From left, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams congratulates Dr. Erica Fleming of Creedmoor on her graduation from the North Carolina Community College Leadership Program. (VGCC photo)
Dr. Erica Fleming, the Pharmacy Technology program head/instructor for Vance-Granville Community College, recently graduated from the North Carolina Community College Leadership Program (NCCCLP). She is one of 36 community college faculty and staff members from across the state who completed the program this year.
The leadership program, which includes face-to-face instruction at various locations, provides preparation and training to develop future community college leaders. The program is highly experiential in nature, and participants work in teams to create an “ideal” community college.
In addition to strengthening their leadership skills, participants learn about the structure and governance of the community college system, enjoy opportunities for networking, and form a diverse pool of qualified educational leaders. The seven-month program concluded in April with a graduation ceremony at Nash Community College.
Fleming said that through the program, she and her fellow participants received valuable insights from administrators, vice presidents and presidents from throughout the community college system. “We have been given a toolbox full of new skills to address people and process issues related to leadership, realizing that credentials are only half of the coin,” she said. “There are other essential skills a leader must possess to really be effective in their position.” Participants were introduced to the “strengths-based leadership model,” which, Fleming said, had “reshaped my perspective on leadership and team building.”
She also appreciated the opportunities to network with her classmates. “Now, I have colleagues all across the state, and I can reach out to my group and field responses from almost every level, from the System Office to faculty in curriculum or continuing education, to administrators and staff, all with the singular goal of educating and supporting students,” Fleming reflected.
A resident of Creedmoor, Fleming was born in England and raised on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. She came to the United States to attend the Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington, D.C. Fleming graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree in 2003, completed a post-doctoral fellowship and then worked as a pharmacist in Washington and in North Carolina. She joined the VGCC Pharmacy Technology program in early 2014.
The North Carolina Community College Leadership Program was created in 1989, under the auspices of the state chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges, to provide an interdisciplinary approach to leadership training through professional development. Graduates have used the skills and connections gained from the program to be more successful leaders in all areas and at all levels in the North Carolina Community College System. VGCC Dean of Arts & Sciences Cynthia Young, a graduate of the NCCCLP, recently completed a two-year term as the program’s director.