The college-level and high school programs at Hinds Community College’s Vicksburg-Warren Campus start the spring 2016 semester with new leadership.

Teressa Fulgham McCarty begins the semester as assistant dean for secondary education. She arrives at Hinds from Vicksburg Junior High School, where she was assistant principal.

“As assistant dean, she is responsible for daily operations of secondary programs. She will collaborate with the Vicksburg Warren School District to ensure that each student receives a high quality educational experience. Mrs. McCarty will also complete special projects for the Vicksburg-Warren Campus as assigned,” said Vicksburg-Warren Campus Dean Marvin Moak.

Dr. Elmira Ratliff is the new assistant dean for post-secondary education. She arrives at Hinds from the Mississippi Community College Board as a curriculum specialist.

In her role, Ratliff oversees college-level programs and courses taught at the campus. Her responsibilities include faculty recruitment, supervision and evaluation, maintenance of academic standards and program review and evaluation, among other procedural duties.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Elmira Ratliff as part of the Hinds Community College team,” Moak said. “I’m sure it will not be long before the students and faculty are able to tap into her knowledge and experience.”

In the secondary programs, High school students can get ahead through dual enrollment or dual credit courses by enrolling in Hinds Community College courses while still in high school. A dozen career programs are available, including Ag and Natural Resources, Automotive Technology, Career Pathways Experience, Carpentry, Early Childhood Education, Culinary Arts, Health Sciences, Machine Tool, Masonry, Marketing Management, Simulation and Animation Design and Welding.

“It is our goal at Hinds to support students in being college and career ready. We have students that are excited to begin their chosen career fields,” McCarty said. “The career and technical education center is a great place to learn from our experts in those fields. As such, our phenomenal staff of teachers are passionate and dedicated to educating our students about these areas of study.”

Ratliff’s experience extends to the classroom, having taught English and related courses on the high school and college levels.

“I hope to increase the enrollment at the Vicksburg Campus by recruiting students and retaining them until they complete an academic or technical program,” Ratliff said. “Also, I hope to further advance the programs and initiatives that are being implemented at Hinds Community College and above all, ensure that all students have a wonderful experience after they join the ‘community’ at Hinds Community College.”

McCarty holds a master’s degree in Teaching Arts and a specialist’s degree in Educational Leadership from Mississippi College and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Tougaloo College. She is pursuing her doctorate at MC, in Educational Leadership-Curriculum and Instruction.

She is active in Tougaloo’s national and Jackson-area alumni associations, as well as the Rho Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, doing community service in each.

Ratliff holds a master’s degree in English from Mississippi College and a Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Mississippi. Her bachelor’s is in English, from Alcorn State University.

Her experience in teaching high school English and related courses includes stops in Claiborne and Carroll county school systems. She’s also taught courses in Composition and Education at Holmes Community College, ITT Technical Institute, Alcorn State and Ole Miss. Also, Ratliff was professional development trainer for eight years for the Mississippi Association of Educators. Her sorority and alumni memberships include the Vicksburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Montgomery-Carroll-Grenada County Alumni Chapter of Alcorn State University.