Winners of the 2017 Chancellor’s Awards from Gadsden State Community College were recognized during the Alabama Community College Association Conference held Nov. 19-21 in Montgomery.
“The 25 institutions in the Alabama Community College System honor the best of the best with the Chancellor’s Awards,” said Dr. Martha Lavender, president of Gadsden State. “They have been selected for selflessly serving the College and its students while performing their duties at an exceptional level.”
Two members of faculty were selected for the award – Julie White and Audrey Webb. The support staff award went to Gerri Langley, and the administrator award winner is Tim Smith.
To be eligible for the award, they must have a minimum of five years’ work experience at Gadsden State Community College. They were required to submit a resume, three letters of recommendation and a written narrative.
As winners, they received a $1,000 discretionary fund to be used for equipment, professional development or teaching supplies.
Tim Smith
Tim Smith is the winner of the Chancellor’s Award for Administrators. He currently serves as chief information officer in charge of information technology services, a position he has held since 2014. He previously served as coordinator of Institutional Effectiveness at Gadsden State after working at Jacksonville State University for four years as a software architect. He has also been employed by Valencia College in Orlando, Osceola County School District in Kissimee, Fla., and Ayers State Technical College (now Gadsden State’s Ayers Campus).
Smith earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Sciences from JSU. In 1995, he earned a Master of Art in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama. In 2013, he was awarded a Master of Science in Computer Systems and Software Design from JSU, and he has completed coursework in emergency management.
As the leader of information technology services at Gadsden State, Smith developed and implemented a plan to centralize IT purchasing designed to ensure maximum return on the College’s expenditures in technology; developed a college wide Print Management System to reduce waste of materials and supplies; and developed a more efficient, technologically-advanced communications system.
Smith currently serves on the Alabama Community College System Reverse Transfer Committee, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Steering Committee and the Gadsden State President’s Cabinet.
Julie White
Julie White is one of two winners of the Chancellor’s Award for faculty members having won for the academic division. She is a psychology instructor at Gadsden State, where she has worked since 2003. At the College, she also serves as the advisor for Psi Beta, a community college honor society in psychology.
White started her education at Gadsden State in 1998, where she took general studies courses. She transferred to JSU and earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. In 2003, she earned her Master of Science in Psychology from JSU.
She is a graduate of Leadership Calhoun County, the Gadsden State Leadership Institute and the Faculty Development Institute. She has served as a United Way campaign coordinator at the College, and she was a member of the President’s Advisory Council. White chaired the Drug and Alcohol Prevention Committee. She has presented at SUCCESS
Book Professional Development Seminar, the Workforce Development Conference, the Alabama Community College Association Conference and the Alabama Career Tech Education Conference. She collaborated with the eLearning Department to win the National Distance Learning Week Poster Award.
Audrey Webb
Audrey Webb is also a winner of the Chancellor’s Award for a faculty member representing the technical faculty. She has been the division chair of Engineering Technologies at Gadsden State’s Ayers Campus since 2011. She teaches Automotive Manufacturing Technology and Electronic Engineering Technology. Previously, she worked as an engineer for Southern Controls, Honda Manufacturing and NTN Bower. Webb earned her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a Master of Engineering from Mississippi State University.
At Gadsden State, Webb serves on the Honors Committee, the CARCAM Advisory Committee and the SACS Writing Committee. She is the advisor to students who develop experiences selected by NASA to be conducted on the International Space Station. She received a grant for $70,500 to build a veggie water system with Kennedy Space Center.
This summer, she participated as a faculty fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif., to work on the Space Craft Atmospheric Monitoring System.
Webb serves on the World of Works Expo Committee and chairs the Engineering World for the event.
She is also a graduate of Leadership Calhoun County and a United Way of Calhoun County volunteer. She is a member of The Gathering Place in Moody, where she works with the production team, teaches a women’s small group class and serves as the director of the Photo Mission Team. She also is active in a community ministry called Back Pack Buddies, which provides food for students to eat on the weekends while away from school.
In 2015, Webb received the Margin of Excellence Award at Gadsden State as well as the Eugene Prater Exceptional Teaching Award. She has served on the President’s Advisory Council and participated in the Faculty Development Institute. She is the state president of the Instructional Administrators Association.
Gerri Langley
Gerri Langley is the support staff member who won the Chancellor’s Award. She is the transcript evaluator for the Admissions and Records Office, a position she has had since 2012. She is also the administrative assistant to the registrar. She has also worked as a financial aid clerk and an orientation instructor during her tenure.
Langley earned her Associate in Applied Science in Office Administration from Gadsden State and a Bachelor of Science in Education from JSU. She is currently working on requirements for a Master of Science in Education from the University of West Georgia.
Langley currently serves as secretary of the Alabama Banner Users and is a member of the Alabama Association of Testing Professionals. She is a volunteer at Hope Women’s Services, a Christian ministry in Calhoun County.
