special to The Star



DECATUR – The selection of new faculty members and recognition of retiring instructors were among items approved at the April meeting of the East Central Community College Board of Trustees.

Joining the ECCC faculty for 2009-10 are Patrick Stokley Jr. of Vernon, Ala., biology instructor; Brooke Silbley of Newton, early childhood education instructor; Jason Armstrong of Meridian, English instructor; and Robin Fulton of Louisville, mathematics instructor.

Stokley currently serves as a substitute teacher at The Capitol School in Tuscaloosa. He is also a former substitute teacher at Heritage Academy in Columbus. In addition, he previously served as a biology/zoology lab assistant at the University of West Alabama.

A graduate of East Mississippi Community College, Stokley holds a master’s degree from UWA and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Alabama.

Sibley currently serves as Early Childhood Programs director at the Newton County Career and Technical Center. She is also an instructor at Mississippi State University-Meridian and serves as an educational consultant for the East Mississippi Center for Educational Development (EMCED) at MSU-Meridian.

An ECCC graduate, Sibley attended Meridian Community College and Mississippi State University in Starkville, where she received bachelor, master and educational specialist degrees in elementary education.

Armstrong currently serves as an adjunct professor of management at MSU-Meridian.

He is a graduate of Mississippi State University in Starkville, where he received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a master’s degree in business administration. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in community college education with emphasis in English/literature.

Fulton currently serves as mathematics instructor at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba. She previously taught math at Central Academy in Macon and at Nanih Waiya Attendance Center. She is also a former adjunct math instructor for ECCC.

Fulton is a graduate of Mississippi State University in Starkville, where she received bachelor's and master’s degrees in mathematics.

Resolutions were adopted honoring retiring faculty members who include Debbie Boyd, English instructor; Mary Ann Wright, early childhood education technology director/instructor; James Clark, electronic technology instructor; Joe Johnson, biology instructor; Gloria McRae, mathematics instructor; and Judy Brooks, business technology instructor at the Philadelphia/Neshoba County Career-Technical Center.

Boyd and Wright retired in December 2008, after serving five-and-a half years and 16 years, respectively, on the Decatur campus.

Boyd, who has 28 total years in education, has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in English from the University of Southern Mississippi and earned master’s and specialist degrees in secondary education with a concentration in English from Mississippi State University-Meridian.

She resides in Pensacola after previously living in Meridian.

Wright has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and completed additional coursework at the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State University.

A former resident of Newton, Wright now resides in Memphis.

Clark has taught electronic technology classes for 11 years. He holds an associate in arts degree from Solana Community College in California.

He resides in Lake.

McRae has served 15 years as mathematics instructor on the ECCC campus. She also taught math classes for 10 years on the high school and junior high school levels, including stints at Carthage Junior High, South Leake High School and Northwest Rankin High School.

She received an associate’s degree from ECCC and has a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in math from Mississippi State University in Starkville. She has also competed post-graduate work at MSU.

McRae resides in Carthage.

Johnson has taught biology classes at ECCC since August 2001, after previously serving 11 years as an adjunct instructor.

Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in biology from Mississippi State University-Meridian. He has completed additional graduate hours at USM.

He resides in Meridian.

Brooks has served since August 2004 as business technology instructor at the Philadelphia/Neshoba County Career-Technical Center, a division of ECCC.

She previously served as a business and computer teacher at the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility. She is also a former business and computer teacher at Leake Academy. She began her career in education as business teacher at Utica High School.

She holds an associate’s degree from ECCC and a bachelor’s degree in business education from Delta State University. She has also completed coursework at Mississippi State University.

She resides in Carthage.

Retirees will also be recognized at the college’s end-of-the-year luncheon this month.