RAYMOND – The Fall 2020 group of honorees in the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Heroes employee recognition program at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ have been named.
Front, from left, Dr. Shakira Cain, Jane Foreman, Dr. Aleisha Escobedo, Takunda Wynn-Wilson and ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ President Dr. Stephen Vacik. Back row, from left, Melissa Shelby, Veronica Sanders, Christine Aycock and Deena McInnis. On stairs, from left, Anita Bell-Muhammad, Jeremy Gordon, Dr. Robin Parker, David Creel and Paul Breazeale. (ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ/Tracy Duncan)
ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Heroes are chosen because they represent the college well, provide exceptional customer service to all its customers and consistently promote the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ mission of service. Heroes selected receive a lapel pin, a token of appreciation and one free day off work.
In alphabetical order, this semester’s honorees from the nominations are as follows:
- Christine Aycock, of Brandon, chair of psychology at the Rankin Campus. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for 20 years, including the past 16 as a full-time faculty member. Her duties include teaching face-to-face and online psychology classes, serving as division chair for behavioral sciences, reading and education.
- Anita Bell-Muhammad, of Clinton, Single Stop coordinator. Her office is on the Raymond Campus. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for six years. Her duties include oversight and service delivery of the Single Stop program, which involves all operating procedures, protocols, student events and agreements with community partners.
- Shakira Cain Bell, of Brandon, academic dean at the Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for 7 ½ years. Her duties include coordinating all academic concerns and issues related to students, faculty, staff and the community at her campus.
- David Creel, of Byram, director of manufacturing training. His office is on the Raymond Campus. He has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for 5 ½ years. His duties include serving as the liaison between the workforce training programs and career-technical education at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ and the college’s industrial partners for training existing employees and students and placing current students in jobs.
- Jane Eastland-Foreman, of Brandon, curriculum coordinator and lead online instructor for the marketing management, real estate and entrepreneurship program at the Rankin Campus. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ 26 years, including the past 16 as a full-time instructor. Her duties include oversight of the program for both face-to-face and online instruction, as well as managing three adjunct and four dual credit instructors.
- Aleisha Escobedo, of Terry, director of the M2M program and assistant PBI grant director. Her office is at Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for 11 years. Her duties also include directing the Men of Excellence program and supervising the JATC Writing Center.
- Jeremy Gordon, of Bolton, assistant director of human resources. His office is on the Raymond Campus. He has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for eight years. His duties include oversight of human capital management and employees’ compensation time and absences.
- Deena McInnis, of Jackson, assistant director of financial aid. Her office is on the Raymond Campus. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for 10 years. Her duties include proper processing and verification of financial aid application documents for students.
- Robin Parker, of Brandon, dean of career and technical education. Her office is on the Rankin Campus. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for five years. Her duties include oversight of career and technical education, funds associated with the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act, Adult Education and the MIBEST program.
- Veronica Sanders, of Raymond, manager of the meat market at Porter Hall at the Raymond Campus. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for seven years. Her duties include managing inventory and assisting customers in the market.
- Melissa Shelby, of Raymond, administrative assistant at the Jackson Campus-Nursing/Allied Health Center. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for 18 years. Her duties include assisting the dean on matters of budgeting, purchasing, maintaining confidential files, organizing travel, building course sections for nursing and allied health students, office support and other duties as assigned.
- Takunda Wynn-Wilson, of Crystal Springs, distance learning assistant and proctor. Her office is on the Raymond Campus. She has been with ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for seven years. Her duties include working with the eLearning office to coordinate opening sections, managing capacities, loading and maintaining data and web registration, among other duties.