24 January ICC's Waters completes MDA's Ambassadors program January 24, 2018 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 TZ Waters of Tupelo, lead workforce instructor with Itawamba Community College, is a recent graduate of the Mississippi Development Authority Ambassadors program. The program encourages the development of collaboration skills to address communities’ challenges. One of the goals of the Ambassadors program is to convey to community members how critical teamwork and participation are to a city or town. The program is designed to show a way for communities to become more attractive to employers, families, individuals and visitors. Waters was a part of the Monroe County group, whose project focused on a partnership with six competing financial institutions who partnered with the Monroe Chamber of Commerce to hold homeowner workshops. Their purpose is to educate prospective homeowners about how to purchase a home and to allow them to meet bankers and mortgage specialists who can provide guidance. The Monroe County group also received a $5,000 grant from the MDA Ambassadors program, which will be used as seed money to initiate the ACT WorkKeys® project, which is to provide ACT WorkKeys® tests for high school students in Monroe County before their graduation. Available to select areas, MDA’s Ambassadors Program provides support to counties in identifying marketable assets to leverage local resources for strong industrial and economic development. Initiated last March, the program chose nine county economic development directors to form local economic development teams of up to six members. The teams were composed of local elected officials and community leaders. Entergy, Mississippi Power and Tennessee Valley Authority serve as program partners. The goal of the Ambassadors Program is to increase community, economic and industrial development throughout Mississippi and to develop deeper relationships between MDA and state communities. Participants in the program chose a yearlong project to help their areas become more attractive to outside corporations. They also attended forums focused on workforce development, economic development partnerships and community development. A native of Singapore, Waters earned the Bachelor of Science degree in biological engineering and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University. She has been living in Mississippi since 1991. Waters has taught workforce classes in the area of ergonomics, lean manufacturing, quality management and Asian business culture. She customizes and teaches basic manufacturing skills training curriculum for companies, and she has conducted extensive Japanese cultural training for new employee orientation for an automotive company. Before she joined the Itawamba Community College staff, Waters worked in the furniture manufacturing industry for about seven years in engineering and quality management. Related Articles 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 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. ... 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 Paralegal Technology program is in the nation's top 10 Itawamba Community College’s Paralegal Technology program has been selected as one of the top 10 online Paralegal degree programs in the nation by BestColleges. ICC offers two degrees in paralegal studies: an online Associate of Applied Science degree in paralegal technology and an Associate of Arts degree in general studies with a paralegal studies emphasis. The two-year A.A.S. degree in paralegal technology includes coursework in legal research, civil litigation and legal writing. Coursework in wills and estates, family law, torts and real property introduces students to subsets of the legal field while providing information about legal principles and procedures, according to program director Jamie Hall. Students gain the analytical, communication, research and technical skills needed to work alongside legal professionals. The program also includes an internship during which students apply learned concepts. ICC’s online paralegal technology program prepares students for entry-level positions as paralegals and legal assistants in law firms, government agencies and businesses. Students can complete the 61-62 hour credit program in two years. “ICC’s general studies associate degree with an emphasis ... TAG Truck Center Tupelo facilitates rolling chassis donation to ICC's Diesel Equipment Technology program TAG Truck Center Tupelo (TAG Tupelo) recently facilitated the donation of a rolling chassis training aid to the Itawamba Community College Diesel Equipment Technology program for hands-on training while studying chassis repair during its core diesel curriculum. The chassis, originally used in Daimler Truck North America’s Service Training Academy, was in Tooele, Utah and was due for placement at a college or school which applied for it and would use it for training purposes. TAG Tupelo provided the logistics and transportation costs to have it delivered to ICC’s diesel shop. “Our program’s partnership with TAG Tupelo is strong, and we thank them and Higgins Logistics for facilitating this donation. It will allow for practical hands-on experience for our Diesel Equipment students, which is vitally important for their knowledge growth,” said Jason Gholston, director of ICC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program. ICC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program, which was created in 1985, is an instructional program that prepares students with competencies required to maintain and repair a variety of industrial diesel equipment. The program includes instruction in inspection, repair and maintenance of engines, power trains, ... ICC's Paralegal Technology program ranks second in the nation Itawamba Community College’s Paralegal Technology program has been ranked second in the nation by College Values Online. ICC has been identified as having one of the top most affordable accredited online paralegal certificate programs, according to ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “The elite ranking is a testament to the innovative programs that ICC offers as we ensure that our students have the best start in their careers.” The ranking considered tuition and return on investment. College Values Online’s mission is to provide assistance in selecting the best college for each individual situation by offering rankings of schools and various degree programs in addition to information on numerous career options from a value perspective. Its list of the top 20 affordable online accredited paralegal certificates began with certificate programs with costs under $13,000 (based on tuition reported to College Navigator). The programs were then ranked according to the quality of the program based on graduation rate and student-to-teacher ratio. ICC offers two degrees in paralegal studies: an online Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal ... Comments are closed.