Gadsden State faculty and staff win Chancellor’s Awards

Winners of the 2023 Chancellor’s Awards from Gadsden State Community College were recognized during the Alabama Community College Association Conference Nov. 19 in Mobile. 

“We have many wonderful faculty and staff members at Gadsden State; most of who give freely of their time and talents to improve the lives and educational experiences of our students,” said Dr. Tera Simmons, executive vice president at Gadsden State. “The awards recognize career achievements in higher education. We are very proud of their accomplishments and their success at Gadsden State.” 

Winners were recognized locally in September at the Fall Convocation held at Wallace Hall Fine Arts Center. Two members of faculty were selected for the award – Billa Burger and Marshall Bailey. The support staff award went to Rita Jones, and the administrator award winner is Alan Smith.

Marshall Bailey

Bailey is the 2023 Chancellor’s Award winner for technical faculty. He accepted the position as instructor of Civil Engineering in the spring of 2019. Since 2020, he has seen program enrollment increase over 150 percent. 

Bailey graduated Summa Cum Laude from Gadsden State, where he was named the Highest Achieving Civil Engineering Student and maintained a 4.0 GPA. In 2017, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Troy University. Bailey is a member of the Alabama Society of Professional Land Surveyors and is a licensed surveyor through the Alabama Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors. 

Bailey has donated tools, over 150 hours of his time and $4,000 to help build affordable housing for low-income families in the community. Currently, he is using his time, talents and resources to create the Cardinal Cross Country Trail set to be at the Gadsden Sports Park.

Billa Burger

Burger is Gadsden State’s Chancellor’s Award winner in the academic faculty division. She has served Gadsden State as a computer science instructor for the past 12 years, and previously taught at Coosa Christian School, Faulkner University and Gadsden Business College. 

Burger has many degrees, including an associate degree in Business Administration from Gadsden State; a bachelor’s degree in Education from Jacksonville State University; a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with concentration in Software Engineering from JSU; a master’s degree in Computer Systems and Software Design from JSU; and a master’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University. She is also a graduate of the Gadsden State Leadership Academy. 

In the community, Burger has been recognized by LifeSouth for consistent donation of platelets for cancer and burn patients. She is a volunteer at Adams Elementary School and has served as president and secretary of the board of directors at Coosa Christian School. She won the Heart of an Educator Award during the Excellence in Education Awards hosted by The Chamber of Gadsden & Etowah County in 2020.

Rita Jones

The 2023 Chancellor’s Award winner among staff members is Rita Jones, who has served Gadsden State as an Educational Talent Search outreach advisor since 2007. As an advisor, she provides academic, financial, career and personal counseling; career exploration; tutorial services; mentoring programs and more to middle and high school students. Most recently, she took the initiative to create ETS’s first Career Exploration Camp, which included scheduled activities that exposed ETS participants to a wide range of career fields available to them. 

Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Talladega College. She has achieved certification as a Global Career Development Facilitator. She is a member of the Council for Opportunity in Education, the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel and the Alabama Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personal.

Alan Smith

This year’s Chancellor’s Award for Administrators winner is Alan Smith. He started his Gadsden State career in 2019 when he was named dean of Workforce Development. He has accomplished a great deal in that time, most notably spearheading the College’s endeavors to secure over $30 million in funding for the Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Skills Training Center. He has also broadened career offerings to cater to rapid training demands, including skid steer training and food and beverage service training. He is currently developing a non-credit construction training course for the ACCS Innovation Center. 

Smith is the chair of the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways in Architecture and Construction. He is a member of the Alabama Community College Workforce Officers Association and the Instructional Officers Association. He serves on the advisory committees for career technical education for Gadsden City Schools, Anniston City Schools, Etowah County Schools, Cherokee County Schools and Cleburne County Schools. He also serves as a member of the GROW Gadsden Committee and the strategic planning team for Gadsden City Schools. 

Smith has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business and Economics and a Master of Science in Education from Auburn University and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama.