RCC Foundation welcomes new board
Mar 19, 2020WENTWORTH – The Rockingham Community College Board of Trustees on Tuesday, March 17, approved a slate of board members for the RCC Foundation, now tasked with moving the Foundation forward through its restructuring.
The new board members are:
1. Kevin Berger, Madison, Attorney and County Commissioner
2. Amy Brown, Eden, Market Manager, Piedmont North – First National Bank
3. Pamela Cundiff, Eden, Vice-President and General Manager, Travel Consultants, Inc.
4. Keith Duncan, Eden, Owner, Shiloh Utilities, Inc.
5. Rhonda Holland, Eden, Career Development Coordinator, McMichael High School
6. Alan Isley, Reidsville, President, Financial Fixtures & Supply, Inc.
7. Jonathan Jobe, Reidsville, Regional President, HomeTrust Bank
8. Dr. Lafayette Judkins, Reidsville, Retired Dentist
9. Mary Martin, Madison, RCC Alumnus and Community Volunteer
10. Pleas McMichael, Reidsville, Retired
11. Dr. Tiffany Morris, Eden, Assistant Director/Assistant Dean of Nursing, NC A&T University
12. Tony Nichols, Reidsville, RCC Alumnus and Managing Partner, Cardinal Recycling, LLC
13. Arnold Robertson, Reidsville, Retired Sr. Executive Vice President, First National Bank
14. Micky Silvers, Madison, Retired
15. The Honorable Christine Strader, Madison, District Court Judge, Rockingham and Caswell Counties
16. Bobby Wharton, Ruffin, Former RCC Foundation Board Member
They join an interim Foundation Board of Directors, comprised of President Scott Barham, Vice-President Hal Griffin, Secretary Nelson Cole, and Treasurer Mark Collins, who currently sit on the RCC Board of Trustees; and ex-officio members, RCC Board of Trustees Chair Janice Tate, RCC President Dr. Mark Kinlaw, and Foundation Executive Director Kim Pryor.
The interim board was appointed in December 2019, when the Trustees began to restructure and reorganize the Foundation to align its vision and goals to better support the College and its 2019-2023 strategic plan, which focuses on four main goals: student success; workforce and economic impact; communication, engagement and outreach; and making improvements to the campus and promoting the growth of faculty and staff.
The interim Foundation board established a new relationship between the College and the Foundation by confirming a new Memorandum of Understanding between the two entities. The board revised the Foundation’s bylaws to reflect amended Articles of Incorporation, its governance structure, and to include language defining Foundation operations. The interim board began evaluating the Foundation’s fundraising and investment strategies to ensure assets can yield the best results to support the College and its students.
The incoming board will explore the types of students the Foundation serves, with a particular emphasis on non-traditional students, including determining which College programs need more scholarship opportunities. The board will also offer a “naming rights” opportunity for RCC’s Center for Workforce Development, which is still in the design phase.
The Foundation’s prestigious Talon Club will continue, with membership open to any donor who contributes $1,500 or more annually, with $500 designated for athletics and $1,000 for unrestricted use to help fund student programs and services. With about 18 members of the Talon Club currently, the Foundation hopes to add at least another dozen.
In the meantime, the Foundation executive director and College president are exploring successful community college foundations for ideas on how the RCC Foundation can branch out and better serve students.
The mission of the RCC Foundation is to assist and support Rockingham Community College in its efforts to enhance individual and community success through education, employment assistance, service to business and industry, and contributions to cultural and social development.
The purpose of the Foundation is to serve as a vehicle to receive private gifts and bequests and to account for, manage, and help appreciate monies or property donated to the Foundation for the purpose of benefiting Rockingham Community College.
Last fall, the Foundation handled 202 scholarship awards totaling $242,009.50 for RCC students. The Foundation also helped support the renovation of the Whitcomb Student Center, which now provides enhanced services to students in the areas of admissions, records and registration, financial aid, and advising and counseling, and a fun area for them to gather.
For more information on the Foundation, visit www.rockinghamcc.edu/supportrcc, or call 336-342-4261 ext. 2201.