Obituary
Anthony O. Parker, president of Albany Technical College in Georgia since 1995, unexpectedly passed away on June 6. He was 69.
“From day one, Dr. Parker led the college with a servant’s heart whose top priority was the interest of his students,” the college said in a release. “During his remarkable career at Albany Technical College, Dr. Parker was committed to helping each and every student achieve greatness and realize their dreams through the power of education.”
Parker started his career in higher education as an instructor at Augusta Technical Institute in 1980 and moved up the ranks, serving in vice president roles at Southeastern Technical Institute and Aiken Technical College, and as assistant commissioner for adult education at the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) before becoming president of Albany Tech.
Parker was noted for his ability to collaborate, working with the local Marine Corps Logistics Base to support the nation’s defense systems as well as partnering with regional business and industry, such as healthcare facilities, the college said. He was also an advocate for dual enrollment and a leader in adult education, focusing to help GED students transition into a technical college program to gain postsecondary training.
In 2011, the college named the new library at its Logistics Education Center in his honor. Parker was noted then for his efforts to garner high student enrollment, leading the rebuilding campaign after a 1994 flood and creating a smooth transition from Albany Technical Institute to Albany Tech as well as the transition from quarters to semesters.
Parker also was one of the first TCSG presidents to raise $1 million in private funding to support capital improvements at the colleges, noted TCGS Commissioner Gregory Dozier. “He leaves behind a lasting legacy that will be felt for generations,” he said.
Appointments
Jody Carson is the new dean of business and professional studies at Northern Essex Community College, her alma mater. She has been serving in an interim role in the position since October. She joined the Massachusetts college in 2007 as an adjunct faculty member and earned faculty tenure in May 2020.
Martha Ellis is the new interim president and CEO for the Texas Association of Community Colleges. She has more than 35 years of experience in community colleges in Texas and New Mexico, including two college presidencies. For the past several years, Ellis has worked with the association as a Texas Pathways coach and Senior Pathways lead, forwarding the mission of the Texas Success Center to increase student success through Texas Pathways programs.
Jennifer Jefferson is the new dean of academic affairs at Central Maine Community College. She has nearly 20 years of higher education experience, most recently serving as interim vice president of academic affairs for Manchester Community College in New Hampshire. Prior to that, Jefferson was a longtime English professor, teaching at several colleges and universities in New England.
At Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa, Deborah Kepple-Mamros is now executive director of planning, assessment and data, and Kyle Collins has been named assistant to the vice president of academic affairs. Collins has previously served as director of online and blended learning, associate dean and dean at Northeast Iowa Community College. Kepple-Mamros worked at Graceland University, where she served on the university’s Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy Team and the Retention Committee, assistant registrar and later became Graceland’s first director of institutional research.
