continue to serve and uplift their community with unwavering faith, compassion, and dedication.
What made you want to go into this field?
I became an advocate at age eight. Our home served as a refuge for Mahoning County Children Services, and as a child, I learned to protect and encourage hurting people.
What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful?
Learning to live by love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
What is the biggest professional mistake you made along the way?
Trusting the wrong people and telling too much.
What is the hardest decision you ever had to make in this field?
There have been many, but learning to say “no” and understanding that wisdom is better than logic has been one of the hardest—and most valuable—lessons.
If you could start all over again, what would you do differently regarding your profession?
I would have taken a few “business courses for dummies.”
What inspires you to do good in our community?
I love helping people grow and watching their success unfold.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering in our community?
Being a difference maker and building collaborations—it’s like being a community cupid.
What song best describes you or is the soundtrack to your life?
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
(Represents the unstoppable support and teamwork Andrea shares with her husband, Elder Anthony D. Blackmon, in their community work.)
