ICC Honors Tradition and Excellence at Annual Dinner

Years of service and institutional contributions were lauded Friday night as the Independence Community College faculty, staff and Board of Trustees gathered for ICC’s Annual Employee Recognition Dinner in the Community Room at ICC West. Special guests of honor were William J. Kelly, Municipal Judge and 2011 Outstanding ICC Alumnus, his wife, Theresa.

Dr. Daniel Bain, ICC President, officiated over festivities for employees and Board of Trustees Members and guests.

During the awards ceremony, Carlene Smith, Professor of English, was recognized for her 37 years of service to the College and the students of ICC with a special pictorial tribute by her co-educators in the computer sciences. Kay Ackerson, Media Center Supervisor, was honored for her 15 years of dedicated service to the institution. Ms. Ackerson has been the sponsor and organizer of ICC’s annual high school Competition Day for a number of years. Both were recognized on their upcoming retirements and received plaques commemorating the important work they’ve accomplished as part of the ICC family.

Anniversary acknowledgements were made and a staff member recognized for twenty years of service to the institution was Sonja Conley, ICC’s Registrar. Ten-year milestone awards were presented to: Larry Bale, Professor of Mathematics; John Eubanks, Professor of Business/Accounting; Beverly Harris, Executive Assistant to the President; Sylvia Diffey, Accounts Payable Accountant; Mary Sutton, Administrative Assistant to Upward Bound; Mario Lopez, Director of Maintenance; and Peter Ellenstein, Artistic Director of the William Inge Center for the Arts.

Five-year anniversary honorees were recognized as: Brenda Sanchez, Professor of English/Writing; Tony Turner, Head Women’s Basketball Coach; Jynell McCollam, Cosmetology Instructor; Jim Correll, Entrepreneur Facilitator/Mentor; and Debbie Phelps, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Retention.

Peer nominations were compiled for three coveted staff and institution awards at the College. Orchestrated by ICC’s Professional Development Committee, the honors and their winners were: The Spirit Award: Travis Githens, Interim Dean of Instruction and Director of Evening and Outreach Education; Master Staffer: Darrin McFarland, MIS Coordinator; and The Cornerstone Award: ICC Capital Campaign Committee of Lori Shaw, ICC Foundation Director, and Misty Gascich, Grant Professional and Pirate Cove Daycare Administrator. The Faculty Association presented their annual Master Teacher Award to Kevin O’Neill, Professor of Engineering Technology and Drafting.