VGCC Director of Student Activities & Athletics receives award
Jeffrey Allen, the director of student activities and athletics at Vance-Granville Community College, recently received the Laura Thomas Award from the North Carolina Association on Higher Education and Disability (NC AHEAD). The award recognizes an outstanding professional outside of the field of disability services who has demonstrated exemplary support of disability services within a postsecondary academic setting.
Allen was nominated for the award by VGCC counselor Cathy Davis, who serves students with disabilities. Davis said that when Allen was the college’s director of leadership and professional development, he helped promote greater awareness of the VGCC disability services office . “Jeff worked closely with me to present to our administration, department heads, and later to all faculty and staff, to make sure everyone is informed about disability services and reasonable accommodations provided to students,” Davis said. “His efforts have benefited the Office of Disability Services and our students.”
She added that collaborating with Allen helped foster open lines of communication among all departments of the college. “It has been a pleasure working with Mr. Allen to help promote the services rendered and develop a better understanding of what Disability Services entails in order to aid in the success of the students we serve,” Davis said.
NC AHEAD is an affiliate of the national Association on Higher Education and Disability, a professional membership organization for individuals involved in the development of policy and in the provision of quality services to meet the needs of persons with disabilities involved in all areas of higher education. NC AHEAD established the Laura Thomas Award in 1996 in memory of a charter member of the organization and the longtime director of Disability Services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
A resident of southern Granville County, Allen has been a member of the VGCC staff since May 2012, and director of student activities and athletics since 2015. He had a 14-year career in education at the K-12 level prior to joining the community college.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Jeffrey Allen, who consistently demonstrates leadership and commitment to help all of our students succeed,” VGCC Vice President of Employee and Public Relations Stacey Carter-Coley said.
Davis herself was also recognized at the statewide NC AHEAD meeting where the honor for Allen was announced. She received a professional scholarship to attend the NC AHEAD conference in the fall of 2016.
Above: From left, Jeffrey Allen receives the Laura Thomas Award from Cathy Davis. (VGCC photo)
