ATLANTA, Ga. – Savannah Technical College Early Childhood Care & Education instructor Stephanie Grant was named the Georgia Skills USA Advisor of the year at the Georgia 2022 SkillsUSA Postsecondary State Conference. She has been one of STC’s SkillsUSA advisor for the past four years. 

She incorporates the SkillsUSA Framework into chapter efforts through mentorship and collaboration: “A technical education opens our students’ minds to soft skills that are essential life skills to achieve the unthinkable,” Grant said. “I teach the importance of integrity, responsibility, teamwork, diversity, safety, and self-motivation. Personal, workplace and technical skills prepare students for leadership in the world of work.”

Grant also serves as STC’s Faculty Senate Ethics Committee Chair and ECCE Student Organization Advisor. She is the Instructional Faculty Consortium Committee South Region Vice-Chair.

She is a graduate of Hershel Victor Jenkins High School in Savannah. She started her college career at Armstrong Atlantic State University. After two semesters, she felt like she was not “smart” enough. She met with the President of Armstrong, who told her of an articulation agreement with Savannah Technical College. She completed STC’s Early Childhood Care and Education Associates Degree program and then went back to Armstrong to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts with a minor in Elementary Education. She also earned a master’s in Adult Education, specializing in Early Childhood Education.

She has taught Pre-Kindergarten in Savannah at Windy’s Preschool, where she was honored as employee of the year in 2013. She also taught at Ridgeland Elementary School in South Carolina. She has worked with reputable community leaders to create an influential professional learning community. She currently serves as the PTA president for Woodville Thompkins Technical and Career High School.

SkillsUSA is a national career and technical student organization/competition that annually serves more than 395,000 high school, college and post-secondary students–and their instructors–in technical, skilled and service-occupation instructional programs.

#2237 | March 17, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College recently selected J. Rachel Ober as its Career Services Coordinator. In this role, she will work with business and industry recruiters to identify job openings and provide career development counseling to students and prospective students.

She will also assist students with developing resumes and cover letters and job interview preparation. Additional responsibilities include coordinating job fair activities, promoting program services to the community; coordinating with faculty members to assist student in securing employment; developing and maintaining an employment database; participating in community events and volunteer opportunities; serving as the key student affairs staff member responsible for capturing and recording placement data. She will also manage STC’s Student Activities resources and will advise the Student Leadership Council.

She has worked as a recruiter for aerospace and manufacturing positions. Previously she was the K-12 COVID Liaison for the Georgia Department of Public Health. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from West Virginia University.

Savannah Technical College’s Career Services promotes opportunities for experiential learning, assists workforce development, cultivates and maintains partnerships with employers, and serves as a resource for staff, faculty, and the community. Career Services also supports employers with the recruitment, hiring, and retention of well-qualified teams. Through the College’s online job portal, Career Connections, employers may directly connect with STC’s highly trained pool of students and graduates by posting employment opportunities.

#2236 | March 14, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

ATLANTA, Ga. – Savannah Technical College was recognized for excellence at the Georgia 2022 SkillsUSA Post-secondary State Conference. 

Students won medals in 13 competitions: eight gold, four silver, and one bronze. Photos of 2022 SkillsUSA state medalists and honorees may be found on STC’s Facebook page. 

SkillsUSA is a national career and technical student organization/competition that annually serves more than 395,000 high school, college and post-secondary students–and their instructors–in technical, skilled and service-occupation instructional programs. 

STC Early Childhood Care & Education instructor and SkillsUSA advisor Stephanie Grant was named the Georgia Skills USA Advisor of the year. Grant has been a SkillsUSA advisor at the College for the past four years.  

The College also earned a Chapter of Excellence Level Silver designation. STC Construction Management student Latisha Perkins was elected as a SkillsUSA Georgia State Officer for 2022-23. 

