The Poetry, Essays and Personal Journals of Larry L. Dill
Deborah Gaddy and I and her dog, AK, and cat, Molly arrived safely in Tucson Sunday, July 24. The furniture arrived on Thursday and Deborah's Mini Cooper on Saturday. Deborah began her new job at Pima Community College on Monday August 1. Details of the move and of Deborah's new life in Tucson will be online in the September issue of the New Hope Journal. Stay tuned. And stay in touch.
--Larry L. Dill
Climbing the ladder of success, Deborah Gaddy moves to Tucson, Arizona
News Release: July 4, 2011
Deborah Gaddy, a native of Waynesville, North Carolina, has been named Academic Dean of Adult Education at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona where she will oversee a program involving over 12,000 students.
Deborah is a graduate of Tuscola High School. She holds a B.A. and an M.A.Ed. degree from Western Carolina University.
Since 1999 Ms. Gaddy has been the Coordinator of Adult Education at Haywood Community College where among other things she was instrumental in developing a successful alternative adult high school program in conjunction with the Haywood County Public Schools. Prior to her service at HCC, she was the Director of Adult Education at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas where in 1996 her program was awarded one of the 12 best Adult Education programs in the U.S. by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Prior to that she was Director of the Sarah Lee Workforce Development Project, a collaboration of Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, Sarah Lee Corporation and North Carolina State University.
Deborah is an avid naturalist, and an accomplished musician and artist. She will live in Tucson with her black cat, Molly, and her Dingo dog, AK. When asked about a move from the Southern Appalachians to the Southeastern Arizona Desert, the irrepressible Ms. Gaddy responded, "It's a dry heat. And besides, I have a pool in my back yard."
The Letter of Intent
April 16, 2011
Pima Community College
Human Resources Department
Tucson, AZ 85709
Greetings:
I would like to be considered for the position of Academic Dean of Adult Education at Pima Community College. In addition to a Master’s Degree in Education, I have extensive experience in teaching and administration in community colleges in both North Carolina and Texas. During that time I have developed and evaluated curricula for numerous programs both on the community college and university level that include all the content areas for middle and secondary school instruction; courses of study for competency-based high school diploma programs and GED preparation programs including distance learning courses; developmental reading and study skills courses for incoming college freshmen; content-specific curricula for special needs programs such as Compensatory Education, Workforce Development initiatives, Work First programs, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
Also, I have many years of experience in supervising and training instructors on the community college level. While on-board at the N. C. Department of Community Colleges in Raleigh, my primary responsibility was to develop and deliver staff development and training to all Adult Education instructors in the 58 community colleges across the state. I have continued that venue in my administrative positions since then, based on the premise that well-informed, well-trained teams of instructors and staff are the keys to successful programs in any community college.
In my experience as administrator of Adult Education programs, I have successfully managed multiple projects, grant activities, and budgets while maintaining strong working relationships and partnerships with federal, state, county, and city agencies as well as private organizations that enhance services to students. I have excellent grant writing skills, securing over $100,000 each year to provide special projects such as family, health, and financial literacy to Adult Education students. It has been my intent to lead adult education programs into excellence, and I have successfully done so at each community college in which I have been employed, including national recognition for Austin Community College in 1996 for being one of twelve most outstanding Adult Education programs in the country by the Secretary of Education.
Adult Education is my passion, and it would be an honor to serve at your institution. Thank you for your consideration. I have requested transcripts be sent to you.
Sincerely,
Deborah Gaddy
The Curriculum Vitae
SUMMARY
Having a foundation in the arts as well as education and psychology, I bring a diverse background of knowledge and experience to the student development community. I have taught for and directed Adult Education programs for 30+ years in community colleges and universities in North Carolina and Texas. Having also been the state ABE training specialist and state coordinator for Compensatory Education at the N.C. Department of Community Colleges, I have a broad knowledge of all 58 community college Adult and Continuing Education programs and staff. In addition, I have extensive experience in writing and receiving grants for best practices and demonstration projects in adult education.
EDUCATION
1983-1985 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, N.C.
* M.A. Ed. Adult Education and Reading for Two-Year Colleges
1970-1974 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, N.C.
* B.A. Double Major in Fine Arts and Psychology
1975 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, N.C.
