Alumni Achievements in the News

Jae K. Davenport ’01 Joins Northam Administration

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has named Davenport deputy secretary of public safety and homeland security. Previously, Davenport was the Standards of Practice Enforcement and Legal Training Attorney for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC). She oversaw the enforcement of the mandatory standards of practice, certification of court-appointed counsel and legal training for all public defenders and certified attorneys. She was also a legislative advocate for the VIDC. Previous to her position at the VIDC, Davenport was a public defender in Franklin, where she represented juveniles and adults charged with misdemeanors and felonies. She began as an assistant public defender and worked her way up to the deputy position.

Source: bluevirginia.us

 

Stacey Nichols ’01 Named Educator of the Year

Stacey Nichols

Among Aiken Technical College’s (ATC) Educator of the Year recipients is faculty member Stacey Nichols, a 2001 graduate of MBU. The awards recognize employees throughout the S.C. Technical College System who have contributed to furthering the mission of the system and have done outstanding work in their roles at their individual colleges. Each college within the system recognizes employees in three categories, faculty, staff and administrator. Nichols, who is chairman of the Communications Department, is on the New Faculty Onboarding committee and chairs the Curriculum and Instruction and Program Review committees. Before her current position, she was an adjunct instructor and later a full-time English instructor at ATC. She has a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Mary Baldwin College.

Source: The Aiken Standard

 

State Nursery Group Names Shellie Archer ’11 Executive Director

The Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association, the state trade association for garden centers, nursery growers, landscape designers, contractors, greenhouses and horticultural suppliers, recently welcomed Shellie Archer ’11 of Richmond as the association’s new executive director. “We are delighted to welcome Shellie to the Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association and look forward to her skilled leadership and ability to genuinely connect with our stakeholders,” said Aaron Williams, Board of Directors President Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association. “There is no doubt that she will work collaboratively toward VNLA’s common goal to be the leading advocate for nursery and landscape professionals throughout the Commonwealth.” A graduate of Mary Baldwin University, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in marketing communications, with distinction and currently serves as membership chair for her son’s Boy Scout Troop. Archer’s prior community involvement includes USO, elementary school PTA leadership, Make-A-Wish® Greater VA and the Metropolitan Business League. “My passion for the art and science of plants and landscaping stems from my experiences growing up on a Virginia farm planting thousands of pine trees and working the garden with my family,” Archer said. “The nursery and landscape field is complex. It includes a much broader range of required expertise, products, services, professional certifications and regulations than the average consumer may be aware of. I look forward to building upon VNLA’s incredibly strong foundation and continuing to create value for our members.”

Source: Augusta Free Press

Jae K. Davenport ’01 Joins Northam Administration

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has named Davenport deputy secretary of public safety and homeland security. Previously, Davenport was the Standards of Practice Enforcement and Legal Training Attorney for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC). She oversaw the enforcement of the mandatory standards of practice, certification of court-appointed counsel and legal training for all public defenders and certified attorneys. She was also a legislative advocate for the VIDC. Previous to her position at the VIDC, Davenport was a public defender in Franklin, where she represented juveniles and adults charged with misdemeanors and felonies. She began as an assistant public defender and worked her way up to the deputy position.

Source: bluevirginia.us

 

Stacey Nichols ’01 Named Educator of the Year

Stacey Nichols

Among Aiken Technical College’s (ATC) Educator of the Year recipients is faculty member Stacey Nichols, a 2001 graduate of MBU. The awards recognize employees throughout the S.C. Technical College System who have contributed to furthering the mission of the system and have done outstanding work in their roles at their individual colleges. Each college within the system recognizes employees in three categories, faculty, staff and administrator. Nichols, who is chairman of the Communications Department, is on the New Faculty Onboarding committee and chairs the Curriculum and Instruction and Program Review committees. Before her current position, she was an adjunct instructor and later a full-time English instructor at ATC. She has a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Mary Baldwin College.

Source: The Aiken Standard

 

State Nursery Group Names Shellie Archer ’11 Executive Director

The Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association, the state trade association for garden centers, nursery growers, landscape designers, contractors, greenhouses and horticultural suppliers, recently welcomed Shellie Archer ’11 of Richmond as the association’s new executive director. “We are delighted to welcome Shellie to the Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association and look forward to her skilled leadership and ability to genuinely connect with our stakeholders,” said Aaron Williams, Board of Directors President Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association. “There is no doubt that she will work collaboratively toward VNLA’s common goal to be the leading advocate for nursery and landscape professionals throughout the Commonwealth.” A graduate of Mary Baldwin University, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in marketing communications, with distinction and currently serves as membership chair for her son’s Boy Scout Troop. Archer’s prior community involvement includes USO, elementary school PTA leadership, Make-A-Wish® Greater VA and the Metropolitan Business League. “My passion for the art and science of plants and landscaping stems from my experiences growing up on a Virginia farm planting thousands of pine trees and working the garden with my family,” Archer said. “The nursery and landscape field is complex. It includes a much broader range of required expertise, products, services, professional certifications and regulations than the average consumer may be aware of. I look forward to building upon VNLA’s incredibly strong foundation and continuing to create value for our members.”

Source: Augusta Free Press