NCCCSPA Officers and Representatives
Officers
PresidentPorscha Orndorf
AB Tech, Asheville, NC |
I grew up in a trailer park in rural North Carolina. "Redneck" may best describe the lifestyles of my friends and neighbors. I left there at 18 to go to college, and I'm thankful every day for that decision. Many folks made sacrifices so I could pursue higher education, and I intend to value their sacrifices by supporting others in their journeys.
My road to teaching was long and twisty-turny (Do we really care if these are real words?). I'm not sure I know exactly how I ended up here. One thing I do know is that my life is more valuable when I am sharing it with others. My classroom is sacred space to me, and my students are not just minds to be opened, but hearts and souls to be nurtured. Learning is hard and messy. I see my role as someone who helps students navigate the sometimes-foreign world of higher education. I believe in the importance of stepping back from myself and understanding my own life in the context of a complex social world. I feel giddy when students are able to do this for the first time. That's the power of Sociology, and that's why I love it so much. When I'm not teaching, I can generally be found hanging with my dogs and cats, my uber-nerdy wife, reading books, watching science fiction, quilting, or making clothing in my sewing room. I plan on perfecting the "boring old person" stereotype.
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I am the Director of Teaching and Learning at Pitt Community College in Greenville, NC. I have been teaching for over a decade. I have a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in adult education from East Carolina University. I have won numerous awards including the Excellence Award through the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) and the Innovation Award through the League of Innovation. I am active member of my state’s professional association, and have given numerous presentations on flipped and blended learning.
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Vice-PresidentHappy Gingras
Pitt CC, Greenville, NC |
SecretarySteven C Smith
SPCC, Polkton, NC |
My name is Steven C. Smith and I currently teach Social Science courses at SPCC. It is a pleasure to serve on this board and use my expertise to push our discipline forwards in the great state of NC. I have been in school for a long time and have earned a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in Health Studies, a Master’s degree from DePaul University in Public Administration, another Master’s Degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a concentration in sociology and sports studies, and I am working on an Ed.D. at UNCC with a concentration in Education. While working on my education, I have worked as a personal fitness trainer, semi-professional basketball player, coach and manager, and as an instructor at the community college level where I taught online and in traditional class settings.
My research interests and expertise lie within the realm of education administration, political economy and policy, and sports. I also love community service and belong to the Lions Club, as well as the Indian Trail, NC Public Safety Advisory Board where I serve as Chair. In my spare time I like to attend academic conferences that focus on social sciences or health issues, traveling to all fifty states (38 down many to go), and exercising. My main goal is to get my students to be able to apply the things we learn in sociology course to their jobs or majors in a way where it can enhance their workplace performance and personal lives. Feel free to contact via email anytime and I will get back to you as soon as I can. This will be a fun journey and I am happy to be working with such a talented group that is the NCCCSPA board. |
My name is Patricia Adams, and I currently teach psychology at Pitt Community College in Greenville, NC. I have been teaching in the community college and university classroom for more than a decade, and loving every minute of it! I hold a master’s degree in clinical psychology from East Carolina University, and undergraduate degrees in psychology from Peace College and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
I maintain a psychology practice in addition to teaching, and provide regular professional development and consultation on flipped and blended learning, engaged teaching, and active learning. I have been honored to receive a number of nominations and awards, including the Excellence Award through the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), and I serve on the board and as an active member in state and national professional associations. In addition to the NCCCSPA, I am active in the Team-Based Learning Collaborative (membership and education committees), the APA, the NCAPP, and the Flipped Learning Global Collaborative, where I serve as a delegate and initiate trainer. I also advise the Pitt Community College Sociology and Psychology Association student club and the Psi Beta National Honor Society in Psychology chapter at PCC. For the NCCCSPA, I enjoy being an integral part of conference planning and being the face behind the emails, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. I also manage the website and blog, and love hearing from our members with content and ideas. In my spare time, you can usually find me with sand between my toes at the beach, bike pedals beneath my feet, paddles in my hand while I kayak, or hunched beneath a backpack while backpacking and camping. I am also the proud mom of an amazing 17-year-old, Ian, and lots of fur-babies. |
Treasurer/WebmasterPatricia Adams
Pitt CC, Greenville, NC |
Regional REpresentatives
Eastern REgion
Jean Cahoon
Pitt CC, Greenville, NC |
I completed my undergraduate work at Elmira College in biology and psychology. I then went to UNC-Charlotte to do a MS in genetics. After completion, I worked at ECU Brody School of Medicine doing research in the Allergy/Immunology department. After a few years, it became obvious to me that I needed human interaction. I enrolled in the clinical psychology program at ECU and obtained my MA. I hold a license in NC to practice psychology, which I have done privately since 2001.
