Alamance Community College alumni, faculty, staff, and students were honored by the College Thursday evening, May 16, at the 2024 Celebrating Excellence Awards, hosted by the ACC Board of Trustees and the ACC Foundation Board of Directors.

The annual event, held at the Alamance Country Club, honors those who have achieved distinction through hard work and dedication. Among those who spoke at the event were Dr. Ken Ingle, ACC President; Jackie Cole, President of the ACC Foundation Board of Directors; Dr. Carol Disque, Vice President of Student Success; and Carolyn Rhode, Executive Director of the ACC Foundation.

 

2024 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS

The College presented Dr. Scott Queen, Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development at Blue Ridge Community College, with its 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award. Queen’s career success in higher education began with his enrollment as a student at Alamance Community College where he earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in Business Computer Programming in the late 1990s. With a bachelor’s degree from UNC Greensboro, Scott turned down a promising career in retail management to pursue his passion for education. Returning to ACC as an instructor, he worked his way up to Department Head of Business Administration, Dean of Business Technologies and finally as Executive Vice President and Interim Chief Financial Officer. Awarded a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Higher Education Executive Leadership from Wingate University, Scott moved to Blue Ridge Community College as a vice president in 2020.

 

The Distinguished Alumni Award is for an alumnus/a who has achieved a significant level of success as a direct result from the education gained at ACC. At the Celebrating Excellence event, Dr. Queen was awarded the Presidential Medallion by colleagues Cathy Johnson, retired ACC Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Laura Leatherwood, President of Blue Ridge Community College. The medallion is crafted each year by the Computer-Integrated Machining Department at ACC. Made of brass, the medallion features the college seal and a blue ribbon.

 

2024 INSPIRATION AWARD

The College presented its Inspiration Award to Tia Gilliam-Wilson, Assistant Principal at Falmouth Elementary School in Stafford, Virginia. Gilliam-Wilson has excelled as an educator, leader, and children’s advocate for 17 years following her 2003 graduation from Alamance Community College’s Early Childhood Education program. As a single mom, she went on to UNC Greensboro where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Studies. During the 12 years she served as a classroom teacher at Elon Elementary School, she earned a Master of Arts in Educational Management and a Master of Arts in School Administration. An ardent educational advocate, Gilliam-Wilson also served as School Instructional Specialist and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Coordinator at Elon Elementary before moving to her current position in Virginia.

 

Other nominees for the Distinguished Alumni Award were:

• Heath Clay, IT Manager at Labcorp Corporate
• Dr. Jonathan G. Frye, Research Microbiologist/Senior Scientist for U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Trevor Vaughn Koon, Independent Graphic Designer
• Matt Lawrence, Fire Chief for City of Burlington
• Ian Macklin, Chef Instructor in ACC’s Culinary Arts Program
• Dylan McBride, Engineering Manager at USA Dutch
• Anneisha McWilliams Millette, Elon University student
• Travis Pysar, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing/Cheerland Bio-CDMO

 

Other award recipients recognized during the event included:

 

• Dr. Roger Lane, Fine Arts Music Instructor, as Excellence in Teaching Recipient
• Patricia Dolan, Mathematics Instructor, as Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year
• Ashley Pryer, Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator, as Staff Member of the Year
• William “Billy” Allison, Lead BLET Instructor, as Workforce Development Instructor of the Year

 

 

Students recognized for their outstanding achievements were:

NC Dallas Herring Achievement Award

Lillia Diez of Greensboro became the College’s first statewide recipient of this award, selected by the NC Community College System Office. Lillia enrolled at ACC while homeless but persevered to earn her GED. Despite extreme personal struggles, she excelled in the college’s Automotive Systems Technology program. Even before completing her studies, Lillia was hired by Cox Dodge in Burlington, becoming the dealership’s first female automotive technician. Lillia is currently working toward her Associate in Applied Science degree, including the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification and Master Technician status. Lillia’s interests are not limited only to automotive technology. While at ACC, she is simultaneously working on a degree in Fire Protection as a second career option. Lillia credits Alamance Community College with providing her with “a new lease on life and a very bright future.”

 

Academic Excellence Award Recipient

Quincie Loy of Mebane is a senior at Eastern Alamance High school with 4.0 grade point average. While simultaneously earning her high school diploma this spring, she will also be awarded an Associate in Arts degree from Alamance Community College by earning sufficient credits through the free Career & College Promise program. Quincie is a recipient of ACC’s Academic Excellence in Sociology Award and English Department Award. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Scholars Honor Society. At Eastern Alamance, she serves as captain of the golf team and swim team. At the college, she is president of Sigma Psi, ACC’s Social and Behavioral Science club. Quincie has already received her acceptance to Wake Forest University, where she aspires to attend law school.

 

Governor Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award

Anika Carr of Mebane earned an Associate in Arts degree with High Honors from ACC in spring 2023. She is currently continuing her education at ACC while applying for transfer to a university nursing program. As an Officer of the Martial Arts Society, Anika organized and taught a Women’s Self Defense Class in collaboration with ACC’s Women in Industrial Science, Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing (WisDEM) club. She organized The Clothesline Project at ACC, displaying 30 t-shirts that spotlighted domestic abuse awareness. Anika is also a community volunteer for the NC Collegiate Hunger Challenge, leading her to organize the Feeding Hungry Minds AmeriCorps VISTA initiative, ACC Food Pantry, and EZ Meals and Fresh Produce Bags projects for students in need.