For more than four decades, NCSSM has been at the heart of innovative public education in the United States, particularly in science, mathematics, and engineering. One need only look at the thousands of accomplished alumni across the state and nation who have gone on to highly successful careers across a broad spectrum of fields to see the value that NCSSM brings to the public education sphere. They are the reason NCSSM exists.
The lifeblood of the school is its faculty and staff, however. Whether in the classroom, at the administrative level, or in the support roles that are so vital, the folks that work at NCSSM are the engine of the school. They are among the very best America has to offer its students, and every year they advance the frontiers of what’s possible in a public school classroom.
Because these members of the NCSSM family are at the very core of who NCSSM is, the school honors, at the end of each academic year, the dedication of those who have given so significantly of themselves to NCSSM and are now heading into well-deserved retirement.
“It’s hard to truly describe the impact these retiring employees have had on NCSSM and the students they so selflessly committed themselves to,” said NCSSM’s Chancellor, Todd Roberts. “When a student comes to NCSSM, we assume a shared responsibility to keep them safe and give them every possible opportunity to succeed so that one day they may be able to return that investment to their future communities in whatever ways best align with their talents. Our faculty and our staff found their strength in helping others. There are few, if any, better ways to spend one’s life than contributing to the success and happiness of others. The folks we are honoring here excelled in that. The State of North Carolina, and the students who have called this school home, will be forever grateful for their servant hearts.”
NCSSM recognized the following retiring employees at the 2026 end-of-year employee luncheons held recently in Durham and Morganton:
Jill Fegley joined NCSSM in April 2025 as Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness and Chief Research Officer. She started her career as an Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at Maine Maritime Academy where she taught biology, marine botany, biostatistics, and an undergraduate research course, and in the years since held numerous administrative positions including Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness & Student Success at Barton College, Director of UNCW’s Extension Site, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness & Learning Support at Craven Community College, and Education Coordinator for the NC National Estuarine Research Reserve. Most recently Jill served as Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA. During her career Jill authored numerous technical reports and scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals. She also co-authored the book “Life Between the Tides: Marine Plants and Animals of the Northeast.”
Jeff Hatley’s passion is in sharing ideas through video. He started his career in his home state of Montana in television, where he won local, state, and national awards for his commercial production and worked as the newscast director. He transitioned to distance learning at the university level, where in addition to broadcasting and recording classes, he worked with the IT Help Desk and taught an undergraduate class in animation. Jeff was also co-owner of Story Weavers, a marketing company that served clients across the United States. When he and his family moved to North Carolina, Jeff became a Studio Manager and then Digital Media Specialist with a talented group of individuals in the Extended Learning division’s NCSSM Connect program, where he has served since 2005.
Larry Hodges was an Instructor of Computer Science and was the first faculty member and discipline Chair hired on the NCSSM-Morganton campus (as well as being the first to retire). He served as Chair of Computer Science for the Durham and Morganton campuses and NCSSM Online program from May 2021 until December 2024, and hired all but one of the current NCSSM Computer Science faculty. He was among the first faculty to teach Data Science, and he created the Human-Computer Interaction course, which he piloted as the first cross-campus course taught remotely from Morganton to Durham. This past semester, he guided NCSSM-Morganton’s DragonBot team through authoring and presenting a paper for the annual ACMSE Computer Science Conference, where they won a programming competition against college level competition. During his career Larry has served as the C. Tycho Howle Endowed Chair and Director of the Clemson School of Computing and chair of the Computer Science Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and was a founding faculty member of both the College of Computing and the GVU Center at Georgia Tech. His research and leadership have been recognized with numerous awards, including the IEEE Virtual Reality Career Award in 2006. In 2017 he was inducted into the NCSU Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame. In 2018 Elon University honored him with a College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award.
Scott Laird was a driving force behind the growth and excellence of the Humanities Department since joining the faculty in August 2001. As Fine Arts Chair and Orchestra Instructor, he shaped a vibrant and collaborative arts culture that has inspired generations of students and colleagues alike. Scott’s leadership as Fine Arts Chair has fostered creativity, collaboration, and excellence across both the Durham and Morganton campuses. Through his work conducting the NCSSM-Durham orchestra, he has supported, encouraged, and inspired countless young musicians to pursue their artistic passions and reach new heights. His commitment to excellence is reflected in the many honors he has received, including the 2022 ASTA President’s Award for Service, the 2019 UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2018 NCSSM Outreach Award, the 2017 ASTA Elizabeth A. H. Green Award, and the NC Symphony’s 2016 Maxine Swalin Award.
