PENDLETON —- Dr. Jackie Blakley, dean of the Business and Public Services Division at Tri-County Technical College, has been honored with the 2018 Martha Kime Piper Award for her service and support of women in higher education.

The Martha Kime Piper award, named for the first woman president of a public higher education institution in the state, is given annually to recognize a woman with a record of advancing and supporting women in higher education and the education of women in S.C.

Blakley received the award Feb. 22 at a dinner and reception at the annual S.C. Women in Higher Education (SCWHE) conference.

The recipient must have a record of participation in and support for the activities of SCWHE and must hold or have held a position in higher education in a S.C. institution of higher education. The recipient also must have a record of advancing and supporting women in higher education and the education of women throughout S.C., and achieved professional recognition for outstanding leadership and contributions to her institution or state.

Blakley has served as dean of Tri-County Technical College’s Business and Public Services Division since January 2008. She is responsible for three departments — Computer Information Technology, Business Technology and Public Services – and their programs of study which enroll around 1,100 students.

In addition she serves as president of S.C. American Association of Women in Community Colleges and is the College representative for the organization.

She has served as Tri-County’s institutional representative to SCWHE since 2013.

Blakley is chair of the Anderson County First Steps board and serves on the African American Leadership Society. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

In February, she was elected to serve on the board of the Girls Scouts of South Carolina Mountains to Midlands.

Currently she serves on the advisory boards for Anderson Career and Technology Center and Anderson School District 5 Career Center and is a member of the Women’s Leadership Council of United Way. She formerly served on Leadership Anderson’s board of directors, the HESA advisory board of Clemson University, Anderson School District 4 Business Education advisory committee and the AnMed Health Ambassadors Program.

She gives back to her community by working with high school students in the community, particularly minority students, to help them to complete college applications and financial aid forms, as well as career guidance.

She joined the College in 1998 as a Business Technology instructor and department head. In 2000 she was the College’s nominee for the South Carolina Technical Education Association’s (SCTEA) outstanding instructor of the year.

In 2010 she was honored as the College’s outstanding sdministrator (Educator of the Year) at the SCTEA conference.

She serves on College committees and project teams at Tri-County, including chair of the Distance Learning and Student Reactions to Instruction project team and is a member of the High Impact Practices Implementation Team. She also chairs the Business and Public Services Student Success Team, a pilot program to address retention needs and direct students to appropriate resources.

Blakley holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia, a master’s in business administration from Clemson University and in 2016 she earned a doctorate in educational leadership (higher education administration) from Clemson University.

She began her career at Cryovac in 1992 as a team resource leader and later worked as an accounting analyst for the company.

She and her husband, Milton, have three children. They live in Anderson and are members of Generostee Baptist Church.

Dr. Jackie Blakley, dean of the Business and Public Services Division at Tri-County Technical College, has been honored with the 2018 Martha Kime Piper Award.
https://www.sentinelprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_jackieblakely.jpgDr. Jackie Blakley, dean of the Business and Public Services Division at Tri-County Technical College, has been honored with the 2018 Martha Kime Piper Award. Courtesy photo

Staff report