Exceptional Achievement in Teaching Awards and Staff Excellence in Service Awards

Four Gadsden State employees were recognized as winners of the Exceptional Achievement in Teaching Awards and the Staff Excellence in Service Awards. 

The Exceptional Achievement in Teaching Award is the highest honor bestowed on the faculty at Gadsden State. Each of the four awards given recognizes career achievements in teaching with emphasis on concrete accomplishments and proven results. 

The Brenda Crowe Exceptional Achievement in Teaching Award is named for the former dean of institutional advancement and community Services. The winner is Laura Wilson, a history instructor on the Wallace Drive Campus. 

In 2015, Wilson was hired as an adjunct history instructor at Gadsden State before earning a full-time position in 2017. She serves on the Gadsden State Curriculum Committee, the COVID Technology Support Team and the Dual Enrollment Support Team. She was also the designated coordinator of lessons relating to the 2020 Census. She has designed custom American History courses for adjunct dual enrollment instructors, and she implemented an open education resource model for American History 201 and 202. 

The Pierce C. Cain Exceptional Achievement in Teaching Award is given to a member of the academic faculty and is named for the founding president of what is now the Ayers Campus. The 20221 recipient is John Sudduth, an accounting instructor on the Ayers and East Broad campuses. 

Sudduth started working at Gadsden State in 2018 and quickly became an active member of the faculty. He is the advisor of the Aspiring Accountants Association and is responsible for maintaining engagement on the Accounting Advisory Committee. He has served on the Program Review Committee, the Faculty Affairs Committee, the ASPIRE Committee, the Student Disciplinary Committee and the Cardinal Foundation’s Special Events Committee. He is a graduate of the ACCS Instructional Leadership Academy. 

The Staff Excellence in Service Award was bestowed on two individuals for their ability to perform their responsibilities in a proficient and capable manner and their commitment to their co-workers and Gadsden State students. Winners of the Staff Excellence in Service Award are Valerie Roberts and Beth Enders. 

Roberts began her career at Gadsden State in 2017 as the clerk in Career Services as well as assistant to the associate dean of Enrollment and Retention. She is currently the tutorial coordinator for Student Support Services and serves as an orientation instructor and ACT Prep instructor. 

At Gadsden State, she has served on the Student Discipline Committee and the Events Committee. She was responsible for converting SSS tutoring to fully online at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, which enabled tutoring to continue during the shutdown without interruption. 

Enders was hired as a purchasing agent at Gadsden State in 2007. Two years later, she became the administrative assistant in Admissions and Records before being promoted to assistant to the dean of Academic Programs and Services in 2018. 

She has served on the Skills Training approval Committee, Events Committee and the DegreeWorks Team. She is currently the secretary for the Gadsden State Support Personnel Association, an organization for which she also served as the president and vice president. 

Each of the award recipients received $1,000 in discretionary funds within the appropriate department or division budget for the academic year to be used for equipment, professional development or teaching supplies.

Laura Wilson
John Sudduth
Valerie Roberts
Beth Enders