SCC Recognizes Chaser Champions

Spartanburg Community College recognized five members of its faculty and staff for their exemplary work and dedication to the mission of the College as the first recipients of the "Chaser Champions" annual award:

Garrett Brown, Program Director, Machine Tool Technology
Julie Denesha, Dept. Chair, Nursing
Charm Lowe, Admin, SCC Foundation
Jane Bird, SCC Creative Manager
Rick Teal, VP of Human Resources (Posthumously)

"I am proud to enshrine these outstanding individuals in the annals of Spartanburg Community College's history as the first Chaser Champions and laud their dedication to our students and the communities of which we serve," said Dr. Michael Mikota, President of Spartanburg Community College. "I am also honored to present this award to the family of our former Vice President for Human Resources, Mr. Rick Teal. Rick was a trusted colleague and, most importantly, a treasured friend to everyone he interacted with. His legacy will be cemented at Spartanburg Community College in the tradition of the presentation of this award."

Mr. Rick Teal, SCC’s Vice President of Human Resources from 2010 through 2021, launched the SCC Champion program in 2021 to showcase SCC’s dedicated faculty and staff who, through their extraordinary dedication and hard work, helped the College successfully navigate the challenges we faced as a result of COVID-19.

Mr. Teal truly believed in SCC’s talented workforce and placed a high value on employee recognition and strategic faculty and staff development. With this posthumous award, SCC honors Rick Teal for his dedication to the mission of the College and the continued development and nurturing of SCC’s talented faculty and staff.

Mr. Teal is a true Chaser Champion whose legacy will live on with the implementation of new faculty and staff development initiatives that will help elevate our talented and dedicated employees to grow professionally and continue to be leaders at the forefront of their careers.  

Garrett Brown is recognized for his significant contributions to the success of the Machine Tool Technology program, of which he serves as Program Director. He has worked to create new curriculum for the program, recruited for evening courses, hosted open houses, and worked with local industry to develop and secure apprenticeship opportunities for our students.

Julie Denesha is recognized for her significant contributions to the Nursing Program, of which she serves as the Program Director. She has led her department through a rigorous reaccreditation process, and developed our new Licensed Practical Nursing program.

Charm Lowe is recognized for her signification contributions to the SCC Foundation, of which she serves as Administrative Assistant. On top of her regular duties, Charm stepped up to assume the responsibilities of the Executive Director of the Foundation and was instrumental in the planning and delivery of the recent SCC Impact Celebration event.

Jane Bird is recognized for her significant contributions to the Marketing Department, where she serves as Creative Manager, and the College as a whole. Jane creates impactful and engaging digital and print materials for the College and singlehandedly brought Chaser the Border Collie to life through extensive research and painstaking attention to every minute detail.

For full bios on the recipients of the 2022 Chaser Champions Award and a recording of the award ceremony, please visit:

https://www.sccsc.edu/explore/champions.php