STC Foundation celebrates FY20, announces new members, leadership for FY21

 Kay Ford Headshot Nick Puhala Headshot Trip Tollison

Savannah Technical College Foundation Board of Trustees celebrated accomplishments for the previous fiscal year, announced leadership changes, and welcomed new members to its board.

In FY2020, the STC Foundation Board of Trustees awarded $206K in scholarships to Savannah Tech students. In January 2020, its Opportunity Gala honoring Kevin Jackson raised $250K, which is nearly three times more than previous events. For the fourth year in a row, the STC Foundation earned the designation Role Model Foundation Board Certification in November 2019 from the of Technical College Foundation Association (TCFA).

The FY2021 executive committee includes: Gary Sanchez – Chairman; Loretta Cockrum – Vice Chair; Stewart Bromley – Treasurer; Sam McCachern – Past-Chair; and Lynne Marini and Robyn Iannone will serve as At Large members.

The Foundation welcomed three new board members: Kay Ford, Nick Puhala and Trip Tollison.

  • Kay Ford, currently serves as the chairman of BankSouth’s advisory board for the Savannah market and she BankSouth’s Chief Banking Officer serving the bank’s markets throughout the state. The former president and CEO of SunTrust Bank, Savannah, Ford retired after serving 41 years at Suntrust where she held numerous senior level positions within retail banking and private wealth management, including the position of senior vice president of Private Wealth Management. She is a graduate of Leadership Savannah and Leadership Georgia, a member of the Executive Committee of Savannah Economic Development Authority.
  • Nick Puhala is a partner with Sterling Seacrest Partners. Nick has volunteered and held leadership positions with various organizations including the Rotary Club of Savannah, Chamber CEO Council, Propeller Club, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, and Savannah Golf Championship Founders Club. He is a graduate of Leadership Savannah, Leadership Southeast Georgia, and was noted as a 2016 Generation Next Rising Star of Business. Nick holds the Certified Insurance Counselor professional designation and earned a BBA in Management from the University of Georgia.
  • Trip Tollison serves as the President and CEO of the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) which includes World Trade Center Savannah (WTCSav), Savannah Regional Film Commission and an EB-5 Investment Center. Trip serves on the board of directors for the Jekyll Island State Authority, the Savannah Convention Center Authority, the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and the Savannah Music Festival. Trip is the former chairman of the Second Harvest Food Bank. He is a graduate of Leadership Savannah, Leadership Georgia and is a former Trustee of Leadership Georgia.

Founded in 1984, the Savannah Technical College Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that exists to raise and disburse funds to support the College’s efforts to enhance learning, workforce training and economic development in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties. 

 

# 2101 | July 14, 2020

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

 

Savannah Technical College serves Coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually, Savannah Tech offers nearly 150 different instructional programs in Aviation Technology, Business and Professional Services, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry.

Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

Construction Management student wins $2,500 scholarship

Construction Mgmt Zeb Floyd with projectSavannah Technical College Construction Management student Zebulon Floyd was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from Fine Homebuilding.

Floyd was elected president of STC’s SkillsUSA chapter and has competed on STC’s SkillsUSA team for the past two years.

With eight years of military service, Floyd started the Construction Management program in January 2019 soon after he separated with an honorable discharge. He has a bachelor’s of science in health and physical education from Alabama State University and worked as an occupational therapy assistant in the U.S. Army.

He is poised to complete an associate of applied science in construction management this month. He plans to continue his training at Savannah Tech this fall to master electrical wiring, while he works as an apprentice to earn his construction license.

Prior to Savannah Technical College, Floyd said he knew absolutely nothing about construction or building anything. “Thanks to the hands-on instruction at Savannah Tech, I have a really good grasp on how to build things now and why buildings are built the way they are built,” said Floyd.

He says, it’s very important to keep this craft alive. “There’s no better feeling than to know that you built something from the ground up with your own two hands, and now someone is living in a house you built or putting to good use whatever you have built for them.”

