GTCC kicks off academic year with all staff Celebration of Excellence

“We use this time each year to kick off another amazing academic year for students, faculty and staff,” shared GTCC President, Anthony Clarke Ph.D.

Guilford Technical Community College kicked off the 2025-26 academic year with a Celebration of Excellence where several faculty and staff awards were presented and the college’s new strategic plan was unveiled.

The assembly on the college’s Cameron campus of all full and part-time employees had a message of “Engage, Recharge, Refocus,” and was centered on employee wellness. It provided both personal recognition and resources for projects that enhance student learning, promote professionalism, and strengthens community partnerships.

“We use this time each year to kick off another amazing academic year for students, faculty and staff,” shared GTCC President, Anthony Clarke Ph.D. “For this Celebration of Excellence, we really wanted to focus on employee wellness to help engage, recharge, and refocus so we can continue to make amazing happen for our students.”

Endowed Teaching Awards were presented to three GTCC instructors including Michele Prairie, Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management Endowed Teaching Chair; Don Ellington, Bill and Clara Scarborough Endowed Trades Teaching Chair; and Scott Brallier, Tom H. Davis Aviation Teaching Chair,

Prairie, baking and pastry instructor, was honored with the Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management Endowed Teaching Chair for her work to replace home-use mixers with commercial-grade bread mixers designed for high-gluten doughs. Her efforts give students hands-on training with the same equipment used in professional bakeries, enhancing technical skills while reinforcing best practices in baking.

Ellington, an assistant professor/welding instructor, was awarded the Bill and Clara Scarborough Endowed Trades Teaching Chair for a welding program redesign with sector-specific capstone projects. The redesign aligned the welding curriculum with two primary career paths: field construction and manufacturing. Ellington’s project helped strengthen community partnerships and increased job-readiness through direct industry collaboration.

Brallier, an aviation instructor, will attend intensive training on Lycoming’s (leading manufacturer of piston aircraft engines) latest aviation engine assembly and maintenance practice as part of the Tom H. Davis Aviation Studies Endowed Teaching Chair Award. He will bring back cutting-edge knowledge to update lesson plans, labs, and curriculum.

In addition, six GTCC instructors were presented with Excellence In Teaching awards. Those award winners were Mamie Todaro, instructor, business administration, HR; Mark Headen, instructor, mathematics ; Andrea Powell, instructor, dental assisting; Lauren Dillon, adjunct instructor, history; Van Staley, truck driver training program director/instructor; and Tia McBryde, adjunct payroll and accounting specialist instructor.

Winners of the President’s Award for Outstanding Service and Innovation were Priscilla Bohannon, assistant director, admission and assessment; Melissa Kinney, senior specialist, human resources; Jeremy Plumley, network administrator, information technology services; and Tammy Rice, scholarship coordinator, financial aid.