Three Honored as Educators of the Year

Jennifer Hulehan

Jennifer Hulehan

PENDLETON -- Three faculty/staff members will be honored as Tri-County Technical College’s Educators of the Year and will be recognized at the South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) virtual conference this year.

Jennifer Hulehan, dean of the Academic and Career Foundations department, is the College’s outstanding administrator.

Jimmy Walker, a mathematics instructor in the Comprehensive Studies department, is the outstanding instructor.

Lynell Hecht, student services program coordinator for the Academic and Career Foundations department, is the outstanding staff nominee.

SCTEA is a professional association of technical education personnel and others interested in post-secondary technical education.

Hulehan provides academic leadership for the Academic and Career Foundations (ACF) division, which includes the comprehensive studies department and I-BEST programs.
In 2020, the National Organization for Student Success recognized Hulehan’s long-term service and commitment to student success with the Gladys R. Shaw Award for Outstanding Service to and Support of Student Success Programs.

In 2018 Hulehan’s creative efforts in redesigning developmental course offerings to improve retention and student success earned her the esteemed A. Wade Martin Innovator of the Year award at the SCTEA annual conference.

In 2017 while serving as department head for the Comprehensive Studies department, she received the Outstanding Service to Students Award at the S.C. Association for Developmental Education (SCADE) conference.

Hulehan joined the College’s English Department in 2004 as an instructor in the Arts and Sciences Division. She was named department head for Comprehensive Studies in 2012. In addition to her responsibilities as department head, she taught developmental and college-level English, Freshman Seminar and College Skills courses.

She received the Tri-County Technical Education Association Educator of the Year award in 2015. She serves on the Simpsonville City Council and is active in numerous community projects such as Habitat for Humanity.

She holds B. A. and M.A. degrees in English from Winthrop University. She and her husband, Trent, live in Simpsonville.

Walker, an Anderson resident, has taught at the College since 2007. Students and faculty praise him as being an invaluable asset to the classroom and the College. In 2019 he received the Outstanding Service to Students Award at the annual South Carolina Association for Developmental Education (SCADE) conference. This award is given to a person whose work exemplifies the mission and purpose of SCADE by demonstrating responsiveness to individual students, commitment to professional growth and excellence in teaching.

He received the College’s 2012 Adjunct Faculty Presidential Award. This award is given annually to the adjunct faculty member who is recognized for excellence in teaching, who has consistently high student evaluations and who supports the philosophy and goals of the College.

Walker holds a B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of South Carolina.
Hecht joined the College in 2019 when she and her family moved to the area from Memphis, Tennessee.

She holds a B.S. degree in education from the University of Memphis and an M.Ed. from Trevecca Nazarene University. She was involved in elementary education for 24 years and for 14 years, she was employed by the Presbyterian Day School in Memphis. She served as director of academic support for seven years, in addition to serving as the reading and learning specialist for 14 years.

The Hechts live in Seneca where she is actively involved with the Oconee County Humane Society.
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About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, industrial electronics, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities.


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