Jo Nelson, Board Member

Jo Nelson is the Director of Total Action for Progress (TAP)-This Valley Works, the agency’s employment and education component. At TAP-This Valley Works, Jo oversees a large variety of youth and education programs, including the Project Discovery college access program and Young Adult Life Enhancement (Y.A.L.E.) for juvenile justice-involved youth. Before her time at TAP, Ms. Nelson built a colorful resume, including positions as Director of Development at Virginia’s Explore Park and the River Foundation, Human Services Curriculum Instructor at Central Virginia Community College, and Executive Director of the Central Virginia Area Agency on Aging.

Ms. Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a Master of Arts in counseling from Louisiana Tech University. She has also taken master’s level coursework in personnel management and organizational behavior from the University of Southern Mississippi. Aside from her work with TAP, Ms. Nelson is very active in various community organizations, including the Lions Club International and Lions of Virginia Foundation where she serves on the Board of Directors and from which she received the Distinguished Humanitarian Award. In her free time, Jo enjoys fishing and kayaking on our local rivers and has previously been nationally ranked with River Bassin Tournament Trail circuit for fishing.