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With the New Year comes a wonderful group of new and enthusiastic Foundation Board of Directors members. The Foundation and the College appreciate their time and talent! It is a pleasure to
introduce to you the five new directors.
You will find
Adam Charnack either in Biltmore Village or on the South Slope at Hi-Wire Brewing. As owner, he is not only busy brewing but also busy creating jobs for our community. Should you be at the Omni Grove Park Inn, look for
Shea Cline. Mr. Cline's oversight provides a high-quality experience for guests.
Marcus Cox is excited to be a new member of the Asheville community; Mr. Cox is Asheville Market President with Bank of America.
Tate Groome is a lifelong Ashevillian who values what A-B Tech does to grow and educate our community members. Mr. Groome is Vice President at Colton Groome & Company.
Anthony 'Tony' Johnson divides his time with work in Atlanta and in Asheville. He is an Advisor with Aspen Realty; he looks forward to again participating in the Foundation's K. Ray Bailey Golf Classic to support our scholarships.
Along with their colleagues on the Board of Directors, these individuals have chosen to support A-B Tech - "
the community's college". The College is fortunate to have all members of the Board of Directors step up to make A-B Tech one of the best community colleges in the state!
Remember: Our online scholarship application process is open now
but it will close March 31. Please refer those who may be interested in enrolling to the link
https://www.abtech.edu/content/scholarships/scholarships
to apply; these scholarships are here for members of our community who need financial support to attend and earn a credential. Single parent students are encouraged to learn more about the Lavender Fund scholarships.
Sue Olesiuk
Sue H Olesiuk
Executiv
e Director
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Welcome New Development Specialist
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We are excited to announce that Amanda Bryan has recently joined us as our new Development Specialist!
Amanda is from Chapel Hill, NC and attended Franklin and Marshall College, earning a B.A. in Art History. She later went on to Virginia Commonwealth University where she received an M.A. in Art History and Museum Studies. Amanda has a strong passion for non-profit fundraising in higher education. Most recently, she worked for UNC Asheville as an Events Coordinator in the Office of Advancement. Prior to moving to Asheville, Amanda was a Development Associate for the Ackland Art Museum at UNC Chapel Hill, overseeing their Annual Fund and Membership Program.
In her free time, Amanda loves to spend her days outdoors hiking and riding her horse Worth. She also enjoys practicing yoga and spending time with friends and family. Amanda is thrilled to join the College Advancement team, and is looking forward to working diligently in supporting the needs of the Foundation.
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| Upcoming Scholarship Luncheon |
On March 15th at the Crowne Plaza Expo Center, the A-B Tech Foundation will host its 15th Annual Scholarship Luncheon. This heartwarming luncheon allows the Foundation to recognize its Scholarship recipients and their generous benefactors. Scholarship students will be able to dine at tables with their particular scholarship donor(s), along with various friends of the College and members of the A-B Tech staff, faculty, and Boards. This year we are expecting 500 guests to be in attendance.
Attendees will also be able to hear first-hand from Scholarship recipients how these scholarships have changed their lives. The speakers this year include a recipient of one of the College's new 4-year scholarships created in collaboration with UNC Asheville. Also sharing her experiences will be an alum who is using her degree in Dental Hygiene to emphasize an awareness of the importance of dental health within the Native American communities. Finally, one of the College's employees, who is also a scholarship student in our Transfer Program and a recent winner of the ASCORE Leadership Award from the Center for Diversity Education at UNC Asheville is scheduled to speak as well.
For more information on the luncheon, contact Susan Haldane, Development / Special Events Coordinator at 828-398-7567 or
[email protected].
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Connect
NC
- State Bond Referendum
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North Carolina voters will have an opportunity
to support much-needed improvements for A-B Tech, other community colleges, the university system, the National Guard, state parks and rural water and sewer systems duri
ng the March 15 primary election.
The Connect NC public infrastructure bond referendum, which is on the ballot, would provide $2 billion, including $350 million for community colleges,
WITH NO TAX INCREASE. A-B Tech would receive $5.4 million for repairs and renovations to a number of buildings, including Sunnicrest, Ivy, Poplar, Balsam and Sycamore on the main campus and for A-B Tech Madison. These are much-needed projects that have not been slated for funding because most of the money we receive from Buncombe County is designated for new construction projects. We encourage you to visit
http://connect.nc.gov to learn more and to contact us if you have any questions.
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Former Lavender Fund Scholarship Recipient
Becomes Full-time Faculty
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We are constantly impressed at how many of our alumni choose to continue their professional careers at A-B Tech after graduating. One such alumnus is Candice Crump, Instructor for Medical Assisting.
A former recipient of the Lavender Fund Scholarship through the A-B Tech Foundation, Candice graduated from A-B Tech in 2011 with an Associate's Degree in Medical Assisting. After graduation, she began work at Mountain Kidney and Hypertension, where she had worked as an intern. In the fall of 2013, Crump returned to A-B Tech as an adjunct instructor with the Medical Assisting Program. We are happy to announce that after two years as an adjunct, she accepted a coveted full-time instructor position in the department.
