As we prepare for the 2024-25 school year, we’d like to officially welcome the talented new faculty and staff who have joined Team NCSSM, in both Durham and Morganton, since May 2024.

You may find contact information for NCSSM faculty and staff in our employee directory.  

Welcome to:

Terrence Ancrum, Instructor of Mathematics, Academic Programs
Terrence Ancrum joined NCSSM in August 2024 as a mathematics instructor on our Morganton campus. Prior to this role, he served as a full-time math lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and taught both middle and high school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system. Terrence also collaborates with the Launch Years Math Organization Leadership Network as a member of North Carolina’s state team, focusing on improving educational pathways in higher education and supporting seamless transitions from high school to college. Terrence is passionate about enhancing students’ academic performance, confidence, and sense of belonging. He achieves this through research involving strategic math placement, improved advising, mentorship programs, and co-requisite courses for students needing additional support. Outside of work, Terrence enjoys spending time with family and friends. He is an avid reader of self-development, leadership, and biographies. He is also committed to maintaining both physical and nutritional health. This involves spreading health and wellness information. Driven by a strong sense of community, Terrence is dedicated to helping others grow, particularly through his service to youth and those who seek his expertise. He hopes his warm generous spirit and enthusiasm for life will greatly enrich the NCSSM community.

Chadwick Bartee, Assistant Director, Human Resources, Finance & Operations
Chadwick Bartee joined the NCSSM Human Resources department in July 2024 and is based on our Morganton campus. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Tennessee State University, and began his Human Resource career in manufacturing, transitioning later to healthcare. He holds his certification from the Society for Human Resource Management. Outside of work, Chad enjoys spending time with his family, exercising and sports.

Chip Bobbert, Director, Colopy Entrepreneurship Program, Academic Programs
Chip Bobbert joined NCSSM in June 2024 as Director of the Colopy Entrepreneurship Program. Chip has spent 20 years in education as a program developer, technologist and funder, turning emerging technologies into impactful services. At Duke University, he spent a decade as a senior technologist and Innovation Architect, building one of the largest and most recognized programs of its kind in higher education where it earned a listing among the Top 50 by Newsweek. He frequently collaborates with innovators, entrepreneurs, and funders and has been involved in developing numerous products, services, publications, and inventions. Chip has also taught at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering and served as an Emerging Technologist and Director in the UNC System, where he pioneered streaming media use in education. His efforts there earned him the Staff Employee of the Year award and a North Carolina State Employee of the Year nomination. Outside his institutional roles, Chip co-founded Construct3D, a company focused on professional development and the national dialogue around innovation centers. Through this channel, he is a frequent speaker on Industry 4.0 and educational technologies. He holds a graduate degree in Instructional Design and Technology and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. His current focus is on next-generation digital credentials, which aim to quantify and verify learners’ competencies faster and more accurately. He has worked on implementing these technologies and pushed for the development of a $15 million fund to support these programs.

Katy Doll, Instructor of Humanities, Academic Programs
Katy Doll joined NCSSM in August 2024 as an Instructor of American Studies on our Durham campus. Previously she was an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Politics at Nova Southeastern University, where she taught courses in United States history, global history, national security affairs, and politics and culture. She earned a Ph.D. in history and an M.A. in history from Indiana University, Bloomington, and she earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on culture, war, and society, and she specializes in U.S. history post 1945. When not in the classroom, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her dog, completing jigsaw puzzles, and baking.

Robert Fleming, Instructor of Physics, Academic Programs
Robert Fleming joined NCSSM in August 2024 as an Instructor of Physics for our Morganton campus. He began his professional career serving in the Army as an officer and a helicopter pilot for 10 years. He next worked in leadership positions with Fortune 500 companies in business operations, manufacturing, and engineering. After retiring from 3M in 2019, Robert turned his attention to teaching high school math and science. Robert earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He holds a master’s in industrial engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a master’s in science education from North Carolina State University. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, and woodworking.

Amanda McCawley, Residential Education Instructor, Student Life
Amanda McCawley joined NCSSM in August 2024 as a Residential Education Instructor on our Durham campus. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science and psychology at Duke University. Through college, Amanda worked as a peer advisor and teaching assistant, helping students adjust to college life. She started her career in big tech, but then made the switch to mission-driven startups, focusing on mental health tech and education tech. Since college, she has been involved in a program at Duke that provides support and mentorship to students pursuing careers in tech fields. Amanda looks forward to using the knowledge she has gained from both her personal and professional experiences to help students navigate the transition to NCSSM and beyond. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, eating good food, and watching movies/shows!

Ondin Mihalcescu, Director of Capital Projects – Durham, Finance & Operations
Ondin Mihalcescu joined NCSSM in May 2024 as Director of Capital Projects for our Durham campus. Before NCSSM, he worked as project manager at Salas O’Brien, a national engineering firm, and prior to that he served as director of the Planning, Design & Construction Department at North Carolina Central University. During his tenure as director, the university experienced the biggest period of growth in its over 100 years of existence. Ondin strives to promote NCSSM’s mission through strategic analysis, transparent communication, consensus, and teamwork. He enjoys spending time with his wife and son, and their bernedoodle, Ziggy. He loves cycling, watching soccer matches of his favorite club, Liverpool FC, and Formula 1 races.

