Mandy Johnson

A North Carolina native, Mandy has called Raleigh home for more than 25 years. Mandy graduated from Meredith College in 1996 with a degree in Biology and then moved to Memphis, Tennessee to pursue her career as an Optometrist graduating from Southern College of Optometry in 2000. After her residency in Orlando, Florida, Mandy returned to Raleigh to practice. While she still sees patients 3 days per week, Mandy felt led to expand her role at Wakefield UMC and moved from long-time volunteer to Director of Children’s Ministry in the spring of 2024.

Mandy began attending Wakefield UMC in November 2007. Since then, Mandy has had the pleasure of helping our children’s ministry evolve into today’s IGNITE program. She has served as an active volunteer, teacher, assistant, classroom painter, cleaner, organizer, as well as a being a dedicated member of the children’s ministry team for 10+ years. Mandy introduced the annual Christmas musical to WUMC in 2014 and has been blessed every year to continue be able to bring the Ignite kids together to perform this beloved annual tradition. Over all her years of service, she’s learned so much about the church, its children, as well as the children’s ministry goals and dreams. Mandy hopes to bring those dreams to life in her service to the church for many years to come.

In her spare time, you’ll find Mandy hanging out at home with her husband Keith, their two cocker spaniels (Rox and Lola) and helping her ‘baby’ boys chase their dreams – Jack (a 2024 Wakefield HS graduate, LEGO and animal-obsessed young man with plans to be zookeeper) and Sam (Millbrook HS and ‘full time’ dancer at Wake Forest Academy of Fine Arts who has a crush on NYC). Mandy loves traveling and exploring new places, all things Jane Austen (oh, how she loved her summer abroad in Great Britain), and has an ever-expanding palate for so many diverse foods but still loves her southern soul food (especially collards) the most!