“Expanding Opportunities”

Amy Shockley, Regional Adult Education Program Manager at Eastern Shore Community College, was honored at the Virginia Community College System’s (VCCS) HireEd Conference with the Chancellor’s Award for Expanding Opportunities. 

The HireEd Conference is a gathering of workforce leaders and practitioners with a mission to explore the ways in which colleges respond to the needs of businesses and individuals in the Commonwealth. The conference has been held for over 20 years, and was hosted this year in Roanoke, November 9-11.

The Chancellor’s Award for Expanding Opportunities award is based on the VCCS’s mission to “give everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened.” 

In VCCS Chancellor Dr. Sharon Morrissey’s presentation of the award, she stated that Amy’s “commitment to empowerment through education is unequalled, and the impact she has on the Eastern Shore community and her colleagues across the Commonwealth is beyond measure.”

Amy began her career as a special education teacher and then school administrator in the local public school system before accepting the leadership position of the Eastern Shore Regional Adult Education program in 2012.

Amy added ESL classes to the on-campus offerings and those classes now engage a minimum of 50 students a day.   She leveraged her relationships with the local school divisions and key private employers to ensure classes could be offered off campus at remote locations, driven by her commitment to provide a quality learning opportunity to everyone on the Shore. 

In her role as an adult education regional program manager, Amy has led her program through a period of growth. ESCC’s program now exceeds the state annual enrollment goals by 25%. 

This growth is directly attributable to the creative and rigorous options that her program offers, extensive networking to market the programs, employment of instructors who are respected within the community groups they will teach, and providing clearly defined career pathways to these students.

Dr. Morrissey also explained “Amy’s advocacy for Adult Ed students ensures their inclusion within the College community, while her advocacy for those who are disenfranchised – whether or not they are Adult Ed learners – inspires the College to live up to its YES! culture of hospitality and inclusion.” 

Amy serves on the Virginia Association of Adult and Continuing Education (VAACE) board as past president, and she has positioned ESCC as a leader in Virginia in providing Integrated Education and Training (IET) to Adult Ed learners as they complete GED and ESL classes while also enrolled in college programs that lead to careers.

Dr. Patrick Tompkins, VP of Academics and Workforce Programs said, “These IET programs have become on-ramps for designated credentialing classes and provide both industry and personal skills instruction that ensure the success of learners who face a number of obstacles.”

Scott Hall, ESCC’s Workforce and Business Solutions Officer, stated, “Amy’s work at the college and in the community is truly transformational. At ESCC she has helped us integrate our educational and student support programs so that all students receive excellent and comprehensive services.

ESCC President Dr. James Shaeffer said, “We are grateful that Chancellor Morrissey has recognized a state leader in the field of adult education.”

He added, “Amy is yet another ESCC staff member who helps us realize our vision to be a national model of a community college serving a rural area through diverse programming that leads to better lives and a better Shore.”

Photo Credits: VCCS