More than 40 students participated in 18 competitions. Eight individuals/teams won gold and will compete in the national SkillsUSA leadership and skills competition in Atlanta this June: 

• Barbering student Keith Longoria won gold for Barbering; 
• Industrial Maintenance Systems students Corey Stotler and Tyjuan Maynor won gold for Commercial sUAS Drone (demonstration); 
• The Community Service team won gold for the second year in a row with teammates: Donna Lowe, Crystal Sapp, and Hunter Matthews 
• Savannah Film Academy students Joshua Ingram and James Rush, II, won gold for Digital Cinema Production; 
• Industrial Maintenance Systems student Rylane Wright won gold for Mobile Electronics Installation; 
• The Occupational Health and Safety (OSHA) team won gold for the second year in a row with teammates from Construction Management: Helen Sande, Lily Darsey and Cristian Veloso; 
• The Promotional Bulletin Board team won gold with Early Childhood Care & Education teammates: Joyce Carter, Glenda Lippy and Dyneesha Clark; 
• The Quiz Bowl team won gold with teammates from Industrial Maintenance Systems: Khalil Marrero, Nicholas McDuffee, John Myers, Destin Cramer, Otis Williams, II, Jeremy Lanier, and Stephen Grant 

STC teams or individuals won silver medals in four competitions: 

• Early Childhood Care & Education student Johneshia Fuller-Johnson won silver in the Customer Service competition; 
• Early Childhood Care & Education student Quanesha Moolenaar won silver for Early Childhood Education; 
• Electrical Technology student Steven Calvert won silver for Electrical Construction Wiring; 
• Savannah Film Academy students Joseph D’Addio and Alex Payne won silver for Television (Video) Production; 

Early Childhood Care & Education student Chelsey Fleming won bronze for Early Childhood Education. 

#2235 | March 4, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College has developed an intensive 7.5-week program for its Nurse Aide Accelerated Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC). This condensed program will put graduates to work faster to help meet the increasing demand for Certified Nurse Aides (CNA) with area hospitals, assisted living and long-term care centers.

Students will attend class eight hours per day, two days per week and will also take an online class. This training usually takes two semesters. This condensed training will be offered in five times a year with two cohorts during the spring, one in the summer, and two during the fall.  The next cohort starts March 4, 2022 at the Savannah campus.

Nurse aides, also known as nurse assistants, nursing assistants, certified nursing assistants, geriatric aides, unlicensed assistive personnel, orderlies, or hospital attendants, provide hands-on care and perform routine tasks under the supervision of nursing and medical staff. Specific tasks vary, with nurse aides handling many aspects of a patient’s care. They often help patients to eat, dress, and bathe. They also answer calls for help, deliver messages, serve meals, make beds, and tidy up rooms.

STC’s Nurse Aide TCC prepares graduates for patient care in general medical, nursing care facilities, Long-term care facilities for the elderly, and home health care services. Students who successfully complete the TCC may be eligible to sit for the State Competency Exam, which determines competency to be included in the state nurse aide registry.

Students must be current on immunizations and will be required to successfully pass criminal background checks and drug screen analysis before clinical rotations begin. For more information or to apply visit www.savannahtech.edu/NurseAide.

Graduates may then take an additional course to become a Patient Care Technician. This program is also one step closer to competing the prerequisites for STC’s competitive admission Practical Nursing training.

STC’s Health Sciences division offers programs that prepare individuals for entry-level positions in the health-care community including Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Emergency Medical Services Professions, Health Care Assistant (Central Sterile Processing, Nurse Aide, Patient Care Technician), Health Care Science (for Dental Hygiene and Surgical Technology), Medical Assisting, Medical Coding/Insurance Data Entry, Phlebotomy, Practical Nursing and Surgical Technology. Some of these programs use a competitive entry process. The division offers associate degrees to professional diplomas and technical certificates for programs that prepare graduates for careers in hospitals, dental offices, nursing homes and other health/illness care facilities, including home care.

#2234 | February 24, 2022
Health Sciences Advisor: Cindy Cole
912.443.5721 or ccole@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College recently selected Connie Pinkerton as department head for Historic Preservation. She is responsible for oversight of all instruction, curriculum development, administrative and budgetary aspects for the College’s Historic Preservation program. As a full-time instructor, she will also supervise adjunct instructors and act as the primary spokesperson and community outreach coordinator for program and preservation trades on a local, regional and national scale. She will also be the director for STC’s Center for Traditional Craft.