* Graduate course: Raku Pottery—Glaze and Firing Techniques
1982 Yeats International Summer School Sligo, Ireland
* Certificate: Irish Poetry and Literature (Professional Development)
1983 University of Tennessee/Arrowmont School of Crafts Gatlinburg, TN
* Certificate: Porcelain Techniques (Professional Development)
2000-2001 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, N.C.
* Graduate certification courses in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (Professional Development)
2002 University of North Carolina Asheville, N.C.
* Certificate: Leadership Haywood 14 Graduate (Professional Development)
EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL HONORS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
* National Merit Scholarship Award—Tuscola High School, 1970.
* Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology, Western Carolina University, 1973.
* First Place Poetry Award—for “Greece Restored” in The Nomad, a Western Carolina University publication, 1974.
* Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society—Western Carolina University, 1985.
* Selected as Developmental Editor for The Content Areas—a college textbook for developmental reading, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA, 1986.
* Appointed to The First National Congress for Adults with Special Learning Needs—by William Langner, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 1987.
* Selected to serve as trainer for North Carolina’s Adult Education instructors in the Kenan Family Literacy Projects—National Center for Family Literacy, Louisville, Kentucky, 1987.
* Appointed as Evaluator for U.S. Department of Education’s North Carolina Homeless Literacy Projects, 1988-90.
* Hosted Do You Read Me, a 20-part live television series on Adult Education—sponsored by Time/Life Books and the North Carolina Governor’s Office, Raleigh, N.C. 1989.
* Appointed to the Governor’s Steering Committee for North Carolina 2000—Raleigh, N.C. 1992.
* Appointed to the National Advisory Consortium for CASAS—The Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System in San Diego, CA 1995.
* Recipient of the U.S. Department of Education Secretary’s Award as Director at Austin Community College for recognition as one of the twelve most outstanding Adult Education Programs in the U.S. 1996.
* Appointed to the Southern Workplace Peer Conference Consortium—U.S. Department of Education, 1996.
LICENSURE/CERTIFICATES
* Certified to train literacy volunteers in reading methods by ProLiteracy America, Syracuse, N.Y. 1985.
* Certified in administering CASAS testing that includes Life Skills, Work Skills, English As A Second Language, and High School Completion—CASAS Summer Institute, San Diego, CA 1995 and 1996.
* PADI certified open water scuba diver, West Palm Beach, FL 1981.
TEACHING/OTHER EDUCATIONAL POSTS
1999 to present:
* Haywood Community College Coordinator of Adult Education Clyde, NC
1993 to 1998:
* Austin Community College Director of Adult Education Austin, TX
1990 to 1993:
* Forsyth Technical Community College and N.C. State University
Workplace Literacy Specialist and Director of Educational Development at
Sara Lee Corporation, Knit Products Division Winston-Salem, NC
1989 to 1990:
* Vance-Granville Community College
Director of ABE/GED Programs Henderson, NC
1986-1989
* N.C. Department of Community Colleges
Training Coordinator for ABE and Special Populations Raleigh, NC
1985-1986
* N.C. State University
Visiting Faculty, Department of Curriculum and Instruction Raleigh, NC
1976-1985
* Isothermal Community College
ABE Supervisor and Lead Instructor Spindale, NC
CURRICULA INSTRUCTION
CORE CURRICULA EXPERIENCE
* College Reading and Study Skills Haywood Community College Clyde, NC
* College Reading and Study Skills N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC
* Content Area Reading (middle and secondary) N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC
CONTINUING EDUCATION
* Pottery: Hand building/Wheel Throwing Isothermal CC Spindale, NC
* Pottery: Glazes Isothermal CC Spindale, NC
* Pottery: Raku and Saw Dust Firing Isothermal CC Spindale, NC
* Pottery for Kids Rutherford County Arts Council Forest City, NC
* Raku Firing Demonstration and Exhibit Mint Museum Charlotte, NC
CURRICULA/PROGRAM DESIGN AND SUPPORT
* Designed curriculum and studio for pottery courses Isothermal CC Spindale, NC
* Designed competency-based high school curriculum for Robbins Academy Alternative High School, Austin Community College, Austin, TX
* Designed program and curriculum for Even Start Family Literacy Program at Austin Community College, Austin, TX
* Designed program for Adult High School at Haywood Community College, Clyde, NC
EDUCATIONAL GRANTS
* JTPA Workforce Development grant award from the Texas Workforce Commission for “Project GED Plus”1994-95, Austin Community College, Austin, TX.
