Community College System Vice President to speak at VGCC Graduation
Dr. Saundra Wall Williams, Senior Vice President and Chief of Technology and Workforce Development for the North Carolina Community College System, will be the principal commencement speaker for Vance-Granville Community College’s graduation exercises on Friday, May 13. Lynwood Roberts, II of Oxford, who recently graduated from the North Carolina Community College Student Leadership Institute, will be the student speaker. Approximately 440 students are scheduled to receive their degrees and diplomas in curriculum programs during ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. at the gazebo by the lake on the college’s main campus in Vance County.
Dr. Williams (pictured above, left) has over 23 years of experience in the field of information technology and technical training. Before entering higher education, she was Director of Technical Training and Education for Syntel, Inc. in Cary. She began her career in training and development with Nortel as a Senior Technical Trainer at the Nortel’s Technical Education Center in Raleigh. Additionally, she taught calculus as a visiting instructor in the department of Mathematics at North Carolina State University. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Master of Science in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Statistics and a Doctor of Education in Adult and Community College Education from North Carolina State University. She is also a graduate of the State of North Carolina Chief Information Officer School and she holds a Master of Divinity degree from Regent University. In her position with the N.C. Community College System , Williams leads the information technology and resources, technology infrastructure, distance learning, workforce development, library services, project management, and continuing education organizations within the community college system. Williams came to the System Office from N.C. State University, where she was an Assistant Professor in Adult and Community College Education and continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Adult and Higher Education.
Lynwood Roberts (pictured above, right) will be graduating with an Associate in Science degree. A lifelong resident of Oxford, Roberts enrolled in the College Transfer program at VGCC shortly after graduating from J.F. Webb High School in 2009. He is transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he intends to pursue a degree in business administration. After completing his education, Roberts eventually plans to return to manage his father’s construction company, L. Roberts Repairs & Builder, Inc. of Oxford. At VGCC, Roberts has been a participant in the Male Mentoring Program, has earned Dean’s List honors and has received an endowed VGCC scholarship. He was one of just 30 students from across the state selected to participate in the 2010-2011 North Carolina Community College Student Leadership Institute (SLI).
Students serving as graduation marshals will be Lori Burney, Erika Gamel and Sandra Preddy, all of Franklinton; Danielle Guin and Camille Stokes, both of Henderson; Delores Dozier of Norlina; Laurie Braslins and Maria Glover, both of Wake Forest; and Rosalind Richardson of Warrenton.
