Mona Jain
Dr. Mohinder “Mona” Jain is known in her community and globally as a champion for students, women, and families and as a philanthropist in education and health care. In her career in education, she held teaching and administrative positions in American, British, and Indian systems of Education, and was Director of Family Health Services with the Head Start program of Manatee County Florida. She served on the Florida Governor’s Commission on Education, sits on the Board of the United Nations Sarasota Manatee Chapter, co-founded the Sarasota, Florida chapter of UNIFEM (which is the UN’s organization for women), and served as chair for the Florida Commission on the Status of Women and as a Commissioner for a total of 18 years. She has received countless awards and recognitions from the local community including the distinction as a Woman of Valor, Manatee County “Lifetime of Caring” Achievement Award with her daughter Dr. Anila Jain, the Chair Emerita of Women’s Equity Day in her area, and she holds a Key to the City of Bradenton Florida. She is the recipient of the Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of South Florida (USF) College of Education, USF Distinguished Alumni Award, Distinguished Professional Achievement Award from USF Sarasota-Manatee, the national community service award from the American Medical Women’s Association, and was an honorary member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Mona came to the United States from India as one of the youngest ever recipients of the Fulbright Teaching Award in 1964. After teaching in the US for several years, Mona went back to India where she served as a teacher and as Dean at the Delhi Public School in New Delhi. There, she co-authored biology lab manuals and general science textbooks for students, conducted workshops and summer institutes for Biology Teachers, and founded the Fulbright Alumni Association. In 1970 she returned to the US where she has been learning, and supporting education and her community ever since. In 2019, the School District of Manatee County in Florida dedicated Dr. Mona Jain Middle School in her honor.
Mona holds two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree earned through a fellowship with the National Science Foundation, an education specialist degree, a medical doctorate, and a Ph.D. Dr. Mona Jain is a self-described lifelong learner, now a professional volunteer.
To cite this episode: Persohn, L. (Host). (2021, Aug 31). A conversation with Mona Jain. (Season 2, No. 8) [Audio podcast episode]. In Classroom Caffeine Podcast series. https://www.classroomcaffeine.com/guests. DOI: 10.5240/8980-9C5B-8701-8939-45CD-H