* Wrote and secured Adult Education Consortium grant awards for Austin Community College adult education classes in collaboration with public schools in Travis and Williamston counties. Grant awards were received from the Texas Education Agency for the years 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, and 1997-98.
* Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) grant awards to serve the welfare-to-work parents and their families. Wrote and secured grant awards from the Texas Education Agency for Austin Community College in the years 1994-95, 1995-96, and 1996-97.
* Wrote and secured grant awards for an Even Start Family Literacy Project in conjunction with the Austin Independent School District to serve limited English proficient adults in the East Austin area. Grant awards were received from the Texas Education Agency to Austin Community College for four years consecutively from 1994 to 1998.
* Wrote and secured grant awards from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to provide “Pathways to Employment”—a workforce development project—for three years (2000-2003) at Haywood Community College’s Basic Skills program.
* Wrote and secured grant awards for English Literacy/Civics projects to serve the limited English proficient in our county. These federal funds are distributed by the N.C. Community College System office through competitive grant application. Haywood Community College’s Adult Education program has received this award every year since 2002.
* Wrote and received grant award to Haywood Community College for a project serving WorkFirst clients in Haywood County. The award was received from the Department of Social Services to provide not only Adult Education classes, but also job-seeking and job-keeping skills in this one-year WorkFirst Demonstration Project in 2006-07.
INVITED CONFERENCE/OTHER PRESENTATIONS
* Commission on Adult Education (COABE) Conference, Pittsburg, PA 1997.
Presentation title: Pedagogy of the Depressed with co-presenter, Larry Dill.
* Have attended and presented at every statewide Basic Skills conference sponsored by the N.C. Department of Community Colleges each August since 1986.
* N.C. Community College Adult Educators’ Conference in Winston-Salem, NC, 2002. Presentation title: Show Me the Money! –how to write grants and get the award—co-presenters Shelley Bleyl and Connie Lister.
CURRENT PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
* N.C. Community College Adult Educators Association
* N.C. Community College Faculty Association
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
* President’s Advisory Committee (PAC) Haywood Community College, 2006-07.
How the Deal Went Down
On Thursday, May 26, 2011, Deborah was called by an official of Pima Community College and informed that the college would like to pay her expenses including airfare and hotel accommodations to fly to Arizona to be interviewed for the Dean's position. She flew to Tucson the following Monday, Memorial day, was interviewed on Tuesday by a college wide committee, then met with the president and vice president who would be her immediate superiors. She then took to the stage in a media presentation room to be video taped fielding questions from members of the college's faculty, staff, students and interested members of the general public. The video tape was then viewed privately by the college Chancellor and other ranking college officials. Deborah flew back to North Carolina the next day, Wednesday, June 1.
On June 2nd she was called by the president and offered the job. She accepted and the following Wednesday night the board of governors of the college made her appointment official. She was to begin on August 1. On Friday June 24, Deborah and I flew to Tucson to search for housing for her. The following Wednesday morning, June 29 she signed a lease on an adobe style, Spanish colonial house a mile from the University of Arizona in central Tucson and 3 miles from her new offices. The house has a sunken living room, formal dining room, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 wood burning fireplaces and a swimming pool in the back yard. We returned to Waynesville on July 1 to prepare for the move.
Professional moving expenses for her household goods and Mini Cooper will be covered by the college. At Deborah's expense we will drive to Atlanta in a rented car with her dog ,Ak, and her cat, Molly, on July 24, fly for 3 1/2 hours non-stop to Phoenix, and rent another car for the two hour drive to Tucson. The flight had to be made from Atlanta to Phoenix in order to accommodate the two pets in air-conditioned comfort from drop off to pick up with no transfers. They will travel in a climate controlled pet cargo hold on the same plane as us. The car and furniture should arrive the following week. I will stay with them a month to help them settle in before returning to Asheville August 22.
--Larry L. Dill
Asheville, North Carolina
July 4, 2011
American Tragedy: Larry McMurtry's comments in the New York Review of Books on the Shootings in Tucson last January. McMurtry is a resident of Tucson.
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