Pinkerton was an adjunct (part-time) instructor for STC’s Historic Preservation program for three years. She has taught graduate and undergraduate Historic Preservation for Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). She was Chair of Historic Preservation for nearly three years. She has worked as an archeological laboratory supervisor, architectural historian, and archeological field technician.

She has a Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation from SCAD and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Albany, State University of New York. She is a member of Historic Savannah Foundation, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and US/ICOMOS.

As the only public hands-on Historic Preservation program in Georgia and one of seven in the U.S., Savannah Technical College has led the way in preservation education, specializing in training not typically held by construction workers. The program has gained international recognition and has contributed to a number of community-based preservation projects in the surrounding communities. Traditional Building Magazine named Savannah Tech’s Historic Preservation program one of the nation’s Up and Coming programs. For more information about Historic Preservation, contact STC Industrial Technology Advisor Secene Dorsey at 912.443.5859 or ssdorsey@savannahtech.edu.

The College is offering 7-week Historic Preservation courses for its Mini-Mester that begins March 4. Apply today to start training for a career in preservation.

Savannah Technical College serves Coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually, Savannah Tech offers nearly 150 different instructional programs in Aviation Technology, Business and Professional Services, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training, and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry.

Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

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#2233 | February 16, 2022
Historic Preservation: Connie Pinkerton
912.443.5864 or ccpinkerton@savannahtech.edu

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Barbering student Miller Castillo has been selected as the 2022 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner for Savannah Technical College.

“Castillo exemplifies passion in everything he does,” said STC Barbering Instructor Joycelin Primus. “His enthusiasm is contagious, his smile infectious, and his ability to never meet a stranger are uncanny.”

GOAL honors outstanding students at each of the Technical College System of Georgia institutions. He will represent Savannah Tech at the statewide competition in April in Atlanta, where the statewide GOAL winner will be selected. The highly competitive process involves academic success, community engagement and public speaking. Winners are nominated by their instructors and selected after interviews with a panel of business and community leaders.

Castillo is a first generation born in the U.S. to parents, who immigrated from the Philippines. He has a bachelor of arts in communications from the University of Hawaii. He served 17 years in the U.S. Army before being honorably discharged in 2018 due to a medical condition. He is on track to graduate in May 2022 with a Barbering diploma. He plans to become a licensed barber, gain more hair cutting experience, and open a chain of barbershops.

“I lead by example and service by helping my classmates succeed,” Castillo said. “I practice barbering knowledge and procedures every day in and out of campus labs, as it is a lifestyle. I am committed to a lifelong journey in this industry because learning and growth potential are exponential.”

Savannah Tech’s Barbering program prepares students to be on the cutting edge of men’s fashion and trends with training to test for licensure as a Professional Barber at Savannah Technical College. The Barbering Program features barbering services such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, styling hair, trimming beards and giving shaves. It is offered at Savannah Tech’s Savannah and Liberty campuses. For more information visit www.savannahtech.edu/Barbering.

#2232 | February 3, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College Natural Sciences Department Chair and Lead Biology Instructor Brandon Robinson has been selected as STC’s 2022 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors outstanding faculty members at each of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) institutions. He will represent the College in the statewide competition.

“Mr. Robinson is a recognized leader and innovator in his field and has applied that to the classroom at Savannah Tech,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love. “He is always willing to help his students and is a very committed, involved instructor.”

As Natural Sciences department chair, he supervises two full-time faculty and eight adjunct faculty members. Robinson began working at the College in 2012 as an adjunct instructor. He became a full-time biology instructor in 2014. He was named department chair in 2016. Prior to Savannah Tech, he was a graduate teaching assistant in the biology department at Georgia Southern University (GSU).

He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from GSU. He also serves as an advisor for STC’s Dental Hygiene program’s capstone project, is an advisory board member for STC’s Surgical Technology program, and is a member of STC’s Faculty Senate.

An active member of his community, Robinson serves as the men’s ministry leader for his church. He resides with his family in Bulloch County.

STC’s Natural Sciences Department includes three academic disciplines: biology, chemistry and physics. The College offers six courses with labs that transfer to any University System of Georgia (USG) institution in Natural Sciences: Biology Intro I/II, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Introductory Physics I/II.  

The Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields. Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the Rick Perkins Award was renamed in memory and honor of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Central Technical College, now West Georgia Technical College, who received the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence prior to his untimely death. TCSG provides oversight for the Rick Perkins Award program through the system office’s programming staff, the presidents’ Academic Improvement committee and the state planning committee.

#2231 | February 3, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College has selected Hannah Watson as its High School Coordinator.

She will assist state, secondary, and post-secondary instructional leadership in the planning and development of career programs of study, including dual enrollment opportunities to high school students that lead to either an industry recognized credential, post-secondary certificate of credit, diploma or associate’s degree. She will serve as the primary point of contact for and will collaborate with high school administrators, counselors and staff to promote career and technical education and dual enrollment between high schools and the College.

Watson was previously an admissions representative at South University. She also worked as an admissions counselor at Georgia Southern University (GSU). She has a bachelor’s in biology from GSU and she is working on a master’s degree in clinical mental health from Wake Forest University.

The Dual Enrollment program allows high school students in their junior or senior year to take academic degree level core courses that will transfer to any TCSG or USG institution. Starting their sophomore year, students may take both diploma level and/or occupational courses. Some students may choose to enroll fully into a degree, diploma, or technical certificate of credit program, or they may choose to just take a few courses. Courses are taught on the college campus, high school campus, online, hybrid, and via distance education. For more information about Dual Enrollment call 912.443.5941 or SAVDualEnrollment@SavannahTech.edu.

#2230 | February 2, 2022
Dual Enrollment Contact: Hannah Watson
912.443.5941 or SAVDualEnrollment@SavannahTech.edu

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Audrey King was sworn in as a member of the Savannah Technical College Board of Directors at the January meeting by Chatham Recorder’s Court Chief Judge Tammy Stokes. King was appointed to serve on the STC board by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) state board.

King is the vice president for Georgia Power’s South Region, which represents a 62-county area. She has held various positions for more than 30 years at Georgia Power in customer service, sales, distribution and external affairs.

She is the past board chair of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs board and continues to serve on its board of directors. She also serves on the boards of the State Housing Trust Fund for Homeless, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, Union Mission, Inc. and on the advisory board for BankSouth. Previously, she was a member of the United Way Executive Board, Homebuilders Association, Valdosta North Rotary Club Past-President and Honorary Commander for Moody Air Force Base.

She is a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Leadership Savannah and Leadership Lowndes. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Troy University.

The College’s Local Board of Directors is comprised of community and industry leaders, who strive to keep the College at the highest standard of excellence in education.  The local board facilitates the delivery of programs, services, and activities as directed by the TCSG State Board, advises the President and the TCSG State Board of local industry and community needs for the programs and services to be provided by the technical college, and advocates within the community and within the state on issues of importance in support of TCSG and Georgia’s workforce development efforts.

#2229 | January 31, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah Technical College recently selected Jonathan Hinnant as department head for Welding & Joining Technology. He will develop, manage and teach classes, develop and coordinate curriculum, conduct assessments, evaluate effectiveness of courses through student data, graduate and employer surveys.

Hinnant has worked for the College as a welding instructor through its economic development training program. He has two years of industry experience fabricating structures and producing weldments on different metal alloys. He was a squad leader for the U.S. Army for eight years, training more than 600 recruits with basic skills and knowledge before progressing to other military units. He also assessed training needs and evaluated training effectiveness for his platoon/team.  He is a STC graduate with a Welding & Joining diploma.

Welding & Joining Technology training prepares students for careers in all types of welding including shielded metal arc, gas metal arc, gas tungsten arc and flux cored arc. Graduates master all types of welding with a degree or diploma or may take short-term technical certificates of credit to focus on specific types of welding. Welding and Joining Technology is offered at the Savannah and Effingham campuses, along with welding labs in Hinesville and Richmond Hill, Ga. Welding diploma graduates have had a 100% placement in field for AY19 and AY20.

For more information about Welding and Joining, contact STC Industrial Technology Advisor Secene Dorsey at 912.443.5859 or ssdorsey@savannahtech.edu.

#2228 | January 27, 2022
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu