By Kaylie Simmons
Southeastern Community College
Southeastern Community College’s leadership roles received an upgrade March 1 when Angie Ransom was named the Associate Vice President of Education and Training, Dr. Mike Ammons was named Dean of Technical Training and Brenda Orders was named Dean of Business Careers and Training.
The promotions in leadership provide new responsibilities for the roles and help broaden the impact they will have on the college, the community and the students.
“One of the things that is important to me is succession planning in making sure you give people the opportunity to move forward in their careers if they want to,” said Dr. Chris English, SCC President. “In my five years here, I’ve seen the work and progress that Angie Ransom has made to really advance the college and the mission of the college.”
English described Ransom as innovative and creative in her processes of directing and coordinating initiatives on and off campus. He said she will be an asset to the college’s leadership team.
“In her previous role, Angie did a great job of setting up Mike and Brenda for that next level coming from associate dean positions,” English said. “They will continue doing the work they’ve been doing with a little more responsibility on them. They are well-prepared for this position from when they were under Angie’s guidance.”
With a “great background,” English said that Ammons’ expertise in the technical fields combined with his ability to connect well with industry partners and leaders will advance the college’s technical programs even further. Having more than 40 years work experience in Columbus County, English described Orders as having a “huge footprint” in this community and working with the Leadership Columbus program.
Associate Vice President of Education and Training
As the Associate Vice President of Education and Training, Ransom oversees the apprenticeship program, truck driver training, customized training, the Learning Center, the Small Business Center and AmeriCorps Seniors/RSVP. She will partner with Ken Buck, who serves as a liaison between SCC and the county and city school systems.
Ransom said that a typical day at SCC is “very busy” and gives her an opportunity to interact with “a lot of different people.” With scheduled meetings every day, Ransom said no day is ever boring, and she enjoys the fast-paced work environment. Recently, Ransom has shifted more time and focus to NC Reconnect to reach our adult learner population.
“One of the most exciting works that I’m involved in is the NC Reconnect initiative,” Ransom said. “I’m enjoying that work for several reasons with one being that we need these students according to our research, and I’m so glad we’re focusing efforts on these learners. Everyone that I work with on this initiative understands that education changes the trajectory of not just the student’s life, but their children and their children’s children; it’s also about setting these students up for a career and not just a job.”
Ransom graduated from Meredith College in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in economics. She earned her master’s degree in business from Campbell University in 1998. She completed the North Carolina Community College Leadership Institute in 2019, and she completed the Advanced Administration Institute at N.C. State University in 2018.
Before coming to SCC, Ransom worked in banking at United Carolina Bank which merged into BB&T during her time there. After that, she served a brief summer tenure at Bladen Community College in workforce development in 2000. By August of that year, she was teaching business administration at SCC, a post she held until 2015.
Ransom left the classroom full-time to become a faculty chair, where she served as coordinator for programs and scheduling while also teaching part-time. From there, she became a division chair that focused exclusively on program coordination and support. She moved up to serve as Dean of Academic Affairs in 2019 and stayed there for two years. With the implementation of the one college model in 2021, Ransom became Dean of Business Careers and Technical Training and served until 2025.
“When I was a faculty member, I was responsible for one program and loved my students and industry partners,” Ransom said. “The work there was very rewarding; and moving up through chair, dean and now associate vice president, the work is still rewarding but on a larger scale. I now have the ability to support and partner with all programs on campus, and that’s what I’m most excited about with my new role.”
Having full knowledge and experience with business and technical programs on campus, Ransom said she is looking forward to working with the Dean of Nursing and Dean of Public Safety and learning more about how SCC prepares students in those programs for the workforce. Ransom will partner with all deans on big initiatives on and off campus related to fostering innovation, maintaining program excellence and building partnerships to support the college’s strategic goals.
“No day is ever the same,” Ransom said. “I always leave work having learned something new, having worked with different people and knowing that the work we do is making a difference. It’s still work that after all these years, I still love.”
Outside of work, you can find Ransom hanging out at Ocean Isle Beach on the weekends with her family. She is a dance and cheer mom, and she loves to read. Ransom and her husband of 30 years, Darian Ransom, have three children – Matthew, age 22, Benjamin, age 20, and Rebecca, age 14. Ransom is a Whiteville native.
Dean of Technical Programs
Dr. Mike Ammons was promoted to Dean of Technical Programs and Training after serving as the associate dean for nearly two and a half years. With experience in visiting and observing classrooms, interacting with instructors, handling student issues that may arise in the classroom and assisting students with anything they need, Ammons said he was adequately prepared to take on the new role as dean.
“I oversee all the technical programs such as engineering, mechatronics, industrial systems, building construction, automotive, HVAC, welding and the electrical lineman program,” Ammons said. “My favorite part of the job is overseeing the excellent group of instructors in these programs and getting to see their knowledge and expertise in their positions. I really enjoy working with them, seeing the progress of their students and seeing them get great jobs.”
A typical day for Ammons as Dean of Technical Programs and Training includes building classes, visiting classrooms, interacting with instructors, community outreach, meetings, following up with parents and students about classes, answering questions and overseeing the general flow of his department.
Ammons’ post-secondary education started at Fayetteville Technical Community College with a machining technology associates of applied science degree earned in 1997. After working in manufacturing for eight years, Ammons enrolled at the University of Mt. Olive in the management and organizational development program and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2006.
After earning his bachelor’s degree, Ammons worked as a recruiter in the admissions office at the University of Mt. Olive for seven years. From there, he entered the master’s degree program at Liberty University in 2008 and graduated a year later with his degree in educational specialist with a concentration in educational leadership. He went on to earn his doctorate in educational leadership from Liberty University in 2014.
Ammons’ original intent for higher education was to become a teacher. Ammons recalled an instructor in his undergraduate degree program who inspired him to keep pushing the limits of his educational goals. Ammons felt out of place in his class at the time because he left work and came to class dressed in his work uniform, while everyone else was dressed in casual clothes during the evening classes.
After writing and presenting a paper he wrote in this leadership class on Superman, Ammons said his instructor, Dr. Dave Rendall, was very impressed and encouraged him to pursue graduate school.
“I wanted to be a professor like him and have an impact on students’ lives like he had on me,” Ammons said. “That’s what encouraged me to continue on and get my master’s degree and later on get my doctorate.”
Now with “doctor” before his name, Ammons began work as a success coach for student services and the TRIO program at Johnston Community College. From there he became the Campus Director for North Carolina Wesleyan College’s Durham campus from 2015 to 2018.
Outside of work, Ammons likes to travel to the beach and mountains, spend time with family, read and hang out outdoors. Exercise and staying fit have become a new priority for Ammons, and he likes to squeeze in a workout any chance he gets. Ammons lives in Clinton with his wife, Dana Ammons, and they have a 20-year-old daughter named Ava.
Ammons is a member of the Coharie Native American Tribe. He served in the United States Air Force from 1991 to 1995, and he was a Morse Systems Operator within Signals Intelligence.
Dean of Business Careers
Now in her 27th year working at SCC, Brenda Orders was promoted to Dean of Business Careers and Training after previously working as the associate dean for three years. By 8:15 in the morning, she said her “to-do” list has spun off into many directions that center around building new classes and schedules, meetings, coordinating with industry partners, working with instructors and students and ensuring the smooth flow of programs that fall under her direction.
Orders oversees the cosmetology, agribusiness technology, audio and video production technology, early childhood education, medical office administration, business administration, information technology, the Child Development Center, HRD program and Ed2Go programs.
“My favorite part of being dean is seeing all the ideas for student success come together and come to fruition,” Orders said. “We get input from industry partners, community leaders, college leadership and students; we recruit and inform the public of what SCC offers; and we try to implement this information to form classes that will change the lives of students and their children.”
Orders could not count the number of times that students have stopped by her office to provide updates on their success in classes and jobs they have landed because of those classes.
“You literally see the change that’s been made for that person,” Orders said. “Unfortunately, a lot of our population has been told that they can’t do something, or they are wasting their time. When they get here, they realize that the sky is the limit.”
Orders earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Mt. Olive. Before working at SCC, she owned a business, worked in the insurance industry and worked for United Carolina Bank as a Trust Investment Officer for 10 years.
“So, I’ve got a heavy background in business administration, accounting, business management and working with money,” Orders said.
Orders’ first position at SCC in 1998 was a student with disabilities specialist and working with legally blind students. She moved on to working in International Programs that recruited 10 international students per year. After that, she worked in the Basic Skills program as a recruiter and instructor for students getting their high school equivalency diplomas. Orders became the manager of business incubators set up in Brunswick and Tabor City in conjunction with Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation.
“From there, I became the director of the Small Business Center, and then I became the director of Continuing Education,” Orders said. “Then I became the associate dean of business careers and training and now the dean.”
Outside of work, Orders keeps busy with her four daughters and nine grandchildren ranging from ages 7 through 22. In her spare time, she likes to crochet and create lap blankets for nursing home patients. She likes to read and relax and catch up on all of her favorite shows on Netflix. Her daughters are Jennifer Orders, Angela Owens, Christina Hyatt and Jamie Bohannon.
Orders moved to Whiteville in 1983 from Kingsport, Tenn, and she was born and raised in West Virginia. Raising her family in Whiteville, she calls southeastern North Carolina her home.
Be the first to comment