Edds-Ellis Named Ambassador for College in High School Alliance

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (10/14/2019) — Owensboro Community & Technical College's Academic Dean, Dr. Stacy Edds-Ellis has been selected as an Ambassador for the national College in High School Alliance (CHSA).

Edds-Ellis has been at OCTC since 2002, when she started her career building the Discover College program. She became the Director of OCTC's first Title III Strengthening Institutions grant in 2006, and served as an Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in 2010, spearheading the college's regional accreditation efforts. In her new role as Dean, she continues to lead the OCTC Discover College program in addition to the Division of Professional and Technical Studies' Departments of Manufacturing and Skilled Trades; Business, Health, and Public Service; and Nursing. Edds-Ellis has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication and Master of Arts degree in Organizational Communication from Western Kentucky University. She holds a doctoral degree in Administration and Organizational Development from the University of Louisville. In 2006, Edds-Ellis was a KCTCS New Horizons Staff Award recipient. She was recently awarded the University Faculty Excellence in Part-time Teaching Award from Western Kentucky University, where she has taught in the WKU Leadership program since 2014. She serves on the Goodfellow's Club of Owensboro Board of Directors and the Newton Parrish Site Base Council. Nationally, she is on the Ambassadors Network for the College in High School Alliance.

The CHSA is excited to announce the launch of the CHSA Ambassadors Network, an advisory panel of practitioners, policymakers, and experts from the wider dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and early college high school community. The CHSA Steering Committee carefully selected 15 stakeholders from the college in high school program community to help collaborate to make a positive impact on policies and to build broad support for programs that enable high school students to enroll in affordable college pathways leading to postsecondary degrees and credentials. These ambassadors, intentionally drawn from different sectors of the work, regions of the country, K-12, higher education, career and technical education, and recent student alumni, will help guide CHSA's work, particularly as it focuses on closing equity gaps and ensuring high quality for participation in these programs.

"At Owensboro Community and Technical College, we understand the importance of leveraging policy to help encourage more low income and underrepresented students to participate in college in high school programs," said Dr. Stacy Edds-Ellis, Dean of Academic Affairs for Owensboro Community and Technical College, KY. "In 2016, Owensboro was announced as one of the participating institutions in the Department of Education's experimental site for dual enrollment. I am pleased to serve as a CHSA Ambassador to share what we have learned about reaching these important and underserved student populations."

The entire list of Ambassadors for CHSA:

Mattie Adams-Robinson, Principal Coach, Middle College National Consortium

Dr. Shasta Buchanan, Associate Vice President of College and High School Relations, Austin Community College, TX

Dr. Stacy Edds-Ellis, Dean of Academic Affairs, Owensboro Community and Technical College, KY

Dr. Julie Garver, Director of Policy & Academic Affairs, Washington Council of Presidents

Dr. Michael Giazzoni, Director, College in High School, University of Pittsburgh, PA

Oliver Martinez-Reyes, Student, University of Denver, CO

Socrates R. Ortiz, Jr., Principal, Middle College High School at LaGuardia Community College, NY

Dennis Parman, CEO of Montana Rural Educators Association (MREA)

Mark Peevy, Assistant Commissioner for Secondary Education, Technical College System of Georgia

Verenisse Ponce Soria, Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC

John Pulver, Associate Director, Pennsylvania Association of Career and Technical Administrators

Dr. Jason Taylor, Assistant Professor, Higher Education, University of Utah, UT

Tammy Ward, Director of Concurrent Enrollment Initiatives, Colorado Community College System CO

Michael Werner, Post-Secondary Planning Coordinator for Mounds View Public Schools, MN

Katie Young, Teacher, Mott Middle College, MI

"We are thrilled that fifteen talented, diverse stakeholders from across the country will be joining us in our work," said Amy Williams, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships and a member of the Steering Committee of the College in High School Alliance. "Our ambassadors have powerful stories to tell about the value of college in high school programs, and we look forward to drawing upon their significant expertise as our work forges ahead." "I am pleased to have been invited to join the College in High School Alliance's Ambassador Network," said Dr. Julie Garver, Director of Policy & Academic Affairs, Washington Council of Presidents.

CHSA's core belief is that strengthening and expanding college in high school programs will enhance secondary education and significantly improve college access, affordability, and completion for all students. This belief is backed by numerous studies that demonstrate the significant benefits to students of high-quality college in high school programs. In addition, research demonstrates that college in high school programs are most effective when they serve students who are low-income, underrepresented in higher education, or at risk of not completing postsecondary education.

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