/// Faces of TCC

KAY WILLIAMS
OPEN DOOR PROJECT DIRECTOR

Williams says she is filled with joy and excitement every time she watches her students graduate and transfer to four-year schools. “I didn’t know that this job would become my calling, but it has,” she says...more

WILLIAM CONNER
ACCOUNTING AND ECONOMICS PROFESSOR

“I see myself in a lot of my students,” Conner says from his office on the Portsmouth Campus. “I see people who have enormous potential and very mediocre grade reports. Can I help them bring out their true self? Many times I can. My push to not just throw students under the bus but to help them do better comes from remembering that I wasn’t a strong student when I started college.” ...more

AZAM TABRIZI
GEOLOGY PROGRAM LEAD

"I tell my students that you may not like rocks and minerals now, but give me two weeks," says Azam Tabrizi, geology instructor for the Chesapeake Campus. "And most of the time, my students come back and tell me they are enjoying the subject more than they ever imagined possible." ...more

DAVID KIRACOFE
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

“I don’t have the power to make you love history, but I can ask you to take your work seriously. You don’t have to love a subject to learn it well,” Kiracofe says. “It’s my job to make you think like a historian, even if you are planning to be an accountant or biologist.”...more

FRAN JACOBSON
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

“You might ask what doesn’t intrigue me,” says the TCC history professor based on the Virginia Beach Campus. “History is full of great stories, and I’m fascinated by them. I love almost every era of history.”...more

SUKI TOOLEY
ENGLISH PROFESSOR FINDS NICHE AT TCC

"I always planned to work with books in some dusty setting, but after teaching my first class as a graduate student, I was hooked." ...more

LILLIAN BAILEY
PROGRAM HEAD FOR THE ACADEMY FOR NONPROFIT EXCELLENCE

“I love what we do, and that’s because I have deep, abiding respect for those working to improve life in our community through the nonprofit sector,” Bailey says. “Their hearts are huge, the way they care for one another is amazing, and they are passionate about their organizations and what they do.” ...more

MECCA MARSH
DIRECTOR OF NORFOLK STUDENT CENTER

"I come from a family of educators, so this is a family business. I come to work every day with the goal of teaching, guiding and mentoring the students who I encounter," she says...more

PETER AGBAKPE
PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS

Agbakpe urges students having any kind of math or science issues to come to him. He admits he has high standards, but notes, “I am very, very approachable. I want to help. That’s what I’m here for.” ...more

DAVID WRIGHT
PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

“The fact that they pay me is really a bonus; I get to play with all these toys,” Wright says. “I like trying to get students excited about science. That’s why I do a lot of the crazy things I do. I try to keep my energy level up while teaching. I make it a discussion instead of just talking at them.” ...more

MARGARET DUTTON
SUPPORT STAFF EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

A firm believer in TCC, Dutton recommends the college often and two of her three children are TCC alums. "This place has been my home away from home, and the people here have seen me through some highs and lows," Dutton says...more