TCC CELEBRATES 2024 ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS
Tidewater Community College recognizes five faculty and staff members from across the college with special awards during TCC’s College-Wide Fall Convocation. This year’s event was held on August 22, 2024 at the Chesapeake Campus Student Center.
Selected by their peers in the faculty and classified associations at the college, the honorees exhibit the characteristics that make TCC an institution that provides great service and support to our students and community.
Professor of the Year
Dr. Jessica Lynam, Professor of Spanish
Dr. Jessica Lynam is the Professor of the Year, chosen by the Faculty Senate. Lynam has taught Spanish at the college since 2016 and is being honored for her dedication to student success and engagement. Lynam utilizes a variety of innovative teaching strategies, which she evolves each semester to incorporate current best practices and, at the same time, focus on culture and real-world applications of Spanish. She is also recognized for creating engaging, accessible, and motivational course materials through various platforms like Canvas, Prezi and social media.
Lynam, a Portsmouth resident, teaches at the Portsmouth and Chesapeake Campuses in in-class and online formats.
When asked about receiving the Professor of the Year Award, Lynam said that she was “humbled and re-energized!” She added that, “It feels great to be seen and appreciated. I’ve been tinkering and experimenting with my teaching methods, and they have really evolved. I’ve drawn inspiration and ideas from conferences, content creators on social media, and alternative assessments, among others. Student response has been good and it’s nice to know I’m on the right track. I feel humble but validated.”
She adds that she’s most proud to see her students transfer from TCC and continue with Spanish successfully, some of them even studying abroad. She’s also enjoyed “cutting the cord with textbooks and fully adopting Open Educational Resources in all my classes, learning to teach in a wide variety of modalities, and also building a positive relationship with my colleagues in Foreign Languages.”
When she’s not teaching, Lynam serves as an election official in Portsmouth as well as volunteering with American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad (AYUDA), a non-profit volunteer-based organization that empowers youth to serve as agents of social change in diabetes communities around the world. AYUDA is a grass-roots organization that provides diabetes-related services for juveniles with type-1 diabetes. The organization is currently focusing efforts in the Dominican Republic and has also been recently active in Haiti.
She also likes to create digital cartoons in her spare time utilizing Canva, Pictochart, and other open-source software. She loves crafts—especially quilting, sewing, and furniture refinishing—and she’s improving her hand at cooking.
Lynam and her family—husband Andrew and two sons, ages 10 and 8—are avid campers and most recently visited Northern Michigan for its unique beauty.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Arts in Spanish from Western Michigan University.
Special Achievement Faculty Award
Dr. Tiffanye Sledge, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Tiffanye Sledge is receiving the Special Achievement Faculty Award, an honor from the Faculty Senate, for her key role in TCC’s governance and academic community, serving as the representative on the Chancellor’s Faculty Advisory Committee (CFAC) and its Executive Committee, as well as the Portsmouth Campus Faculty Senate Chair. She is also involved in various campus initiatives, including the Portsmouth Campus Leadership Team, the Academic Affairs Council, and the TCC Artificial Intelligence Ad Hoc Committee.
Additionally, Sledge has contributed to the broader academic discourse by presenting on Artificial Intelligence topics, moderating the College-wide Women’s History Month Forum, and supporting the Program Learning Outcomes Team for the Social Science pathway. Sledge, a Hampton resident, teaches at the Portsmouth campus in in-class and virtual formats.
Dr. Sledge notes that she is “deeply honored to receive the Award. I have the privilege of working alongside phenomenal colleagues who are the best at what they do, so I am truly humbled. Receiving this recognition is a significant highlight of my career at TCC. I am grateful for the committee’s recognition of my efforts. This award not only inspires me but also reinforces my commitment to continuing to support and uplift our students and the College.”
She adds that “I am most proud of the accomplishments of my students. Seeing them grow, and achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals is the most rewarding part of my job. I am also proud of the work I have done to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for my students and empowering them to know and believe that they matter, and they belong. I am always looking for new ways to help my students succeed.”
Dr. Sledge’s time away from the College includes many volunteering initiatives—her church. the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps, domestic violence shelters, homeless initiatives, and food and housing insecurity initiatives. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, as well as the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women.
When she has free time to spare, Dr. Sledge likes to spend time with family and friends, travel, cook, exercise, and listen to R&B music from the 1970’s through the early 2000’s. She has been married to her college sweetheart for 28 years and has three grown children—a daughter in medical school, and two sons entering their senior year in college, one of whom is a TCC alumnus.
Dr. Sledge holds Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College, and a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University.
Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award
Julissa Armstrong
Julissa Armstrong is receiving the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award, an honor from the Faculty Senate, for her remarkable efforts in the teaching of Forensic Sciences.
Armstrong, who has recently relocated to Utah, teaches Forensic Science I and II, and Forensic Pathology at the Norfolk Campus and online.
