Employees Honored with 2022 NISOD Award
Nash Community College is pleased to announce the following employees are recipients of the 2022 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Award. As a member of NISOD, the College has been honoring faculty, staff and administrators with this award of recognition annually since 1992. Recipients are selected based on their proven commitment to high performance and extraordinary service to Nash Community College, its students, and the community.
From left: NCC President, Dr. Lew Hunnicutt pictured with recipients: Psychology Instructor, Dr. Elizabeth Hood; Financial Aid Officer, LaShawn Cooper; Success Coach/Coordinator, MMM, Jamal Pitt; Director of Payroll and Receivables, Elizabeth Hodge; Instructional Designer, Digital Teaching and Learning, Daniel Moore; Small Business Center Director, Tierra Norwood; EMS Program Coordinator, Larry Carpenter; Career and College Promise Director, Dr. Mindi Collins.
Larry Carpenter possesses an enthusiasm for not only the EMS programs but people in general and helping them reach their goals. A large portion of his daily work hours is dedicated to student visits, calls, testing and counseling. The typical work day times do not translate into his commitment to the college. This is evident on nights and weekends when he can be found in a classroom teaching or assisting an instructor. Larry has a genuine passion to see people do better for themselves. He often uses his 30-year EMS career experiences to describe the changing public services landscape to students and encourage them to continue their education as far as they can.
Dr. Mindi Collins has been in the role of Career and College Promise (CCP) Director for one year. In that time she has created a Career Coach manual, performed a variety of recruiting and informational sessions, engaged in extensive professional development and served on the NC Community College System CCP Advisory Board. She has built a team of Career Coaches who are informed and empathic to NCC students. The coaching strategies she has employed have also resulted in improved student outcomes. Dr. Collins continues to develop leadership skills and demonstrates her ability to navigate challenges while thriving in her passion for the work.
LaShawn Cooper is a long-time Student Services team member working in Financial Aid, making student success her highest priority. Students often share about the impact she has had on their lives. LaShawn has been a great team player in her work with her colleagues and especially dug in to meet the challenges presented by the COVID pandemic. Her long-term commitment to the college, her outstanding record of assisting and caring for students, and her example to her peers and students alike, make her worthy of this award.
Dr. Elizabeth Hood is known for her kind and caring demeanor toward students and colleagues. She has been nominated often for the Excellence in Teaching award based upon student evaluations serving nearly 150 students in the classroom each semester. She goes above and beyond to help students in all areas — assisting them with university applications, reassuring them, and connecting them to appropriate resources. She supports her colleagues by taking on extra work engaging with a servant’s heart.
Elizabeth Hodge was instrumental in the college’s initiative to set up the student portion of Self-Service to better assist students. Additionally, Elizabeth has always taken on additional duties in the Business Office to ensure timely reporting and superior customer service. Elizabeth has served as a leader in the department and upholds the highest level of integrity in reporting and maintaining accurate records.
Daniel Moore has a love for his discipline and connects with his students in all course delivery modes. He strives to bring a sense of community to his classes by infusing them with instructor, social and cognitive presence. Further, he shares effective instructional strategies with his colleagues as an instructional designer. Daniel’s efforts in the classroom and among his peers were recently recognized with his recognition as NCC’s 2021 J. Edgar and Peggie T. Moore Excellence in Teaching Award recipient.
Tierra Norwood was the recipient of the North Carolina Small Business Center Network’s Rookie of the Year award recognizing her outstanding performance on the job and for significant growth in their center. At a critical time for area small businesses, Norwood’s work with the R3 initiative in which each NC Small Business Center was awarded $51,000, led to the establishment of a Small Business Wellness Clinic helping new businesses continue startup efforts halted by the pandemic and assisting established businesses in creating and retaining positions. The initiative supported 95 local business owners. She has led successful programs, grown the Center’s partner list, assisted with the establishment of the new minority-focused efforts and worked with partners to identify public Wi-Fi locations in order to expand services in the county.
Jamal Pitt demonstrates a deep understanding of the Open Door philosophy of the North Carolina Community College System supporting the specialized needs of NCC students and especially those from underserved populations. In his role, he is committed to serving the whole student and every student, often networking with campus and community partners to ensure students have the resources they need to be successful. Jamal exemplifies student-centered service and creates community through his unselfish devotion to providing opportunities for minority male students including university tours, interview preparation, community service and exposure to minority role models.
