Tri-C Annual Advisory Committees Appreciation Breakfast & Community Champions Awards

Annual Advisory Committees Appreciation Breakfast

Since 1993, Tri-C hosts an annual event to honor and celebrate the contributions of Tri-C’s Program Advisory Committees. Typically, community and staff members with professional expertise are invited to sit on the Committees, providing input to development of Tri-C Programs and ensuring students are well-positioned for success in their chosen fields. The Committees are nominated for an annual award by Tri-C Faculty and Staff who are working directly with them.

Advisory Committee past award winners

Tri-C Community Champion Awards

Each year, Tri-C honors Community Champions making a difference in the lives and career paths of Tri-C Students. Nominated by Tri-C Faculty/Staff, awards are given in three categories – Individual, Small Business (<50 employees), and Large Business (>50 employees.) Candidates are nominated via essays that detail the over-and-above efforts of the nominees and are handed out by Tri-C President Alex Johnson. This year, event guest speaker John Skory - a Tri-C Alum and President of The Illuminating Company - joined Dr. Johnson in the presentation of awards.

• 2018 Individual Community Champion – Denis and Sheila Nowacki created The Andy Nowacki Foundation in memory of their son, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Andy “Ace” Nowacki, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2005. The Foundation provides public safety scholarships to reflect Lance Cpl. Nowacki’s service to others and strong sense of commitment and community. The Foundation demonstrates a commitment to students through scholarships provided to students attending the KeyBank Public Safety Training Center. Each scholarship recipient receives individualized mentoring and support to help their educational journey. The Nowacki Foundation has provided six scholarships to students in the Tri-C police academy.
• 2018 Small Business (<50 employees) Community Champion – Reverend Kenneth & Mrs. LaShawnda Knox, Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church - Together, Pastor and Mrs. Knox made a commitment to help educate their congregation and community members about Tri-C and its Issue 61 Capital Bond Campaign. Over a six-week education program, with the help of parishioners who were Tri-C alums and current students, they helped educate their congregation about Tri-C programs - featuring a different aspect of Tri-C each week. By the end of the six weeks, they had helped to register new voters, increased awareness of Tri-C, and recruited new Tri-C students. 
• 2018 Large Corporation (>50 employees) Community Champion – Terry Pfleiderer, RPM International - received the award in recognition of his and RPM's support of the College’s Information Technology programs. Pfleiderer, manager of enterprise applications at RPM, played a key role in developing IT curriculum at Tri-C while also providing professional training opportunities for students for more than a decade. Through his leadership, RPM sponsored a paid co-op as part of the College’s e-Business program, supporting at least six co-op positions per year.