Chad Elledge, NTCC Board Trustee

I graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1988. At that time, students in the top 10% of their class were given the incredible opportunity to attend NTCC tuition-free until they completed an associate’s degree. My parents encouraged me to take advantage of this, especially since I had a vision condition that brought financial and medical challenges for my family. Though I was initially frustrated—since many of my friends were heading straight to four-year universities—I agreed to visit NTCC.

Laurencio "Junior" Velasquez, College Navigator

Cali Davis, College Navigator

April Brannon, Instructor of Medical Assisting

Jason Moss, Communities In Schools Coordinator

My name is Jason Moss I graduated from MPISD in 1998. At the time, I didn’t know where I wanted to go or what fields I might be interested in studying. My counselor told me I could apply for the MPISD scholarship at NTCC and suggested I write a one-page essay and submit it. I had never really been to a college campus before, and that opportunity led me to choose NTCC to begin my journey.

Picture: Taylor being pinned by his Daughter Naomi Stanford (son Odessa looks on) when he was named police officer earlier in 2025.

Russell Taylor, NTCC Police Officer

Dr. Jackie Johnston, Professor of Mathematics

Growing up as the youngest of four girls in a family where higher education wasn’t the norm, I never imagined I’d one day hold a doctorate and teach college-level mathematics. My father had a sixth-grade education, and my mother a high school diploma. We didn’t have the financial means or the knowledge of how to navigate college. But I knew I wanted more.

Dr. Doug Richey, Professor of Mathematics
Richey is one of the founding faculty members of NTCC