Since joining TCC in 2017, Professor Armstrong has transformed outdated course materials into engaging, hands-on activities in her classes. She is also known for integrating real-world scenarios into her teaching to make learning relevant and practical. Due to her extensive experience in forensic science—she has been a Forensic Specialist II with the Virginia Beach Police Department since 2011—Professor Armstrong effectively relates classroom experience to real-world applications.
Since joining TCC in 2017, Professor Armstrong has transformed outdated course materials into engaging, hands-on activities in her classes. She is also known for integrating real-world scenarios into her teaching to make learning relevant and practical. Due to her extensive experience in forensic science—she has been a Forensic Specialist II with the Virginia Beach Police Department since 2011—Professor Armstrong effectively relates classroom experience to real-world applications.
As to her reception of the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award, Professor Armstrong notes that she has tailored her classes and the student experience by listening closely to student feedback. “At the same time, I strive to hold them to the high standards of the forensics field and give them a realistic look into forensic science and what they are ‘signing up for’ and can expect when they go beyond TCC.”
Regarding her teaching online, she notes that “online classes. Particularly in the forensic sciences, pose unique barriers when it comes to a hands-on field such as this one. I am proud that I have found ways for students to experience realistic casework in an online environment, so they have a very similar experience to their face-to-face counterparts.”
When she is not working or teaching, Professor Armstrong volunteers for a few forensic-related organizations and works out at a local CrossFit gym 6 days a week. She is married and she and her husband have two dogs.
Professor Armstrong holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Forensic Sciences from Mercyhurst University and A Master of Science in Forensic Science from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Classified Support Staff Employee of the Year
Kim J. Patrick
Kim Patrick is the Classified Support Staff of the Year. As Administrative Assistant to Dean Paul Silberquit, Kim is the go-to person for students seeking information in the Public and Professional Services and Education Pathway, and for staff requiring assistance with ordering, using classroom equipment, and a multitude of other day-to-day issues.
Patrick, a Virginia Beach resident, has been with the college since 2009 and worked as the Administrative Assistant in the Child Development Lab at the Beach campus from 2009 to 2014, and in the Public and Professional Services division before moving to her current position in 2022.
As a co-worker notes, “From entering orders so that programs can operate with the materials needed, to entering schedules, textbooks, adjunct contracts, overloads—everything she does means that not only our pathway is efficient and effective but that contributes to the overall effectiveness of the college. Our pathway consists of 12 programs, and she meets the needs of each and every one.”
Kim’s personal touch is appreciated by students and staff alike. As a teaching staff notes, Kim “supplies us with much needed audio/visual or fitness equipment and follows each order closely to ensure timely and complete delivery. I frequently have issues with computers or a/v tools in my classrooms. Ms. Patrick is the team member that ensures the equipment is up and ready to go for the next class, scheduling technicians for repair, IT troubleshooting, or maintenance.”
When informed of her reception of the award, Kim says that she is “very surprised, happy and humbled. TCC has so many exceptional employees, and I never expected to receive this award.”
Kim holds an Associate of Applied Science in Accounting and an Associate of Science in Business Administration from TCC. In her time away from the college, she likes to garden, read and spend time with her two children, Gene and Laura, her sister, Tonya and other family members in the area. As Kim says, “They bring joy and purpose to my life.”
Wage Support Staff of the Year
David Abraham, District Mailroom Clerk
David Abraham is the Wage Support Staff of the Year. As the District Mailroom Clerk, David is well-known to everyone who works at TCC’s District offices in downtown Norfolk, as well as everyone at Materiel Management in Suffolk.
Although Abraham, a Norfolk resident, has only been at TCC for two and a half years, his dedication and cheerful demeanor have made him a favorite with co-workers.
“David re-organized the District mailroom, adjusted his hours in order to maximize effectiveness, and even provided support with delivering the mail from campus to campus at various times of the workweek,” says Thomas Hutchins, Director of Materiel Management. “David also improved our efficiency by delivering payroll checks to various business offices as needed. He prioritizes projects to maximize resources.”
“David’s work is a testament to his commitment to excellence in service and performance,” says Novella Briggs, Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Despite having a reduced staff, David consistently delivers parcels and mail accurately and efficiently. He is always willing to lend a helping hand, whether for college-wide events such as Spring and Fall Convocations and Commencements or for transporting college guests.” And Jennifer Wilkinson, Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the TCC Educational Foundation, notes that “not only has David changed the dynamic of the District building with his positive attitude and presence, but his easy demeanor and drive to do more exemplify how someone so caring, engaging, and reliable advances the college’s mission and core values.”
As to his reception of the award, David says that he is “deeply proud and greatly appreciative. It is a wonderful feeling to be honored by one’s peers and I say, Thank You. But while the recognition is individual, I see it more as a recognition of team, of the wonderful people I work with day in and day out, and of the work we do on behalf of this fine institution, Tidewater Community College.”
David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Old Dominion University and an Associate of Science in General Studies from TCC. He came to TCC after a long and successful career in professional photography and, when he isn’t working at TCC, enjoys the “company of family and friends, college sports, travel, all the art forms—music, literature, theatre, and visual—specifically photography and movies, museums and restaurants. And spending as much time as I can with my dog Sadie.”