New staff and faculty welcomed to RichmondCC at Board of Trustees meeting

HAMLET —  During Richmond Community College’s bi-monthly Board of Trustees’ meeting on Oct. 1, there was standing room only as Dr. Dale McInnis, president of the college, introduced new faculty and staff members to the board. 

Seven of the eleven positions are newly created. Positions were added to maintain the college’s high level of student and faculty engagement while expanding course offerings for math, science, history, business, cyber security, welding, certified nursing, and the electric utility substation relay technology program. 

New faculty hired by RichmondCC are:

• Sebrina Cooper (math) Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Japanese and a Master’s in Mathematics from Utah State University
• Dr. Mary Anne Evans (chemistry) earned a Ph.D in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham, U.K. and a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from the University of London
• Dr. Lori Frear (biology) Ph.D and Master’s in Zoology/Physiology Science Education from N.C. State University and Bachelor’s in Zoology from New York State University Oswego
• Dr. Alexander Yarbrough (history) Ph.D in History from New York State University of Buffalo and Sorbonne University and a Master’s in History from Sorbonne University
• Dr. Kevin Misenheimer (business administration) Ph.D in Business Administration/Computer and Information Security from Northcentral University and Master’s in Accounting from UNC-Charlotte, Business Administration from Western Carolina University, and Organizational Management from Pfeiffer University
• Brian Goodman (cyber security) Associate in Computer Engineering from Sandhill’s Community College and was the associate director with AT&T for 19 years
• Jason Felts (welding) Associate in Industrial Maintenance and a Welding Certificate from Richmond Community College and was a maintenance technician with Big Rock Sports and a certified welder and fabricator for Ferro Fab
• Tammy Blanton (certified nursing) Bachelor’s in Nursing from Winston-Salem State University and an Associate in Nursing from Richmond Community College
• Rolland Coulon (electric utility substation relay technology) Master’s in Public Health Nutrition from UNC-Chapel Hill, Bachelor’s in Biology and Chemistry from UNC-Pembroke, and an Associate in Electric Utility Substation Relay Technology from Richmond Community College

Additionally, a new career planner was hired and will be housed at Richmond Senior High School.

Rhonda Singleton has a Bachelor’s in Sociology from UNC-Pembroke and was a career adviser for the N.C. Department of Commerce. She will assist every student at Richmond Senior High School to have a career plan prior to the start of the second semester of his or her senior year.

A new counselor joined RichmondCC’s Student Services on the Hamlet campus. Melanie Baker has a Master’s in Psychology from the University of Phoenix, Bachelor’s in Psychology from UNC-Pembroke, and an Associate in Human Services from Sandhills Community College.

“We are excited to have these new faculty and staff members as part of our RichmondCC family and the knowledge and experience they will bring to the college,” McInnis told the board.

The Board of Trustees reviewed the status of the ongoing construction of the new cafeteria and expanded Student Services space at the Hamlet campus and the Kenneth and Claudia Robinette Building in Rockingham. Additionally, the board approved the request to submit the donation of the Covington Street Building as an expansion of the college’s Scotland County campus in Laurinburg. 

The college will host an open house on Nov. 6, 2019 from 4 to 7 p.m. to celebrate the Scotland County campus and the new classes to start in January.

The meeting was closed with the president’s report and McInnis extending an invitation for everyone to attend Convocation on Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Cole Auditorium on the Hamlet campus.