ACT Award winners include two Edmonds College nominees

David Breed received the Faculty Member Award at the ACT Awards on Thursday.

A pair of nominees by the Edmonds College Board of Trustees were recognized during Thursday’s 2022 Washington State ACT (Association of College Trustees) Spring Conference. Instructor David Breed received the Faculty Member Award, and Cathy Jackson and T-Mobile were named Partner of the Year for their work with Edmonds College.

The Faculty Member Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in teaching in the community and technical college system. Breed teaches pre-college math in the High School Completion program, which supports students working towards a GED or finishing their high school diploma. He is well-regarded not only for math teaching skills but for teaching self-confidence and self-efficacy.

“David is passionate about working with students who have been disenfranchised in their prior academic lives: students with math anxiety, students who have experienced limited traditional academic success, students for whom English is not their first language, students who have not been served well in the K-12 system,” said Pre-College Division Dean Allison Cohen. “He believes in his students’ inherent strengths and helps them to recognize these assets. It is clear that fostering student success is his life’s work.”

Breed is also president of the Edmonds College Faculty Senate. He successfully advocated for funding for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) sub-committee of the senate at the beginning of the academic year. This committee is dedicated to improving the student experience in and out of the classroom as well as providing DEI training for faculty.

Cathy Jackson and T-Mobile were recognized as Partner of the Year at the ACT Awards.

Breed was previously recognized for his work on campus with the EC Foundation Echelbarger-Sherman award in 2012-13, the EC Excellence in Education in 2015, and the 2018 Honorary Triton Award, awarded by the student government.

Jackson is the director of product and technology for innovative data solutions at T-Mobile. She has been a catalyst for developing a new program at Edmonds College that combines paid internships with classroom learning. This partnership created an educational pathway that historically is limited to students pursuing a four-year degree. However, by analyzing closely the skills needed for entry-level associate software engineers, Jackson was able to work with Edmonds College to develop a new certificate program. The program opens doors for high school and community college students to enter the field of information technology with the knowledge and skill required in a very competitive industry.

“The innovation of this program has created a blueprint for future programs that feature collaboration between public and private entities to the benefit of the community,” said Edmonds College President Dr. Amit B. Singh. “We hope that other large employers will embrace this model and provide more opportunities for students to gain dual credit and real-world experience that puts them on the path to meaningful careers.”

The program also addresses a lack of diversity in the IT industry, an issue that T-Mobile addresses on a national stage. Jackson is committed to recruiting students with limited resources to promote diversity and equity in the labor force, especially in the field of IT.