Brady honored for Leadership at VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College Biology instructor Phyllis “Button” Brady was recently honored with the President’s Leadership Award from Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of the college. Brady (pictured above), who has been a full-time instructor at VGCC since 1992, was instrumental in leading the college’s effort to be reaffirmed for accreditation in 2013 .
Brady’s honor is one of three Glen Raven Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards presented to VGCC employees this academic year. The other honorees were Faculty Member of the Year Ross Ragonese and Staff Member of the Year Melissa Ayscue , both of whom were recognized in the fall of 2013. Glen Raven, Inc., the manufacturer with a site in Norlina, is a longtime supporter of VGCC.
“Button’s innovative leadership, dedication and passion for education have been inspirational not only to her students but to her VGCC colleagues as well,” President Williams said.
A Granville County native, Brady today lives in Clarksville, Va. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with bachelor’s degrees in zoology and psychology, and from Central Washington University with a master’s degree in biology. Brady was also once a certified emergency medical technician and has taught CPR and first-aid. Before joining the faculty at VGCC, Brady taught at colleges in Washington, Texas and New Mexico, and at a U.S. Army installation in Germany.
She has previously been recognized as VGCC’s Faculty Member of the Year in 1998, and received a VGCC Excellence in Leadership Award in 2007, as one of four faculty members who led a group of students on a 25-day educational trip to Costa Rica.
From 2011 through 2013, Brady served as chair of the college’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaffirmation committee . In that capacity, she provided leadership for more than 100 VGCC employees as they gathered evidence and composed documents to submit to the Atlanta-based regional accrediting agency. Brady’s other leadership roles at the college have included chairing the Student Learning Outcomes Committee, Sustainability Education Subcommittee, Student Services Committee, and Faculty/Staff Endowment Fund Drive. She initiated and helped direct the VGCC Science Camp for middle school students and has provided oversight for other camps offered by the college’s Arts and Sciences division . Brady also established the New Faculty Academy.
