27 October ICC's Gray, Stevenson selected for Mississippi Community College Policy Fellows Program October 27, 2025 By Camp, Tyler W General 0 Holly Gray of Fulton, Library director, and Chris Stevenson of Fulton, dean of Academic Instruction, have been selected to represent Itawamba Community College as participants in the Mississippi Community College Policy Fellows Program. Gray earned the associate’s degree from ICC, the bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Mississippi, the master’s degree in instructional technology from Mississippi State University, and the master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Alabama. She began her career at ICC in 2016 as librarian and currently serves as library director. Her honors include the ICC Leadership Development Institute, the Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy and service on the MAGNOLIA Advisory Board. Gray is a member of Fulton United Methodist Church and serves on the ICC Wesley Foundation Board. She and her husband, Jim, reside in Fulton and are the parents of two children. Stevenson, who began his career at ICC in 2010, previously served as history instructor and chair of the Social Science Division before being named dean of academic instruction. He earned the associate’s degree from ICC, the bachelor’s degree in secondary education/social studies from Mississippi State University and the master’s degree in higher education/student personnel from the University of Mississippi. Stevenson’s honors include William Winter Scholar and the 2018 John and Beth Cleveland Faculty Member of the Year award. He attends The Orchard in Fulton. Stevenson and his wife, Jessi, are the parents of two children. The Mississippi Community College Policy Fellows Program, which began in 2012, has more than 130 alumni. It is sponsored by the Mississippi Community College Board in partnership with Washington, D.C.-based AdvocacyBuild. The program focuses on leadership, networking, policy and advocacy. Related Articles ICC's Holloway completes prestigious Mississippi Community College Policy Fellows Program Itawamba Community College’s Michael Holloway of Saltillo, director of recruiting and orientation, is among the 2023 graduates of the Mississippi Community College Policy Fellows Program. Holloway, who is a native of Amory, attended Itawamba Community College on a soccer scholarship. His educational background includes the associate’s degree from ICC and the bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mississippi. He has worked in higher education for 15 years, all in enrollment management. Before joining the ICC staff 11 years ago, Holloway was a regional admissions counselor for the University of Mississippi for four years. He and his wife, Erin, a teacher for the Tupelo Public School district, are the parents of three children, Emma, 10; Bennett, 6, and baby John Michael. They are members of the First United Methodist Church of Saltillo. “It was an honor to be a part of this (CPFP) experience,” Holloway said. “I appreciate Itawamba Community College for providing me with the opportunity to participate and learn more about advocating at the state and national levels and to collaborate with colleagues across Mississippi for ... ICC's Dr. Melissa Haab completes Community College Policy Fellows Program Itawamba Community College Dean of Enrollment Services Dr. Melissa Haab of Louisville was among 14 Alabama and 13 Mississippi community college administrators who recently completed the Community College Policy Fellows Program. The 10-month professional development program sponsored by the Alabama Community College System and the Mississippi Community College Board culminated in a trip to Washington, D.C. to advocate on behalf of college students in both states. “It was an honor to be selected and to participate in the program and to represent Itawamba Community College,” Haab said. “This experience allowed me to learn more about the community college systems in Mississippi and Alabama and gave me the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across both states. I was able to broaden my professional skillset and will hopefully will be able to use those skills to benefit ICC and our students.” Directed by Tyson Elbert of Advocacy Build, LLC, the curriculum focused on four national program pillars: policy, leadership, networking and advocacy. It also highlighted comparative elements of both state systems. ... Itawamba Community College receives $100,000 and joins 41 other schools across the US as All Within My Hands' Metallica Scholars Initiative expands in year five Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands, continues its multimillion-dollar investment in critical workforce programs at community colleges nationwide. Among the schools, Itawamba Community College was selected from a competitive pool of applicants to receive $100,000 to transform the futures of students in the community. “It is a tremendous honor for Itawamba Community College to be selected as one of the recipients of the prestigious All Within My Hands grant, which will significantly impact our career education programs, providing funding for students to pursue a pathway and their best start,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It is another indication of the success of the College and reinforcement of the mission that students and their success are our top priority.” The Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI) was launched in 2019 by Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands (AWMH), in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The workforce initiative marks its fifth year with an ambitious expansion into new curricula. MSI now directly supports 42 community colleges across 33 states, and by the end of this year, it will have helped ... ICC's McCraw, Waters complete Mississippi Community College Fellowship Program Itawamba Community College’s Dr. Brandi McCraw of Fulton, Instructional Coordinator, and TZ Waters of Tupelo, director of Workforce Education, have completed the Mississippi Community College Fellowship Program. In addition, McCraw was selected as the recipient of the Mississippi CPFP 2020-21 Cohort Outstanding Fellow Award, which recognizes those who have displayed distinctive leadership and meritorious service to their profession through participation in the CPFP program. They were selected by their peers. The CPFP program is designed to give Fellows first-hand high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs, according to Tyson Elbert, founder and executive director of AdvocacyBuild, LLC and senior fellow of The Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, who presented the awards. It requires Fellows to dedicate time away from their professional responsibilities, but also from their families, communities and social commitments. McCraw, who has been at ICC since 2008, has also served as switchboard operator, Student Services receptionist, administrative assistant to the dean of eLearning Instruction, eLearning adviser and eLearning coordinator. Her educational background includes the associate’s ... ICC's Chris Stevenson selected Mississippi Community College Faculty Association vice president Chris Stevenson of Fulton, Social Science Division Chair and history instructor at Itawamba Community College, has been selected as vice president of the Mississippi State Community College Faculty Association for 2021-23. A native of Guntown, Stevenson has been employed at ICC since 2010. He earned the associate’s degree from ICC, bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and the master’s degree from the University of Mississippi. He has additional graduate hours from Ole Miss and Delta State University. He is married to Bruce native Jessi Stevenson, and they have two children, Rourke and Riley. As vice president, Stevenson’s role includes support of current state president Brandi Pickett, and he will automatically become president at the conclusion of his two-year term. Stevenson said he plans to emphasize the value and the quality of instruction that originates in the community college classroom to state leaders as well as all residents of Mississippi. ICC signs preferred candidate program agreement with MHP; only community college in the state selected Itawamba Community College signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Preferred Candidate Program with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Jan. 26, at the Tupelo Campus. The initiative is a pilot program that will be implemented at ICC, the only community college in the state selected. “Itawamba Community College is more than excited about this partnership with the Mississippi Highway Patrol,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “According to research, having successfully completed a college degree substantially improves the knowledge and abilities of officers on a vast range of areas from the criminal justice system to conceptual and managerial skills.” The agreement will allow those who are enrolled to pursue either an A.A. or A.A.S. degree in ICC’s Criminal Justice program, meet with an MHP recruiter and apply for the MHP Preferred Candidate Program to skip weeks of the Mississippi Highway Patrol Academy. In order to graduate from the MHP Preferred Candidate Program, students must complete one or more semesters of the MHP Candidates on Rapid Entry curriculum, earn the associate’s degree from ICC, meet the C.O.R.E. Patrol School PT requirements ... 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