Chris Meinecke joined NCSSM in January 2024 as a Budget Analyst based on the school’s Durham campus. He previously worked at UNC Chapel Hill as a business officer for both the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences. Chris has an MBA in marketing management and a B.A. in speech communications, both from Pace University in New York City. While at NCSSM, Chris was the assistant baseball coach.
Dan Overby came to NCSSM in 2001, where he first served as a video production assistant/studio manager and, at his retirement, was one of four digital media specialists responsible for live broadcasts and digital streaming of the daily courses originating from NCSSM’s four studio classrooms. Dan has a background in video production. After graduating with a degree in communications, he gained practical work experience in broadcast television and working with two South Carolina state agencies as a media technician/specialist. A 14-year career followed working in video production and training for a national food service corporation.
Pam Oxendine earned her bachelor’s in business administration-management from Shaw University and her master’s in public administration from North Carolina Central University. Before coming to NCSSM, Pam worked as a marketing manager with Time Warner Cable, Nortel Networks, and a financial group. At NCSSM, she started as a temporary employee in the Chancellor’s Office in July 2005 before beginning a permanent role as program assistant in the Counseling Department in January 2006 where she has coordinated hundreds of college representative visits and planned NCSSM’s college fairs and career events, helping countless students map out their college and career plans. She has also been a steady guide for families navigating the Tuition Grant process and the National Merit Scholarship.
Philip Rash had high school and university teaching experience prior to joining NCSSM’s mathematics faculty in 2004 where he has made exceptional contributions to the department, NCSSM’s students, and the broader educational community. At NCSSM, Philip taught calculus, statistics, and several post-calculus elective courses in the areas of Numerical Analysis, Combinatorics, and Graph Theory. He was also very involved with math contests, including co-chairing the State Math Contest Committee of the NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Philip’s contributions have been recognized repeatedly through numerous awards including the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award, the NCSSM Outstanding Teacher Award, received multiple times, the Exceptional Contribution in Teaching Through Service to Students Award, and the Exceptional Contribution in Teaching Through Outreach Award. These accolades reflect his dedication, professionalism, and genuine care for students and colleagues alike.
Sandie Shoe started at NCSSM in 2016, serving as the Mathematics Department Program Associate. In fall of 2020, she began assisting the Registrar’s Office and officially joined as the Durham Associate Registrar in June 2021. She truly enjoyed connecting with her colleagues, but her great passion was supporting students and their families throughout their NCSSM journeys. In her free time, she enjoys writing, reading, walking her dogs, and watercolor painting.
Gabriela Stefan joined NCSSM in 2005 after 15 years of teaching high school physics in Romania. She brought to NCSSM a wealth of knowledge and experience from Europe’s educational process and pedagogy. Since coming to NCSSM she has continued to grow in her professional learning through attending AAPT conferences, AP Physics workshops, American Modeling Teachers Association workshops, and particle physics masterclasses offered through Duke. Over the years at NCSSM, she has taught a variety of courses including Core Physics, Math Intensive Physics, Optics and Technology, Advanced Physics Problem Solving and Modern Physics. Gabriela traveled with students to Spain, Italy, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, Morocco, and the San Francisco Exploratorium and took Modern Physics students for many years to participate in particle physics masterclasses sponsored by Duke University where they collaborated virtually with high school students from around the world to analyze data from particle accelerators at Fermilab and CERN.
Cecile Tougas has been an invaluable member of the NCSSM Humanities Department since 2005. From her very first days, Cecile brought remarkable dedication and expertise to her teaching of both Latin and philosophy, inspiring generations of students with her passion and insight through courses such as Latin Elements I and II, Latin Boot Camp, and advanced studies in Latin prose and poetry. Her commitment to classical education has ignited in her students a love for language, literature, and critical thought. Beyond the classroom, Cecile is a distinguished scholar. She authored “The Phenomena of Awareness: Husserl, Cantor, Jung,” published by Routledge in London in 2013, and co-edited “Presenting Women Philosophers” with Sara Ebenreck, published by Temple University Press in 2000. She thoughtfully integrated these works into her philosophy course, “Knowing Mind: Maker of AI,” inviting students to explore the depths of self-understanding and living awareness.
