Affectionately known as “Peachie” to her friends and family, Marilyn Segars Jamal spent her first six years in the small town of Hartsville, South Carolina. However, there was something significantly special about this small-town little girl! Being raised by her aunt at that time, she was encouraged to think big, and do nothing less than her very best. She was taught that her job was to excel at school and always remain faithful to God. These early lessons would prove to be the foundation and motivational strength throughout her life. With every achievement and great stride, Marilyn has always praised God and, indeed, that special aunt. Even after moving to Philadelphia, she returned to Hartsville each summer to get those annual refills of love and Dreams.
Education and children have always been Marilyn’s passion. While others were struggling to decide what their calling was, Marilyn knew hers was to educate and mentor future generations. After receiving her formal education in the Philadelphia Public school system, she went on to pursue both her Bachelors and Master’s Degrees in Education from the oldest HBCU, Cheyney University in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. In 1973, Marilyn was granted an interview with Camden City Public Schools and that very same day she was hired for the position. Since then her impact has been seen throughout the school system of Camden, New Jersey.
For 36 years, Marilyn served the City of Camden well as an enriching and encouraging spirit. She has meaningfully touched the lives of students throughout all of Camden County and has mentored and supported educational leaders. Having started her journey as a math teacher, Marilyn has taught everything from writing to technology. As it often happens, outstanding people get outstanding opportunities. Marilyn was tapped to become an education administrator. She became a coordinator, vice principal, and principal…indeed, principal of Camden High School.
While progressing through the ranks, Marilyn has been instrumental in the development of curriculums to challenge teachers and students. She has served on a variety of committees to make the educational experience better for all students throughout the City of Camden. Marilyn reorganized the drama club at Camden High School and produced a major production entitled, “School Daze Our Way.” Through all these endeavors, Marilyn has been an amazing example of academic excellence, while mentoring everyone who may have crossed her path. When asking Marilyn of her proudest moments, she takes pause as she is humble to her place in life and her achievements. Profound moments may include teaching a young student how to add and subtract and seeing the look on their faces once they finally got it. Or was it as a writing instructor? Teaching children to effectively communicate in writing successfully, thus, leading them to becoming future orators.
However, meeting Jan Gillespie Walton and Dorothy Wyatt was by far an achievement within itself, as it was what provided Marilyn with all the tools necessary to become a phenomenal administrator. As a Woodrow Wilson High School administrator, Marilyn successfully ran the ninth grade academy and received in-state and out-of-state recognition for her fine work. Additionally, under Marilyn’s leadership systematic changes were made at Camden High where the graduation rate increased significantly with students making meaningful upward movement on national assessments. Marilyn is the proud mother of one son, Mazi Jamal and aunt/mother to her niece, Veda Wyche Jones. She has been most blessed as a wife, mother, friend, leader, motivational speaker and mentor to many. She knows that to whom much is given, much is required. Through all her giving and sharing, Marilyn has truly lived up to her lessons learned in Hartsville. After retiring from the Camden City School District, Marilyn continued touching generations. She served as a consultant for the renowned Southern Regional Educational Bureau in Atlanta, Georgia – High Schools That Works. She was hired by New Jersey Department of Education as Project Director for the 21st Century Community Learning Center in Lawnside, New Jersey. Upon retiring in 2014 for the second time, she was chosen to become the Regional Director of South Jersey Teenshop Inc., a position that she has held for the past ten years. South Jersey Teenshop, Inc., is an affiliated chapter of Teenshop, Inc., a three chapter weekend nonprofit organization founded forty years ago by Elleanor Jean Hendley, that prepares ‘girls with goals’® for college and careers.
Marilyn is a member of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and serves on several ministries. She belongs to numerous service organizations and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Living her life in accordance to the Serenity Prayer, Marilyn prayerfully and graciously accepts what she cannot change and has the courage and strength to change what she can. Her dedication and commitment to excellence has resulted in a lifetime of amazing accomplishments in each of the roles God has graciously provided and she has gratefully accepted.
