SSC Employees Recognized at Statewide Conference

Josh Hutton

Three Seminole State College employees were honored at the 58th annual Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges’ conference on Oct. 3 at Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center. During the event, Assistant Professor and Accreditation Coordinator Dr. Deanna Miles was named SSC Faculty Member of the Year; Alecia Bailey, NASNTI Computer Science Specialist, was named Professional Staff Member of the Year; and Alisha Riojas, Bookstore Clerk, was named Support Staff Member of the Year.

SSC President Lana Reynolds congratulates OACC honorees—Professional Staff Member of the Year Alecia Bailey, Faculty Member of the Year Dr. Deanna Miles and Support Staff Member of the Year Alisha Riojas—for their achievements at the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges’ annual conference on Oct. 3 at Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center.
SSC President Lana Reynolds congratulates OACC honorees—Professional Staff Member of the Year Alecia Bailey, Faculty Member of the Year Dr. Deanna Miles and Support Staff Member of the Year Alisha Riojas—for their achievements at the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges’ annual conference on Oct. 3 at Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center.

Dr. Deanna Miles teaches Human Anatomy and Human Physiology with lab and coordinates efforts across campus to ensure SSC’s continued accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission. She holds a medical doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Grand Canyon University and a bachelor’s degree in science from Baylor University. She serves as chair of the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Committee, mentors biology degree students, sits on the Faculty Senate, and is a member of the Distance Education and Assessment committees. She also sponsors the P.R.I.D.E. student group and volunteers with SISU Youth Homeless Shelter. She served as Faculty Senate President in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Alecia Bailey leads several emerging technology initiatives at SSC. She oversees construction of the College’s Esports Lab, created syllabi for four esports courses, aided in hiring an esports adjunct and formed both the Esports Club and competitive team. Bailey also leads a Native Language Revitalization project using a NAO robot to translate English into Sauk and Potawatomi. She earned a Master of Science in information technology (information security) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the University of Technology, Jamaica. She co-authored a 2024 paper titled “Cholera Outbreak Analysis in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

SSC employees pose on steps.
SSC employees attended the statewide conference, which featured presentations from SSC administrators and staff alongside the recognition of this year’s honorees. Pictured (left to right, beginning with the front row): Melanie Rinehart, Jessica Isaacs, Tina Morris, Brooks Nickell, Tisha Simon, Kim Pringle, Alisha Riojas, Sheila Morris, Lana Reynolds, Marlene Webster, Kelli McBride, Kimberly Root, Melinda Sims, Alecia Bailey, Toni Wittman, Mechell Downey, Lynette Atchley, Alicia Ryan, Andrea Dearth, Twila Kappele, Josh Hutton and Talina Lee.

Alisha Riojas supports student success at the campus bookstore, where she staffs the register, helps students find course materials and assists with collegewide supply orders. She is pursuing an Associate of Psychology degree at SSC and anticipates graduating in spring 2026. Riojas serves as treasurer of SSC Classified Staff and is involved with the Oklahoma Arts Council. Her accomplishments include being named OACC Support Service SSC Employee of the Year (2025), publishing a children’s book—Animal ABC’s—under the pen name Alisha Weston, teaching art classes at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art and exhibiting at Tulsa Community College’s 2022 Mental Health Art Show.

In addition to the honorees, several SSC employees presented at the conference. Vice President of Finance, Grants and Enrollment Melanie Rinehart and Registrar Sheila Morris presented “Undetected Bias: We All Have It.” Director of Communications Josh Hutton led a session on launching testimonial marketing campaigns. Director of Board Relations and Administrative Operations Mechell Downey spoke on a panel with administrative assistants to college presidents titled “Elevating Support: AI, Strategy, and Professionalism for Higher Ed Assistants.”