Alumni Association honors employees

ABOVE: Dr. Kathy Murphy, middle, is pictured with Alumni Association award winners. They are, from left, Hollie Bonds, Baisha Woody, Pam Clough, Murphy, Jessica Slaten and Gerri Langley.

The Gadsden State Alumni Association Awards honored the 2023 Outstanding Academic Faculty, Outstanding Technical Faculty, Outstanding Support Staff, the Distinguished Service Award and the Distinguished Alumni of the Year at the annual employee holiday luncheon held Dec. 18, 2023, at the Beck Conference Center. The awards were presented by Dr. Kathy Murphy, president of Gadsden State, and Heather Brothers New, the president of the Gadsden State Alumni Association.

Gerri Langley

The 2023 Outstanding Academic Faculty Award was presented to Gerri Langley, the Office Administration instructor at the Ayers Campus.

Langley enrolled at Gadsden State in 2001 and earned an associate degree in Office Administration at the Ayers Campus in 2004. Since then, she has served as the clerk in Admissions and Records, the College’s transcript evaluator, the Ayers Campus director and an Office Administration Instructor. She also continued her education earning a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Jacksonville State University and a master’s degree in Education from the University of West Florida.

Langley is a member of the Cardinal Foundation Board of Directors and was instrumental in the success of the very first Cardinal Gala in September, which raised over $68,000 in funds for student scholarships and other opportunities. She is also a lifetime member of the Gadsden State Alumni Association.

Langley is a volunteer at HOPE Women’s Services, the treasurer and secretary at Unity Point Church and is an active member of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce. She is the owner of Dang Girl! What’s Poppin’? Boutique in Calhoun County.

Hollie Bonds

Hollie Bonds won the Outstanding Technical Faculty Member Award. She is the Mechanical Design Technology instructor at the Ayers Campus.

Bonds is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Gadsden State, earning a degree in Mechanical Design Technology in 2010. As a student, she represented Gadsden State on the USA Today All-USA Academic Team. She also served as vice president of Phi Theta Kappa, was a Gadsden State Ambassador and competed in Skills USA.

Following graduation, she worked as a CAD designer, a pattern and machine shop supervisor, a manufacturing engineer and an advanced PC&L analyst. She started working as a Mechanical Design Technology instructor in 2022.

Jessica Slaten

The Outstanding Support Staff of the Year is Jessica Slaten. She started her career in 1998 at the Ayers Campus as an accountant. Since then, she has worked her way up in Financial Services to become the director.

Slaten is a graduate of the College Business Management Institute at the University of Kentucky and has earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from JSU. She is the 2022 winner of the Chancellor’s Award for Administrators, is a graduate of Leadership Etowah and is a lifetime member of the Gadsden State Alumni Association.

Pam Clough

Pam Clough is the 2023 Distinguished Service Award winner for exemplary dedication and service to Gadsden State, the Alumni Association and her community.

Clough has degrees from Gadsden State, JSU and the University of Alabama. She also earned a pipefitter certificate at the Alabama Technical College, now known as Gadsden State’s East Broad Campus.

She has served on many committees at Gadsden State, including the Events Committee; the Diversity and Inclusion Committee; and the Professional Development Committee. She has spent many years assisting with Convocations as well as activities for Community College Month. She has served Gadsden State for over 30 years and is currently the ADA and Continuing Education coordinator.

Clough was a key member of the Cardinal Gala Planning Committee and was able to lead a crew in transforming a drab gymnasium into a beautiful gala venue.

In the community, Clough is a supporter of the United Way and is on the Leadership Etowah Planning Committee for The Chamber of Gadsden and Etowah. She is vice president of the Way of the Cross Board of Directors and serves on the Etowah County Department of Human Resources Board of Directors. She is a lifetime member of the Gadsden State Alumni Association.

Baisha Woody

Baisha Woody is the 2023 Alumni of the Year.

Woody is the director of the Skills Training Division. She has earned degrees from Bevill State Community College, Alabama State University and the University of Phoenix. In 2008, she earned a certificate in Massage Therapy from Gadsden State.

Woody was hired by Gadsden State in 2001 and has since served in several roles, including teaching office administration, ready-to-work courses, office careers and orientation. She is a big supporter of the Gadsden State Cardinals and can be seen at many campus events.

Woody has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for many years and currently serves as its treasurer.

Awards program to be revamped

For more than a decade, the Gadsden State Community College Alumni Association has used its awards program to largely recognize employees at the College for outstanding service to the institution and community. It is traditionally awarded during the employee Christmas party. This format will change in 2024.

“We want the alumni awards to focus on those in the community who make a difference at Gadsden State,” said Heather New, president of the Alumni Association. “Employees will continue to be honored through Gadsden State’s wonderful employee recognition programs – the Chancellor’s Awards and the Excellence in Teaching Awards.”

She said instead of giving five awards, the Alumni Association’s revamped recognition program will focus on two – the Distinguished Service Award and the Alumni of the Year.

“The Alumni of the Year will be chosen from community nominations based on professional and personal achievements of an individual whose success stems from completing their degree or program at Gadsden State,” New said.

The faculty and staff at the College will make nominations for the Distinguished Service Award. The winner will be chosen from the employee nominations and will be based on the individual or corporate contributions made to further the overall mission of the college, individual classrooms, programs or other endeavors.

“The Alumni Association recognizes that the faculty and staff know best those members of the community who are serving and supporting their efforts, and we look forward to hearing about these remarkable people who work directly with Gadsden State employees to better the lives of our students,” she said.

The awards presentation will move to the Cardinal Gala, which is a fundraiser hosted by the Cardinal Foundation, a support organization at the College. The inaugural Cardinal Gala was held in September and raised over $68,000 for scholarships and other student opportunities. The 2024 Cardinal Gala will be Oct. 10 at The Venue at Coosa Landing.

For more information about the Alumni Association, visit www.GadsdenState.edu/Alumni.