Gerard named Vice President of Continuing Education | Eastern North Carolina Now

    As a student at Chocowinity High School, Stacey Cole Gerard was inspired by her business teacher, Judy McRoy.

    But after entering East Carolina University as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, she began to question her career choice. Her parents encouraged her to stick with it and today, she is glad she did.

    "I get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping others," she said. "It just makes me feel good."

    After 15 years as an educator - first as a classroom teacher and later as a school administrator and program director - Gerard has been named Vice President of Continuing Education at Beaufort County Community College. She succeeds Chet Jarman who retired earlier this year.

    A native of Blounts Creek, Gerard graduated from Chocowinity High School in 1995. She earned a bachelor's degree in business education from East Carolina University graduating magna cum laude. She holds master's degrees in vocational education and school administration and has applied to enter the educational leadership doctoral program at ECU.

    Gerard has experience as a teacher - at D.H. Conley and Southside High Schools and Pitt Community College - and as a school administrator - serving as an assistant principal at Southside High School.

    Before joining the BCCC administration, she served as Director of Career and Technical Education and Coordinator of the K-12 Instructional Technology Program with Beaufort County Schools. In that position, Gerard oversaw programs including Agriculture, Business, Health Science, Marketing, Technology Engineering and Design and Trade and Industrial Education.

    As Vice President of Continuing Education at BCCC, Gerard will oversee the different programs of the division - high school equivalency classes, truck driver training, Small Business Center workshops, College for Kids, and knitting, cake decorating and other leisure pursuits classes, among others.

    "I want the Continuing Education Division to be a shining star on our campus and in the state," she said. "I enjoyed my time working with K-12 education but I look forward to a new challenge and continuing to have a positive impact on the community."

    A self-described "multi-tasker," Gerard said she will enjoy being involved in the division's many activities.

    Gerard's family roots are deep in education in the community. Her brother, Dale Cole, is Principal at Southside High School; her mother, Paulette Cole is a bookkeeper at Chocowinity Middle School and a cousin, Ben Cole, is an instructor at BCCC.

    Gerard and her husband, Josh, have a two-year-old son, Gavin. They live in Blounts Creek and attend Ephesus Free Will Baptist Church. In her spare time, Gerard enjoys running, gardening and traveling to the beach.

    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.