February 10, 2021
Tallahassee Community College is proud to announce its recipients of the annual NISOD Excellence Awards. 2021 honorees include Nancy Donovan, College Success Faculty, Jessica Griffin, Director of Continuing Workforce Education, Renee Gordon, STEM Program Director, Harlon Hawthorne, Chemistry Faculty, Bobby Jones, Assistant VP of Administrative Services, Bob Lutz, Earth Science Faculty, Patrick McDermott, College Success Faculty, Margaret Thompson, Director of Institutional Research and Planning, Carlos Torres, Computer Programming Faculty and Erika Williams, Biological Sciences Faculty.
NISOD’s Excellence Awards recognize men and women each year who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues. In 1989, in connection with a University of Texas at Austin national study of teaching excellence, NISOD hosted its first ceremony honoring NISOD Excellence Award recipients. The response to that ceremony was so positive that NISOD began what has become the largest and most inspiring gathering that recognizes the contributions and achievements of community and technical college faculty, administrators, and staff.
“I am extremely honored to receive such a prestigious award,” said Thompson. “As the Director of Institutional Research, my role is to support the college to make important decisions using timely and accurate data. I have a passion for making Tallahassee Community College the best of the best in order to benefit the thousands of students who come here for the opportunity to earn degrees and credentials that will allow them to live better lives.”
“This group represents the best and brightest of our faculty and staff,” said Jim Murdaugh, President at TCC. “The NISOD award is a recognition of each recipient’s hard work and dedication to our students. Despite a pandemic, our team continues to lead the way in improving our teaching and learning environment. Congratulations to our 2021 award winners.”
Excellence Award recipients are recognized during NISOD’s annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, to be held virtually April 28-30, 2021. Excellence Awards recipients receive a specially cast, pewter medallion hung on a burnt-orange ribbon. The names, titles, and colleges of all Excellence Award recipients are included in a special booklet that features congratulatory ads from many of the recipients’ colleges. In addition, presentations at the conference involving Excellence Award recipients are indicated in the Conference Program with a special icon.
“Recognizing those individuals who have contributed to student success and their colleges’ mission is something we look forward to doing each year,” said Dr. Edward J. Leach, NISOD’s Executive Director. “The extraordinary work of these men and women includes not only what they do for their students and colleagues, but what they do for the communities in which they live and work. We’re honored to be able to play a part in celebrating their achievements.”
About NISOD
The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership at community and technical colleges. NISOD provides budget-friendly, high-quality, and faculty-focused programs and resources for community and technical colleges that want to make the most of their professional development dollars. For over 40 years, NISOD has aligned a wide array of benefits with the needs of our members, which explains why the American Association of Community Colleges named NISOD, “The country’s leading provider of professional development for community college faculty, staff, and administrators.” For more information about NISOD, visit www.nisod.org.