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Twenty-five Pensacola State administrative, faculty and staff members are on a nine-month journey to learn about the College and postsecondary education in Florida.
The 2022-2023 President’s Leadership Institute (PLI) class began in August with an organizational meeting, introductions and presentations on the history of community colleges in the United States, especially Florida.
Employees apply for PLI and many are newer employees. PLI is held every other year.
“It is extremely important that newer employees have a good understanding of the immediate and larger higher education environment in which they have chosen to work,’’ said PSC President Ed Meadows, who implemented the professional development opportunity program in 2011.
“This is an opportunity to bond with others at the College. Being exposed to leaders inside and outside the College helps to broaden the participants’ perspective regarding the value of their individual contributions to PSC and the overall experience and success of our students.”
The PLI class meets once a month. Sessions include information on the budgeting process for the College and the State of Florida, the organizational structure of PSC, the role of direct support organizations such as the PSC Foundation, panels on leadership, government relations and more.
In March, the PLI class will travel to Tallahassee to visit the headquarters of the Florida College System, Florida Department of Education, and sit in on a session of the Florida Legislature.
“I wanted to learn more about PSC, the Florida College System, and how the different government agencies play a role in supporting the College and the students, while also gaining leadership skills,’’ said PLI class member Nichole Wilson, PSC Capital Outlay Coordinator. “With my role at the College, I don’t get to interact with students very often, so I also wanted to learn about the other departments and how everything comes together to give the students the best experience that they can get while attending.”
A graduation ceremony and dinner will be held in May.
Lead facilitators for the PLI class are Rameca Leary and Juanita Scott. Additional facilitators are Thor Garber and Rafael Deliz.
“We bring all facets of PSC together,’’ said Leary, PSC Coordinator of Diversity Initiatives, noting that class members come from numerous PSC departments including Veterans Student Support Services, Student Affairs, Adult Education, Financial Aid and many more.
“They’re going to learn the ins and outs of how we run internally. They will learn about the structure and organization of the College and how outside entities impact what we do.”
Members of the 2022-2023 PLI Class are:
Tanya Brashers
Abe Clark
Ingrid Davis
Stephanie Denmark
Neil Gonzalez
Wayne Hagan
Kathleen Hudon
Veronica Jennings
Debby Meyer
Darlene Mosley
Michael Payne
Ken Phillips
Lauren Rogers
Scott Schackmann
Sam Smith
Jon Stephenson
Kelby Thornton
Nichole Wilson
Mel Miner
Stacy Young
Jessica Johnson
Joseph Peterson
Domenick Grasso
Brian Weaver
Tricia Sheridan.