VGCC Recognizes Five Employees with Annual Honors
At Vance-Granville Community College’s annual fall convocation, President Randy Parker presented several awards to outstanding VGCC employees. Collectively, the honors are known as the Glen Raven Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards, after the area manufacturer that sponsors the awards.
Betty Jo Ellis of Henderson, the Administrative Assistant for the college’s division of Business & Applied Technologies, was named Staff Member of the Year for 2008, while Nursing instructor Maria Orsini of Butner was chosen as the Faculty Member of the Year. Sandra Newton, who manages the college bookstore, and Nancy Jackson, lead Cosmetology instructor at VGCC’s South Campus, were runners-up for the staff and faculty awards, respectively.
Parker also presented President’s Leadership Awards to Franklin County Campus Basic Skills coordinator/instructor Cathy Barham of Youngsville, Early Childhood Associate program head/instructor Jennifer M. Johnson of Henderson and Law Enforcement training coordinator/instructor Tony Pendergrass of Henderson.
Orsini and Ellis are now eligible to be considered for the N.C. Community College System’s statewide Excellence in Teaching award and Staff award, respectively.
Betty Jo Ellis , a lifelong Henderson resident who has worked at VGCC since May 2005, is the Administrative Assistant for the division of Business & Applied Technologies , which is led by Dean Bobby Van Brunt. “Betty Jo Ellis is the finest administrative assistant I have ever had the pleasure of working with in my 33-year career,” Van Brunt said. In addition to her regular duties, Ellis has served as secretary for the college’s Professional Advisory Committee and team captain for the Endowment Fund drive. She helped develop a training manual during a college computer system transition and has created organizational tools to ensure that the division runs smoothly and efficiently. Before working at VGCC, Ellis was a student at the college, earning Associate in Applied Science degrees in Information Systems Technology and Network Administration.
Maria S. Orsini of Butner has been employed by VGCC as an instructor for the Associate Degree Nursing program since 2002. A native of Puerto Rico, Orsini earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and nursing at the University of Puerto Rico. She came to North Carolina in 1996 while on active duty with the United States Public Health Service. She worked in the nursing profession for eight years, while also earning a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix. She is currently working on a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Phoenix. Recognized as one of the college’s leaders in high-tech instruction, Orsini was the first VGCC Nursing instructor to teach online courses. She has helped train colleagues to teach online courses and to make use of podcasting. A team of VGCC instructors, including Orsini, Beverly Hudgins, and Anna Wilson, have demonstrated to nursing instructors from around the world how to incorporate technology in the classroom as part of Duke University’s TIP-NEP (Technology Integration Program for Nursing Education and Practice) program.
Catherine B. “Cathy” Barham of Youngsville is the coordinator and an instructor for the Adult Learning Center on the college’s Franklin County Campus . Barham and her staff provide opportunities for adults to earn a GED or Adult High School diploma , or to improve their basic skills in reading, writing and math. Barham earned a bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a master’s degree in Adult and Community College Education at North Carolina State University. After spending several years raising four children and volunteering in the local schools, Barham returned to the workforce as a part-time Basic Skills instructor at VGCC before becoming the full-time coordinator in 2005.
Jennifer M. Johnson of Henderson is the head of VGCC’s Early Childhood Associate program. She came to VGCC as an Early Childhood instructor in 1999 before being named head of the program in 2003. Johnson is the author of three books for educators, which are part of a professional development series published by Thomson Delmar Learning. She has also recently co-written two chapters of the sixth edition of another book, The Exceptional Child. Johnson earned a B.S. in elementary education from UNC-Greensboro and a master’s in special education from UNC-Charlotte. She has served as president of the N.C. Community College Childhood Educators group and as Health and Safety Director for the Vance County chapter of the American Red Cross.
Tony R. Pendergrass of Henderson has served as an instructor and coordinator of law enforcement training at VGCC since 2001. In that capacity, Pendergrass supervises part-time instructors and develops new training programs for area law enforcement agencies and the North Carolina Department of Correction. He supervises cadets in Basic Law Enforcement Training and Detention Officer Certification classes. Pendergrass draws upon his experience with the Henderson Police Department, where he worked from 1989 through 2001, rising to the rank of lieutenant. Pendergrass is also a VGCC graduate, having earned an associate degree in Criminal Justice Technology . He is also a graduate of the N.C. Justice Academy Law Institute. Pendergrass is a former president of the North Carolina Law Enforcement Training Officers Association.
Above: VGCC’s 2008 award winners included, from left, Faculty Member of the Year Maria Orsini, Staff Member of the Year Betty Jo Ellis, and President’s Leadership Award recipients Tony Pendergrass, Jennifer Johnson and Cathy Barham. (VGCC photo)
