Awards recognise resilience and commitment of staff

Congratulating the award winners, Principal and Chief Executive Mel Higgins said the Staff Awards recognised the outstanding contributions that individuals and teams at the College made to support their students and other members of staff.

“The Staff Awards were introduced as a way of acknowledging the important role played by staff and to thank them for their continued effort and achievements in key areas,” he said.

“The entirety of the 2020/21 academic year was against the backdrop of a global pandemic and we all faced increased challenges in our personal and professional lives. This makes the achievements, resilience and innovation of the

award winners even more impressive,” he explained.

Mel, who took over as Principal and Chief Executive of the College in November this year, continued: “The winners demonstrate so many different qualities and combine to make up an impressive, diverse and complementary body of staff. There is evidence of creative thinking, compassion, enthusiasm, bravery, collaboration, determination, all exemplary traits embodying the spirit of collegiality and the values of Northern Regional College which fills me with great pride in my role as Principal and Chief Executive.”

The Staff Awards were open to all staff in either teaching or support roles at College campuses with peer nominations invited for the sixteen categories.

The 2021 Staff Award winners were:

FE Lecturer of the Year Winner: Fiona Coulter, Curriculum lead, Early Years. Highly Commended: Deborah Dalton, Childcare Lecturer.

HE Lecturer of the Year Winner: Jacqui McAllister, Curriculum lead, HE Health and Social Care. Highly Commended: Anne-Marie, Curriculum Area Manager, Health and Social Care.

Essential Skills Lecturer of the Year Winner: Judith Wylie. Highly Commended: Alice McCann.

Work Based Learning Lecturer of the Year Winner: Michael Breen.

Curriculum Team of the Year Winner: Essential Skills Team (Majella Quinn, Donal MacAuley, Frankie McEldowney, Fiona Forrest, Alice McCann, Ann Woods, Anne Marie McNulty, Gail Adams, Kasala McCurdy, Lisa Keith, Peter Clarke, Niamh McAllister, Liz Currie, Jaclyn Kirkwood, Jacqui Livingstone, Jackie Scott, Jennifer Greer, Judith Wylie, Kathryn Nocher, Linda Beattie, Maura Douds, Oonagh Morrissey, Roisin McLoughlin, Sarah Keanie, Gillian McCaw, Janette Firth, Jennifer Greer, Mary Johnston, Niall Meighan, Patricia Browne, Hilary Caithness, Pauline McDiarmid, Elaine MacAuley, Allen Shaw, Shirley Dickey, Derek Ross). Highly Commended: WBL Engineering Team (Gordon Kane, John McClintock, Mark

Simpson, Hugh Mallon, Gregory Lutton, Philip Boyle, Alastair Mitchell, Michael Keenan, Alan Nesbitt, Shirley Montgomery, George Adamson, Gary Nugent, Scott Walker and Stephen Cunningham).

Course Promotion of the Year Winner: Inclusive Learning Team (Jennifer McFadden, David Stewart, Rhonda Brady, Claire Wilson, Meabh O’Reilly, Elaine Macauley, Fiona Forrest, Kiera O’Kane, Angela O’Neill, Vivien Carson, Hilary Caithness, David Dickey, Sandra Hamilton, AnneMarie McKenna, Jacqueline Wilson).

Customer Service Team Member of the Year Winner: Fionnuala Devlin, Departmental Administrator. Highly Commended: Jennifer McAllister, Student Services Team Leader.

Student Support of the Year Winner: Sarah Caddick, Education Support Co-ordinator. Highly Commended: Josephine McKeown, Education Support Worker.

Support Team Member of the Year Winner: Kerry Reilly, Regulatory and Exams Officer. Highly Commended: Kathryn O’Connell, LMS Project Manager.

Support Team of the Year: Joint Winners Coleraine Estates Decant Team (Gregory Mulholland, John Walker, Darryl McCorriston, Ken Fillis, Chris Mawhinney, Jim Hogg, Craig Ferguson, Theo Dunlop, Darryl Tindle and Gary Ramsey); and MIS Team (Marie McMullan, Anne-Marie Pennycook, Adele Brennan, Suzanne Graham, Mary McCloskey, Cara Reynolds, Zillah Wallace, Aileen O’Boyle, Rosie Harkin).

Peer Support of the Year Winner: Jennifer McFadden, Curriculum Area Manager, Inclusive Learning. Highly Commended: Lesley Davison, Associate Lecturer, Childcare.

New Start of the Year Joint Winners Nicola Quigg, Social Care and Early Years Lecturer and Meabh O’Reilly, Health and Social Care Associate Lecturer.

Bright Star, Digital Champion of the Year Winner: Lorna Hamilton, Business Systems Analyst. Highly Commended: Zac Campbell, Performing Arts and Music Lecturer.

Team Player of the Year Winner: Frankie McEldowney, Curriculum Area Manager, Creative Industries and Essential Skills. Highly Commended: Donna Cassidy, Specialist Support Tutor.

Special Recognition Award Adrian Verner, John Robinson, Mark Walker, Brian McClelland and Martin Baird.