I began teaching part time at Pitt Community College in 1998. I took a full time position in 2016 in the social science department as a psychology faculty member. I teach intro psychology and developmental psychology. I currently am actively involved in faculty senate, several committees and take advantage of the numerous professional development offered on and off campus. I also am adjunct faculty at ECU where I teach abnormal psychology since 2013. NCCCSPA means to me the ability to collaborate within and outside of my field with like-minded people who share a passion for teaching. |
I was born and raised in southwest Ohio and received my A.A. with an emphasis in psychology from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. I then transferred like many of our students to Wright State University in Dayton where I earned a B.S. in psychology. I have a great passion for both sports and psychology so I decided to go to a Ph.D. Counseling program at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. I had an emphasis in sport psychology alongside my general training as a counselor. I did not finish with a Ph.D. rather I left UNT with an M.S. in Psychology. I have been teaching at Coastal Carolina Community College for nearly ten years now. I am married with a 1 year old son. I plan to indoctrinate my son into my love of baseball and all my Ohio teams. Go Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Cavaliers!
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Christopher Schulte
Coastal CC, Jacksonville, NC |
Central REgion
Western REgion
BA -St. Lawrence University
M.Div., M.Phil., PhD -Drew University Sociology, Philosophy, Religion, Psychology instructor at Southwestern Community College I have also worked for ten years in the substance abuse treatment field as a clinician and director, and for sixteen years as a United Methodist pastor. I have published three books concerning pastoral ministry and one book concerning addictions treatment. |
Bucky Dann
Southwestern CC, Sylva, NC |
Brook Cathey
Pitt CC, Greenville, NC |
I graduated from high school in 1999, and left my hometown of Greenville, NC to attend college at Appalachian State University. My love for the mountains drew me to Boone; camping, hiking, and paddle boarding had always been hobbies of mine. But I had no idea at the time, that I would discover a new love at App State, psychology. I took my first Psychology class that very first semester, and by the second, I had declared it my major with a focus in early child development. After graduation, I took a job as a nanny, working for a single father raising two young sons. The boys I worked with had a unique set of challenges, and my interest in how environmental experience shapes our lives grew ever stronger.
In 2005, I returned to my hometown to attend graduate school at East Carolina University. At ECU, my initial studies focused on early childhood attachment relationships, but eventually my research interest turned to neuroscience. My thesis looked at how prenatal alcohol exposure effects Eyeblink Classical Conditioning in a rat model. This research gave me plenty of laboratory experience, but not much teaching experience. Consequently, my first job out of graduate school was as a Research Specialist in the department of Physiology at ECU School of Medicine. I loved doing laboratory research, but missed research in psychology and longed to be back in the classroom. In 2008, I applied for an adjunct teaching position at Pitt Community College, and just like that, my teaching career began. In 2013, I was hired as a full time Psychology Instructor at PCC, and my love for psychology and teaching continues to grow daily. In addition to teaching, I am proud to serve on the NCCCSPA board as the western representative where I get to collaborate with an amazing group of individuals each year. I am also a proud mom to my 9-year old son, Ben, and our big, goofy, golden retriever, Harley. |