Candice is quick to credit the support and encouragement she received while a student at A-B Tech. In particular, she points to the Lavender Fund that provides scholarship opportunities and specialized support to single parents with children at home. Looking back to the time when she was a student, Crump reflects that receiving the Lavender Fund Scholarship was very beneficial as a single parent attending college full-time. "Now that I am teaching," states Crump, "I get to see how it helps to change the lives of some of my students, just like it did mine. For that, I am forever grateful."
For more information on the Lavender Fund, please contact Liz Atkinson, Lavender Fund Advisor at 828-398-7564 or at [email protected]
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BioNetwork at A-B Tech Receives
More than $1 Million in Funding
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A-B Tech Community College received $1,092,528 in continued funding from the North Carolina Community College System for the services provided by the BioNetwork location hosted by the college for the 2015-16 academic year.
BioNetwork provides high-quality economic and workforce development for the biotechnology and life science industries across North Carolina through education, training, and laboratory resources. Industries served include food, beverage, dietary supplements, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Examples of educational topics include current good manufacturing practices, laboratory skills, and quality systems.
Through the Natural Products Laboratory, BioNetwork serves business and research clients by offering analytical testing as well as hourly rental of well-equipped lab space for independent work. "Entrepreneurs, students, and small businesses are able to benefit from our lab resources and we are able to continuously learn from them about the needs of the industries or research areas they represent," said Laboratory Coordinator Marie Knight. These industry sectors currently include food, beverage, natural products, cosmetics, and biofuels companies.
BioNetwork is also in the process of opening a test kitchen. "It is a small-scale hybrid laboratory-kitchen where clients will be able to rent equipment to work on formulation before scaling up to a production facility like Blue Ridge Food Ventures. The test kitchen was created in response to many requests for an available food-safe facility dedicated solely to development of food products prior to placing on the retail market," said Coordinator Andrew Capps.
Additionally, BioNetwork promotes STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) awareness, life science education, and career connections for students and teachers through classroom visits, professional development workshops, and curriculum support across North Carolina. BioNetwork's newly revamped engagement services are designed to do just that - engage the public in biotechnology and life science principles.
This is achieved through the work of a group of educators who prepare and delive
r fun, career-focused hands
-on learning experiences to people across the state.
The experiences help students to see the real world applications of classroom concepts, foster STEM confidence in people of all ages, and expose the public to non-traditional STEM careers that are available here in North Carolina as well as the many STEM related programs offered by the North Carolina Community College System.
"These services expose students to lab equipment and techniques that they wouldn't normally have access to, especially those students still in their formative years, hopefully inspiring a new generation of scientists and STEM superstars," said Summer Cortinas, Engagement Coordinator for BioNetwork.
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NC State Employees
Combined Campaign
Designation Code #3803
Combined Federal Campaign
Designation Code #75833
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2016
A-B Tech Foundation Board
of Directors
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Chris Young, 2016 Chair
Clean Environments
Young Office
Mary Ann Rice, 2016 Vice Chair
NCSECU
K. Ray Bailey
President Emeritus, A-B Tech
Joe Brumit
Brumit Restaurant Group
Tracy Buchanan
CarePartners
Dr. Sandra Byrd
Retired, UNC Asheville
Pat Carver
First Citizens Bank
Adam Charnack
Hi-Wire Brewing
Shea Cline
Omni Grove Park Inn
Marcus Cox
Bank of America
John Ellis
Novus, Bowers, Ellis & Watson Architects
Jack Ferguson
Retired, Lowe's
Charles Frederick
TD Bank
Allan Gerson
Retired, Palm Beach State College
Tate Groome
Colton Groome and Company
Darryl Hart
Hart Funeral Services, Inc.
Richard Hurley
Retired, Square D Company
Anthony Johnson
Aspen Realty Advisors
Dennis King
President, A-B Tech
Michael Kryzanek
Associate, CBRE Hotels
, Province Valuation Group, Inc.
Thomas Maher
Pisgah Investments, LLC
Michael Meguiar
GE Aviation
Bill Murdock
Eblen Charities
John Oswald
Mills Manufacturing
Ray Rapp
Retired, Mars Hill University
Dr. Lary Schulhof
Retired, Physician
O'Neal Shelton
Madison County Chamber of Commerce
Steven Sizemore
Northup McConnell & Sizemore, PLLC
Ann Skoglund
Beverly-Hanks & Associates
Ray Spells
Retired, Wells Fargo Bank
Ron Storto
Biltmore Farms
Pat Wood
Budweiser of Asheville, Inc.
Kay Crews
Board Emeritus
Nancy Miller
Board Emeritus
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Office of College Advancement Staff
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Sue H Olesiuk
Executive Director
Phone: 828.398.7176
Liz Atkinson
Lavender Fund Scholarship Advisor
Phone: 828.398.7564
Amanda Bryan
Development Specialist
Phone: 828-398-7177
Patti Cameron
Campus Volunteer Coordinator
Phone: 828.398.7761
Kristabell Certain
Grants and Foundation Accountant
Phone: 828.398.7358
Susan Haldane
Development/Events Coordinator
Phone: 828.398.7567
Laura Pennington
Director of Resource Development
Phone: 828.398.7571
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