Robert Noffsinger, Instructor of Spanish & Humanities, Academic Programs
Robert Noffsinger joined NCSSM in August 2024 as an Instructor of Spanish and Humanities in Morganton while also collaborating on the teaching of Foundations in Data Science. With a diverse set of academic interests ranging from linguistics to limnology, he completed undergraduate degrees in both biology and Spanish at the University of Virginia before pursuing graduate work at Virginia Tech and UNC-Chapel Hill. Bridging humanities with the sciences, his research at UNC-Chapel Hill focused primarily on trans- and posthumanism in 20th- and 21st-century Spanish literature and film. He was also the recipient of both the Dana Drake Award and the Chancellor’s Award for Undergraduate Teaching at UNC. He worked as a medical interpreter and also as a visiting lecturer at the Universidad de Sevilla before returning to Carolina in 2019 to work with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Most recently he served as UNC-Chapel Hill’s Study Abroad Program Director for all programs and partnerships in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world. In his free time he is an outdoor sports enthusiast and can be found snowboarding, kayaking, bouldering, or hiking around Morganton.

Javier Pabón, Dean of Humanities, Academic Programs
Javier Pabón joined NCSSM in July 2024 as our Dean of Humanities. Javier graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Universidad de La Sabana (Bogotá-Colombia), where his focus was on audiovisual production, media-social movement dynamics, and cultural practices. Subsequently, he earned a master’s with a Latin American studies certificate from Duke University, where he started his research in themes such as diasporic thought and decolonial aesthetics. His academic journey culminated in a Ph.D. in Latin American cultural studies from Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar. Before joining NCSSM, Javier was the Division Head of the Humanities at Methodist University, where he demonstrated his dedication to interdisciplinary education. As the division head of humanities and associate professor of modern languages, he shared his Spanish language and literature expertise while exploring diverse fields such as film and Latin American history. In 2022, he authored and published the book “A Tres Voces,” exploring contemporary symbolic representations of Afro-Ecuadorians in poetry, oral tradition, and media discourse. When time allows, he also partakes in a combination of filmmaking and theater performances for social justice projects. Beyond academia, Javier is an avid tennis enthusiast, both as a coach and as a player. In addition, he loves spending time with his wife Anna and son Ezra.

Brittany Richard, Advancement Technician, Finance & Operations
Brittany Richard joined NCSSM in July 2024 as Advancement Technician in our business office. Prior to NCSSM, she worked as the development and operations coordinator at SAFE Haven for Cats. She is an alumna of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts and an alumna of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her husband, volunteer at SAFE Haven for Cats, swim, and read.

John Schemmel, Instructor of Engineering, Academic Programs
John Schemmel joined NCSSM as an Instructor of Engineering on our Morganton campus in August 2024. He is a licensed professional civil engineer with expertise in structural engineering and construction materials behavior. John has three years of practitioner experience in construction, more than 10 years of entrepreneurial experience in construction technician training, and over 30 years of experience as a university professor, researcher, and administrator. He earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his master’s at Lehigh University and his doctorate at North Carolina State University. John has served on the faculty at the University of Arkansas, South Dakota State University, Valparaiso University, and Texas State University. While at Texas State, he served as the lead author on proposals that established undergraduate and graduate degree programs in civil engineering on the San Marcos, Texas campus. He is a member of the Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. Outside of work, John enjoys F1 and IndyCar open wheel racing as well as professional cycling.

Marc Sprintz, Instructor of American Studies & Humanities, Academic Programs
Marc Sprintz joined NCSSM in August 2024 as an Instructor of American Studies and Humanities on our Durham campus. Raised in northern Delaware, he is a passionate and long-suffering Philadelphia sports fan. After earning a degree in international relations at the University of Delaware and working for an international social marketing NGO in Washington, D.C., for five years, Marc pursued a career in education, earning his master’s degree in education, curriculum, and instruction at George Mason University. After moving to Durham in 2006, he worked at Orange High School in Hillsborough for 18 years prior to joining the NCSSM Humanities Department. A National Board-Certified social studies teacher, he has taught AP U.S. and AP European History, a dynamic Global Issues course, and sponsored a Peace Club that raised thousands of dollars for a variety of international NGOs. Having students expand their worldview, problem-solve, debate, and generate creative solutions to thorny historic and contemporary issues brings Marc great joy in the classroom. Marc enjoys traveling as much as possible with his wife and two sons. Whenever he gets a chance, Marc also loves experiencing live improvisational music.

Keegan Storrs, Instructor of Spanish, Academic Programs
Keegan Storrs joined NCSSM in August 2024 as a Spanish instructor for the Durham campus. He previously taught Spanish, English, and linguistics at Roxboro Community School (Person County), where he also coached tennis and helped direct several musical productions. Since 2021, he has also been an adjunct instructor of Spanish and linguistics at Averett University (Danville, VA). In 2022, Keegan served as the North Carolina Charter School Teacher of the Year, and spent time advocating for the needs of North Carolina public schools. Keegan earned both his M.A. and B.A. degrees in Spanish and linguistics from the University of Florida, with minors and certificates in second language acquisition, ESL, and education. His research there primarily centered around the second language acquisition of phonology. Keegan has traveled extensively around Spain, studied at two Spanish universities, and still considers Sevilla a second home. He enjoys travel, advocacy, consuming Spanish-language media of all kinds, and spending time with his wife and two beagles.