Employees recognized as SCTEA Educators of the Year

Three Aiken Technical College (Aiken Tech) employees were recognized as Educators of the Year during the 2023 South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) conference in Myrtle Beach, held Feb. 16-18.

The employers are among SCTEA's Educators of the Year, an honor awarded by SCTEA to employees in the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) who have contributed to furthering the System’s mission and have done outstanding work in their roles at their colleges.

Each college within the SCTCS selects honorees in the following categories: administrator, faculty, and staff. Aiken Tech’s award recipients are:

ATC Educator of the Year—Administrator: Brian Logan, D.C.

Brian Logan, D.C., currently serves as the dean of the School of Health Sciences. During his 15 years with Aiken Tech, he has held several roles, including biology instructor, biology program coordinator, biology department chair, and science department chair. He was recognized in 2019 as the College’s Faculty Member of the Year award recipient.

ATC Educator of the Year—Faculty: Deanna Brandenberger

Deanna Brandenberger has served as a history and anthropology instructor since 2017. In addition to her current role, she serves as the co-chair for the College’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and senior faculty advisor for the ATC Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter.

ATC Educator of the Year—Staff: Katherine O’Hara-Goergen

Katherine O’Hara-Goergen is the media resource consultant for instructional development in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Teaching, and Technology and has been employed with Aiken Tech for 23 years. She has also served on several campus committees and boards, including the United Way campus fundraising committee, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, the American Heart Association fundraising committee, and the SCTEA Board. She previously received the ATC Educator of the Year-Staff award in 2018.

Several Aiken Tech employees also led sessions during the conference focusing on this year's theme,“Education Under Construction." Session presenters and topics included:

Lynda Altman, early childhood education instructor, presenting “Learning Styles and Academic Success with College Students”
Deanna Brandenberger, instructor of history and anthropology and DEI committee co-chair, presenting “Strength in Difference: Understanding Multiculturalism and Its Application to Diversity in Education”
Crystal Edwards, student wellness and accessibility manager, presenting “Remodeling the Student Counseling and Accommodation Frame through a Holistic Wellness Approach”
Jonathan Jones, allied health department chair, presenting “It’s like riding a bicycle-Use of the Flipped Classroom Model to Enhance Technical Education”
Stacey Nichols, communications department chair, presenting “(Re)constructing Success: Redos, Revisions, and Copy/Past Prompts”
Aherial Polite, chemistry, physics, and nuclear technology department chair, co-presenting “The 3 P’s: Paid, Position, and Paper. Learn about the collaboration between two technical colleges and a nuclear industry partner through its Apprenticeship programs.” Co-presented with Hadi Hamid, dean of industrial and related technologies at Denmark Technical College; Dr. Dorian Newton, chair of the SRS Apprenticeship Steering Committee and program manager with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions; and BooBoo Roberts, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions deputy program manager with the apprenticeship and pipeline training and loaned executive to SC Regional technical colleges.
Crystal Ratliff, Ph.D., dean of student success and retention, presenting “The Student Foundation: Demolishing Attrition, Rebuilding through a Success, Wellness, and Growth (S.W.A.G.) Initiative”
Lynn Rickabaugh, math department chair, and Levar Dotts, math instructor, co-presenting “Problem Solving in the Post-Pandemic Classroom”
Dora Robson, director of procurement, presenting “Sustainability in Higher Education”
Hannah Williams, DNP, dean of the School of Nursing, presenting “ACEN Accreditation: Stay Ready, Don’t Get Ready”