Two Seminole State College employees were recognized for their dedication and service during the Seminole Chamber of Commerce Forum on Oct. 10. Assistant Professor of Math Cullen Birney was honored as Faculty Member of the Month, and Custodian Carmen Wright was named Staff Member of the Month.

The Seminole Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, along with the Lions Club and Kontoor Brands/Wrangler, recognize SSC employees several times during Forum each year. Individuals are nominated from across the campus and chosen by SSC administrators to receive the honor.

Birney, who has been with SSC for two years, teaches a variety of courses, including Functions and Modeling, Pre-Calculus for Engineering/Physics/Computer Science majors and Trigonometry. In addition to his role on campus, he also teaches concurrent students at Shawnee

High School. Birney holds an associate degree from Seminole State College, as well as both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Math Education from the University of Oklahoma.

He serves on SSC’s Academic Issues Committee for the Faculty Senate and is currently assisting with curriculum development in the fields of engineering and computer-aided design. Outside the classroom, Birney mentors and coaches a robotics team at Shawnee High School. He resides in Shawnee and is the son of Renea and Bill Birney. He has two brothers, Billy and Ryan Birney.

Wright has been a member of the SSC staff for nine years and is an integral part of the campus operations team. As a custodian, she maintains a clean and welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff. Her duties range from cleaning restrooms and shampooing carpets to taking out the trash and mopping floors. Wright is also known for her helpfulness to students, often providing directions to key departments like admissions and financial aid.

Wright attended East Central University and is six credit hours away from completing her associate degree in Child Development at Seminole State College. She and her husband, Reggie, have been married for 31 years and reside in Seminole. They have two children, Stefan and Simone, and two granddaughters, Arabella and Dru.