Computer Science Professor Philip Reid, Business Systems Analyst James Rider and Early College and Promise Program Director Meghan Paquette have won the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Awards. The NISOD award honors college faculty and staff who excel in teaching, learning and leadership at technical and community colleges.
The YC honorees were nominated by their colleagues and/or college leadership. Dr. Diane Ryan, YC Vice President of Academic Affairs, said Reid, Rider and Paquette represent the best of the best of an esteemed group of staff and faculty. “Their contributions are integral to our life-changing mission. We are fortunate they chose Yavapai College as their workplace and our students and our entire community are the beneficiaries.”
Reid, Rider and Paquette will celebrate their Excellence Awards during the NISOD annual conference later this year in Austin, Texas.
Following is more about each of the winners.
Philip Reid:
Reid joined the YC faculty in 2018 and previously worked for the college as a database administrator. In his nomination for the NISOD award, he is lauded for volunteering to fill a faculty leadership void and for his innovation in the classroom. One of the innovations cited is the development by his computer science students of a Healthy Trails App in partnership with the Yavapai County Health Department. The app helps people with disabilities find trails they can navigate. The NISOD Excellence Award nomination calls the app project a “brilliant” example of Reid’s real-world collaborations with students and the community. Reid’s students also are developing a Prescription for Nature application that allows users to track their activity, experiences and their physical and emotional wellbeing while accessing trails within Yavapai County. “It is Reid’s goal to help all his students and employ a range of techniques to motivate and support their learning,” the nomination letter states.
Reid said he is humbled by the nomination and more so by the award. “It is a good feeling to be recognized in this way.”
James Rider:
Rider, who joined the college 18 years ago and is the technology wizard for YC’s Boyd Tenney Library, was nominated for the NISOD award for being a problem-solver and for taking the initiative to expand student access to the technology and equipment they need to be successful.
He is credited for increasing the number of wifi hotspots available to loan to students and collaborating with the Film and Media Arts Department to make filmmaking equipment available to students at the library.
Rider’s nomination for the NISOD award also called out his leadership and initiative in helping library staff improve document discoverability and creating new tools that streamline processes. “The knowledge bank he has created has improved our ability to serve students promptly,” the nomination letter states.
A past winner of YC’s highest employee honor, the YC Way Award, Rider said he is fortunate to have found a workplace where he enjoys positive, productive and collaborative relationships with co-workers and opportunities to advance his skills. The variety of projects I work on provide me with new challenges and opportunities in my field, which is incredibly rewarding. I’m grateful to be in a position where I love my job and I’m looking forward to continued growth and success.”
Meghan Paquette:
Meghan joined YC in 2015 and in her role as early college and Promise Program Director, supervises six advisors and is responsible for about 25 percent of the college’s overall enrollment. Her NISOD nomination touts her “empowering leadership,” professional growth, relationship building and her stewardship of the Workforce Promise program launched in 2022. “Not only was Meghan in charge of this new initiative but also our new Early College Academy program that piloted in fall 2022 with 17 students. The program is going so well that we are expanding not only our original Prescott High School cohort, but adding Bradshaw Mountain and Mingus Union hi schools and expanding Sedona Red Rock high school. One of these initiatives alone is a lot for someone to handle, but Meghan does it with grace and excellence,” the nomination letter stated. It added that Meghan “takes pride in the work she does every day and knows that each interaction she has with a student means something.”
Meghan said every day at YC is a new adventure and a new opportunity to learn. “I have the opportunity to collaborate with amazing colleagues as well. I am someone who loves meeting new people and learning new things, and in this role each day is different, which is perfect.”
