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AHOSKIE – Roanoke-Chowan Community College (R-CCC) welcomes Steven Mathews as its new Vice President of Workforce & Institutional Advancement. Mathews began his new post Aug. 1.

Most recently, Mathews served as the Vice Chancellor of Economic and Workforce Development and Corporate College at South Louisiana Community College (SLCC) in Lafayette, Louisiana. While there, he represented the institution throughout eight counties and parishes on nine campuses. He also managed a self-supporting, standalone Maritime campus in partnership with the US Coast Guard in addition to programs in transportation and logistics.

At SLCC, Mathews was also responsible for infrastructure programs, including fiber optics and broadband, power lineman, construction, Ed-To-Go, business, healthcare and nursing programs, as well as advanced manufacturing and engineering programs. He created industry partnerships and customized training initiatives and provided executive leadership of the Corporate College.

“I am both excited and deeply honored to be presented with the opportunity to join R-CCC and lead the Workforce and Continuing Education division,” said Mathews. “I love to see people grow and develop their talents into a skillset that will provide a lifetime of financial stability. I have a passion for both the trades and technical education, and I am extremely fortunate to have a career that allows me to teach others. My focus is on workforce training and economic initiatives, and I love to see students being successful and transitioning into high-demand jobs.

“I’m excited about meeting the people in the beautiful Roanoke-Chowan community and finding out how R-CCC can encourage and further support our industry partners. There is much work to do, and I look forward to supporting the needs and working alongside our students and community,” he added.

Mathews has held positions in the educational field, including Dean of Construction in the Engineering & Industrial Tech Division at Pitt Community College, Transportation/Career and Technical Education (CTE) Division Chair at Guilford Technical Community College near Greensboro, owner/operator of Stryker Machine & Tool in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem area, and Toyota T-Ten Program Coordinator and CTE Apprenticeship Coordinator at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem.

Mathews also served as an Infantry Scout/Combat Intelligence Analyst (S-2) in the US Army, serving in the US, Africa, South America, Panama, and the Middle East.

As VP at R-CCC, Mathews will provide leadership and direction for workforce development and continuing education, College & Career Readiness, Institutional Advancement and the R-CCC Foundation, and the Small Business Center. He will assist community leaders with recruitment of new businesses and the expansion of existing businesses within the service area and conduct industry job training analysis.

R-CCC President Dr. Murray J. Williams said of Mathews’ appointment, “We are ecstatic to have Steven join our R-CCC leadership team. He has extensive experience and will be an invaluable asset to our campus and community. Steven brings a real love for student training and development, and we are eager to introduce him to our workforce and industry partners.”

Mathews holds a master’s degree in Adult Education and Training and a bachelor’s degree in Professional Technical Education, both from Eastern New Mexico University. In addition, he holds an Associate of Arts and Sciences (AAS) in Business Administration and Management as well as an AAS in Race Car Performance from Forsyth Technical Community College, along with a diploma in Automotive Systems from Tennessee Technology Center at Athens.

He has earned various licenses and certifications, including Advanced Project Management from the Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc., Academic Evaluator from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Organizational Leadership and Management from North Carolina State University, Toyota T-Ten Instructor/Senior Master Tech from Toyota Motor Corporation, Nida Instructor from Nida Corporation (electronics, aviation, communications, industrial, and transportation technology and trades training), National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation Evaluation Team Leader from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), ASE Master Certified L1 and X1 from ASE, Army Jump Master from the US Army, Lean Six Sigma White Belt from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana, and Master SCUBA Diver from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.