College President Receives Top CEO Regional Award
Dr. Deborah Lamm, president of Edgecombe Community College, has received the 2017 Southern Regional Chief Executive Officer Award from the Association of Community College Trustees.
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond.
Based in Washington, DC, the ACCT annually recognizes outstanding leaders in each of ACCT’s five regions.
Dr. Deborah Lamm, president of Edgecombe Community College, has received the 2017 Southern Regional Chief Executive Officer Award from the Association of Community College Trustees.
The Southern Region consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
The CEO Award is based on the nominee’s impact on innovative programming at the institution, service to two-year postsecondary education, recognition of leadership, commitment to a collegial learning environment, and published professional articles.
“This award is beyond my wildest dreams,” says Dr. Lamm. “To be recognized by those who govern community colleges is a privilege and honor that I never imagined. I am deeply humbled.
“It is an even greater honor to be placed in such distinguished ranks as current and past honorees, all of whom have made important contributions to two-year postsecondary education.”
The most recent North Carolina recipient of the ACCT CEO Award was in 2008, when Patricia Skinner, president of Gaston College, was honored.
Wick Baker, a member of the Edgecombe Community College Board of Trustees and board chair from 2013 until June 30 of this year, nominated Dr. Lamm for the award.
“Dr. Lamm is the ideal college president,” he says. “She is unmatched in her drive to improve the lives of Edgecombe residents. She is an innovative and effective leader as well as a thoughtful and sincere individual.
“I am delighted that she has been selected to receive the ACCT 2017 CEO Award. No other college president is more deserving.”
Dr. Lamm, a 38-year veteran of the North Carolina Community College System, began her current post as president of Edgecombe Community College in 2004.
A leader among North Carolina educators, she served as president of the NC Association of Community College Presidents for the 2016-2017 term. Among other initiatives, in this role she created Community College Day in the NC General Assembly.
At Edgecombe, Dr. Lamm provided leadership for the design and construction of the Biotechnology and Medical Simulation Center on the Rocky Mount campus, led the establishment of Student Success Centers on each campus, and developed a scholarship program that fully funds the education of qualified students.
She maintains an open door policy and has created numerous opportunities for employees and students to increase their understanding of the college and to strengthen their own skill sets, including participation in National Signing Day for high school students who commit to attending ECC.
In 2007, Dr. Lamm was named one of 100 Incredible Women by East Carolina University. In 2011, she received the I.E. Ready Distinguished Leader Award from NC State University’s College of Education; and in 2015, she received the Eastern Council’s Boy Scouts of America’s Distinguished Citizen Award.
The CEO Award will be presented during the ACCT conference set for September 25-28. As the regional award recipient, Dr. Lamm is a nominee for the prestigious Marie Y. Martin CEO Award, which also will be announced during the conference.