Three Seminole State College employees were honored at the 57th annual Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges Conference held on Oct. 4 at Tulsa Community College. During the event, STEM Division Chair Emily Carpenter was named SSC Faculty Member of the Year, Talent Search-West Advisor Tina Savage was named Professional Staff Member of the Year and Maintenance Technician Dwayne Castle was named Classified Staff Member of the Year.
Carpenter received both her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her master’s degree in Teaching, Learning and Leadership from Oklahoma State University. She is a National Board-certified teacher with 13 years of K-12 teaching experience. She has worked at SSC full-time for 8 years and served the College as an adjunct for one year prior to that. She currently serves as Chair for the STEM division and received her tenure at SSC in 2023.
She serves on SSC’s Student Success Committee, NASNTI Evaluation Team and Global Studies Committee. She co-led the Global Studies program’s tour of Italy in 2023 and intends to co-lead the program’s trip to London and Paris in 2025.
She and her husband, Dr. Colby Carpenter, reside in Tecumseh. Dr. Carpenter is part-owner of the Tecumseh Veterinary Clinic, where he specializes in tending to large animals. The couple have two children, Cayden and Quinn.
Savage has worked at SSC since July of 2000. As the Talent Search-West Advisor, she works with 9th through 12th grade students in Pottawatomie County, including those at Earlsboro, Macomb, Maud, McLoud, Shawnee and Tecumseh. She is dedicated to helping these students and their families navigate post-secondary education, including college enrollment, financial aid, scholarships, testing, and college tours.
Savage holds an Associate of Science from Seminole State College, a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern State University, and a Master of Science from East Central University.
She is involved in several organizations, including the SSC Professional Staff Council and Epsilon Sigma Alpha, where she currently serves as President. Over the years, she has held numerous leadership roles on campus, including past President of the Classified Staff Association and past Chair of the Professional Staff Council.
She and her husband, Kevin, reside in Maud. She has one son, Brandon Jones.
Castle has worked at the College for 16 years. As a Maintenance Technician, Dwayne is responsible for handling a wide range of tasks across campus. His department manages work orders and preventative maintenance, addressing everything from plumbing and electrical issues to special projects. Currently, the team is focusing on upgrading campus lighting to LED and installing a new key system.
Castle attended New Lima High School.
Outside of work, Castle enjoys spending time in his small woodshop and forge, where he and his wife, Amber, work on a variety of creative projects. Their interests include wood carving, stained glass work and refurbishing vintage and antique items. Their creative works and antiques are available for purchase at their online auction house, The Odd-tique Shack. The couple resides in Seminole.