Dr. J. Nickey Brown, assistant professor of Manufacturing Technology Management, and Dr. Danielle Roach, assistant professor and English coordinator, were selected by the Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC) to represent Clark State Community College in the 2021-22 Leadership Academy for Student Success cohort. This Academy is modeled on the Aspen Institute’s Leadership program.
“Both Dr. Brown and Dr. Roach have admirably demonstrated their laser focus on student success,” said Dr. Jo Alice Blondin, president of Clark State. “As outstanding faculty members, they excel in ensuring that their students have the knowledge and skills to be successful in subsequent coursework or in their careers. I look forward to their participation and the strategies that they bring back to campus to improve the student experience.”
Roach has been teaching at Clark State since 2017 and has taught English at the college level for 16 years. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Old Dominion University with concentrations in rhetoric, writing, and discourse studies and also in technology and media studies. Her MA and BA are both in English and are from Wright State.
“It is an honor to have been nominated and selected to be a part of the second cohort of the OACC Leadership Academy,” said Roach. “This year’s curriculum really complements the work we’re doing here at Clark State. Again, this year, the program will focus on the Pathways Project and on the impact that initiative will have on student success across Ohio. I’m looking forward to networking and learning with other professionals who are committed to building programs and institutions that support and uplift our communities.”
Brown is an eight-year veteran advisor for Clark State and now faculty member, with both academic and pragmatic interests in student success.
“I was thrilled to be nominated for the OACC Leadership Academy for Student Success,” said Brown. “Most of my educational background centers around education leadership with the exception of my bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. I am fascinated by change. In fact, I often intentionally try to provoke change. With that in mind, by attending the OACC Leadership Academy, I hope to learn how to inspire lasting change that will advance the programs within my academic school at Clark State.”
The OACC established the leadership academy in 2019 to encourage mid-level administrators and faculty to develop leadership skills and promote student success.
The OACC Leadership Academy for Student Success is spearheaded by the association’s Success Center for Ohio Community Colleges.
The fellows convene six times over a year to participate in sessions designed to help them strengthen their college’s ability to accomplish its mission of sustaining pathways to student success.