In celebration of national Women’s History Month, OCC employees and students reflect on the women of OCC who empower and inspire others. Together, we celebrate these – and the many women of OCC – whose contributions positively impact our culture and community each day. They are “excellence EMPOWERED!”
| Nahrein Atkinson | Nahrein Atkinson is quite likely the greatest student advocate I’ve encountered in my career. She is incredibly compassionate to the needs of her students and tireless in her dedication to support them throughout their educational, career and life journey. She models caring, compassionate, selfless and committed service each day. Nahrein inspires me to maintain a high bar in my professional service to the students we serve and tirelessly advocates for our students’ rights. |
| Christina Dedvukaj | Christina Dedvukaj has gone over and beyond for the students as an OCC counselor. She has had multiple students who have been so thankful for her helping them navigate their academic journey. Even when I was a student here, Christina was a monumental part of my journey at OCC. |
| Christina Felcyn | Tina is one of the smartest people I know. She is a left and right brain thinker who is not afraid to flip things on their side to examine all the parts. I truly admire her abilities and the way she goes the extra mile for students. |
| Karen Johnson | Karen is one of those people who remembers your birthday and is first to remember the names of your kids. She is kind to students and quick to raise her hand on a new project. I truly admire Karen for these qualities. |
| Sandy Strong | Sandy is dedicated to OCC. She works hard to juggle many things and stay on top of the ever changing and challenging world of Financial Aid. I truly admire her tenacity. |
| Wilma Porter | I appreciate the way Wilma takes time to listen to concerns, consider ideas and find the best solutions. I truly admire the way she tries to look out for our students. |
| Kristina Marshall | What can I say about this woman except wow. She has reignited the DEI spark within the college and is not afraid to challenge the status quo in search of the unheard and takes authentic actions to elevate their stories. She is about goodness, wholeness, and fairness for all. The work is not easy, but her heart for justice makes IT happen. I do believe she has changed lives, though she may not realize it. I hope she does. |
| Stacey Crews | Stacey is always striving to create an environment that empowers the students to grow, learn, and experience all that OCC has to offer. She has implemented a variety of programs that allow students to be connected and engaged while building a sense of belonging which encompasses the three word mantra (Connect-Engage-Belong) that her department created. |
| Dr. Mary Thomas | Dr. Thomas is a very compassionate counselor and is very student oriented. She is always looking for a better way to help students and her work on Academic Planning shows how dedicated she is to making students successful. Mary's dedication to OCC students is remarkable. Despite being out of the office, she drove in to assist an upset student. |
| Meena Kondapi | Meena is very student centered. She can often be found in a classroom recording videos for her class and she is always willing to meet with students to share her love of economics. Meena is also a very kind person and very much a team player. |
| Johnna Balk | In addition to being a fantastic Librarian, Johnna also dedicates an enormous amount of time to PTK students. In her spare time, (haha) she is the Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Farmington where she supports community focused initiatives. All while being a busy wife and mom of 3 successful adult children. |
| Dawn Young | Dawn has a love for accounting and her students benefit from her passion for the subject. Dawn explains things in a clear manner and students often comment on her ability to make concepts clear. Outside the classroom, Dawn is dedicated to helping marginalized students be successful with efforts to create a speaker series or other motivation to boost student success rates. |
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Dr. Eboni Mathis |
Dr. Mathis is a newer faculty member but has certainly embraced her role. Dr. Mathis championed the effort to bring the Supply Chain Management program to fruition and established an advisory board, sought subject matter experts and helped to develop a curriculum that will help students prepare for jobs in supply chain management. Dr. Mathis is energetic, upbeat and a joy to have at OCC. |
| Belynda Gambrell | I have known Belynda since I had Dean Spann. Every time I see her she is involved in a number of things. Always has a smile on her face and so willing to listen. |
| Sara Bowman | Sara makes me smile when she walks in a room. She gets involved in many things with compassion. |
| Lina Gerchak | Lina embodies OCC's mission to empower students and colleagues by encouraging and mentoring them to learn, grow, and succeed. She leads by example as she is always looking for growth opportunities within herself. Lina is an active participant in community improvement projects to help brighten our days with flowers and gardens. |
| Cheryl Decker |
Cheryl is an exceptional staff member who consistently expresses gratitude towards the lower-level employees, who often go unnoticed. |
| Jessica Lizardi |
Jessica consistently goes above and beyond in assisting students to ensure they have a fulfilling college experience. She possesses humility and grasps the intricacies of life, acknowledging how they can impact students' challenges. |
| Maddy Graziadei |
Maddy truly embraces the excellence of OCC and commitment to the institution. She is not only student centered but faculty focused and always willing to help out wherever needed. She has been with the institution for 35 years and can answer almost any question about OCC services and educational programs. If she doesn't know the answer, she will find out because she knows the people to ask. And it is always done with a smile! Maddy should become OCC Ambassador for Educational Excellence and Student Success. |
Learn more about how OCC is celebrating Women's History Month.
Kristina M. Marshall, JD
Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
Email Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
Phone: (248) 341-2028