ECC Announces New VP of Student Services

Rocky Mount native Samanthia Phillips has been named vice president of student services at Edgecombe Community College.

Samanthia Phillips, who has worked with students in various roles at Edgecombe Community College for almost 25 years, has been named vice president of student services at the college.

In her new position, she oversees services, initiatives, and events that support students in degree, diploma, and certificate programs, from pre-admission to graduation. She leads a staff of about fifteen, including student counselors, financial aid specialists, and staff affiliated with the Academic Success Center.

“We are delighted that Mrs. Phillips has agreed to lead the Office of Student Services,” says Dr. Greg McLeod, president of Edgecombe Community College. “She has worked with ECC students for almost 25 years, and no one understands their needs and unique challenges better. She will strengthen and enrich our efforts to assist students in accomplishing their educational goals.”

Phillips is a Rocky Mount native. She joined the college in 1997 and served basic skills students for twelve years. She transitioned to the Office of Student Services in 2009 as a counselor and became dean of students in 2013.

“The vice president position has long been my goal here at ECC, so I am deeply honored and also thrilled that my dream has been realized,” she says.

“I grew up in the Missionary Baptist Church, so I was raised to be of service to people; that’s how you serve the world,” she continues. “When I was younger, I helped older church members learn how to read their Bible better, so I knew that literacy is a pervasive issue.

“When I worked with adult high school students at ECC, I saw that earning a GED is just the beginning of what is possible. This work matters to me. I want to make sure that our students have what they need to be successful.”

Among her many contributions to ECC, Phillips is a mentor with BUTTERFLIE, a mentoring program for minority female students, and co-chair of the college’s COVID Taskforce. She serves on a number of other committees. She is a graduate of the NC Community College Leadership Program (2013) and the Chief Student Development Administrators Leadership Academy (2020). In 2014, Phillips received the ECC Foundation Staff Award.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University and an M.A.Ed. from the University of Phoenix.

Phillips serves on the Robert E. Barnhill Sr. Scholarship Committee and as a Booster Club member at Rocky Mount High School, and as a member of the Rocky Mount Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, for which she serves on the Delta GEMS Youth Mentor program.