 “I don’t know what I would do without Savannah Technical College or SkillsUSA because both have truly changed my life around and changed my perspective on a lot of things,” Floyd said. “It is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Fine Homebuilding awards scholarships to SkillsUSA high school or college/postsecondary students continuing their education or certification programs in construction-related fields.

“I’ve always wanted to have my own business,” said Floyd, who has already set up an LLC. “I wanted to put my dream into action and took the leap to train for a new career.” He looks forward to renovating and remodeling houses and starting his own business once he completes the program next summer.

About SkillsUSA: SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that annually serves more than 320,000 high school, college and postsecondary students–and their instructors–in technical, skilled and service-occupation instructional programs. SkillsUSA is a national, nonprofit student organization that has developed more than 10 million workers through active partnerships between employers and educators. Hundreds of American industries have turned to SkillsUSA as the source for employees who exemplify “Champions at Work” in both skills and attitudes. SkillsUSA’s mission is to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. At the heart of this mission are SkillsUSA’s core values: integrity, responsibility, citizenship, service and respect.

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# 2102 | July 28, 2020
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

Savannah Technical College serves Coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually, Savannah Tech offers nearly 150 different instructional programs in Aviation Technology, Business and Professional Services, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry.

Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

Seven Short-Term Online Health Courses To Help You Find your next Career Path

Are you interested in a career in healthcare but aren’t sure where to start? The Continuing Education Department of Savannah Technical College offers several short-term classes that can quickly help you get started on the healthcare career path of your choice.  We’ve gathered seven of our popular continuing education healthcare courses below. 

Each course is available in two formats. One option is a 6-week instructor supported class, with new sessions beginning every month. The second option is as a self-paced class that you can start today and have have 3 months of access. Take a look below to learn more about what others are taking.

Medical Terminology: A Word Association Approach

If you have ever had trouble memorizing medical terms, this course (and word association approach) is for you. You’ll learn medical terminology from an anatomical approach with the origin, a combined form, and an example of non-medical everyday usage provided for each root term

Explore a Career in Medical Coding

Explore a career as a medical coder and gain knowledge to help you work, with confidence, almost anywhere in the medical field from doctors’ offices, clinics, hospitals, or even in the comfort of your home. This course teaches use of the CPT manual and IDC-10-CM which will give you a leg up on others who are new to this career.

Human Anatomy and Physiology

Gain a greater appreciation and understanding of the complexity of the human body. This course provides in-depth knowledge of the principles of genetics, how the body’s systems work together, and how the human body fights off diseases.

Explore a Career as Administrative Medical Assistant

Learn what it takes to have a successful career as an administrative medical assistant. This course explores the job of an administrative medical assistant (AMA) in a doctor’s office-from appointment scheduling and chart creation to medical billing and coding to give you an inside-view of the job.

Spanish for Medical Professionals

Prepare for any situation by bridging the communication gap between you, your patients, and worried family members. This course provides knowledge of basic medical phrases to help you better communicate with the Spanish-speaking community.

Introduction to Natural Health & Healing

Take charge of your own health and healing by discovering how to achieve total health of the mind, body, and spirit. This course allows you to explore a variety of methods including diet, hydrotherapy, positive attitude, relaxation, yoga, chiropractic, natural remedies and more to achieve total health.

Explore a Career as a Pharmacy Technician

Prepare for any situation by bridging the communication gap between you, your patients, and worried family members. This course provides knowledge of basic medical phrases to help you better communicate with the Spanish-speaking community.

Still didn’t find what you’re looking for?

View our other continuing education healthcare/medical courses here.

View Savannah Tech’s healthcare/medical credit programs here.(Requires formal enrollment to college)

About Savannah Technical College Continuing Education

STC’s Professional Continuing Education Department provides short-term classes in both traditional and online classroom settings. Continuing Education classes do not require formal enrollment into the college. Courses cover a variety of skills and workforce development options that match both personal and professional development needs. For more details about other classes visit: http://www.savannahtech.edu/learn-now

Published July 2nd, 2020

Savannah Technical College serves Coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually, Savannah Tech offers nearly 150 different instructional programs in Aviation Technology, Business and Professional Services, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry.

Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).