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Dr. Tera Simmons
Executive Vice President

 

Dr. Tera Simmons

The executive vice president assists the president with the overall leadership and development of the College as well as assists instructional deans in developing and meeting division, departmental and programmatic goals. The following departments report to Dr. Tera Simmons: Facilities and Maintenance, Foundation and Alumni Relations, Police Department,  ADA, Human Resources and Public Relations and Marketing.

Simmons has worked at ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State since July 2021. She has worked in public education since 1998, most recently as the assistant superintendent of Hoover City Schools. Prior to her service at HCS, she served in a number of capacities in the Butler County School System, including the director of student learning, curriculum director, a principal, assistant principal and special education teacher. 

Simmons obtained her Doctorate of Education in K-12 School Leadership and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in K-12 School Leadership from Regent University. She also earned a Master of Education in Collaborative Education 6-12 and a Bachelor of Education in Mild Learning and Behavioral Disabilities from Auburn University at Montgomery.

Simmons serves on the East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission. 

Mr. Alan Smith
Vice President of Capital Projects, Community Relations and Workforce Development

Alan Smith

Alan Smith is responsible for assisting in the development of goals and strategies for capital improvements, enhancing community and public relations, promoting workforce development efforts and other administrative duties. He oversees Engineering Technologies, Applied Technologies, Adult Education Services, Continuing Education and the Skills Training Division. He ensures the availability of appropriate workforce training opportunities to meet regional needs and further ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State’s mission to support local economic growth.

Smith earned his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business and Economics in 1992 from Auburn University. In 1994, he was awarded a Master of Science in Education from Auburn followed by a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama.

Smith started his career as an agriscience teacher at Hokes Bluff High School, where he worked for 11 years before opening his own construction and cabinet making company. In 2012, he returned to education as the building construction teacher at the Marshall County Technical School. In 2016, he was hired as the building construction instructor and coordinator of Alabama Simulated Workplace at the Etowah County Career Technical Center.

Smith began his career at ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State in December 2019 as the dean of Workforce Development. Under his leadership, over $36 million was invested in career technical education, including the construction of the Advanced Manufacturing and Workplace Skills Training Center on the East Broad Campus.

Smith has been honored several times as Teacher of the Year at the Etowah County School System, Hokes Bluff High School, Marshall County Technical School and Etowah County Career Technical Center. He was also named Alabama’s Most Outstanding Agriscience Technology Teacher.

In 2023, Smith was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Administrators from the Alabama Community College System. He was also appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to serve on the Region 2 Workforce Development Committee and to serve as subject matter expert of the Architecture and Construction Committee for the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways. 

In 2024, he received the Excellence in Post-Secondary Administration Award at the Etowah Chamber’s Excellence in Education Awards Ceremony and was appointed chair of the Workforce Commission for the ACCS.

 

 

Dr. Chanel L. Fort
Dean of Academic Programs and Services

Dr. Chanel L. Fort

As the dean of Academic Programs and Services, Dr. Chanel Fort oversees all academic instructional programs and services, including program development and revision, library sciences, online instruction and international programs. She also manages the Alabama Language Institute and leads the development and implementation of strategic planning for academic programs.

Fort holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and Health Services Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; a master’s degree in Human Services and Healthcare Administration from Capella University; and a doctoral degree in Education, Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University, which she completed in July.

Prior to joining ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State, Fort served as the director of outcomes assessment at Jefferson State Community College, where she led the college-wide assessment and accreditation process for all four of its campuses. From 2016 to 2021, she was the CEO and learning strategist at Fortified Learning Solutions, an organization she founded.

Other roles Fort has held include adjunct instructor at Jefferson State, corporate dean of health sciences for Education Corporation of America and program director of Pharmacy and Office Administration Programs at Virginia College. She has also worked as a grants officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and as a district pharmacy training coordinator and pharmacy profit-and-loss analyst for Walgreens.

In recognition of her contributions to education and her community, Fort was named to Birmingham Business Journal’s “People on the Move” list in 2021 and was honored as an Education Design Lab designer in residence in 2022. As EDL designer, she was recognized as one of 12 leaders “reimagining the role of higher education in addressing racial and economic opportunity gaps.” In her role as a United Negro College Fund Institutional Change Agent for a local HBCU, she received $1.1 million in funding for institutional transformation and innovation and was honored as a recipient of the UNCF Change Agent Award for Academic Improvement and Transformation.

 

 

Jessica Slaten
Dean of Financial and Administrative Services

 

Jessica Slaten

Jessica Slaten directs and coordinates all financial functions, establishes and maintains a system of internal accounting and administrative controls, manages investments, auxiliary services and business services and interprets and implements policies and procedures.

Slaten earned a Bachelor of Science in 1996 and Master of Business of Administration in 2000, both from Jacksonville State University. In 2008, she graduated from the University of Kentucky’s College Business Management Institute.

She started her career in 1998 as an accountant at ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State’s Ayers Campus. In 2003, she worked as the restricted funds accountant before progressing through the ranks as financial manager and director of Financial Services, a position she has held since 2022.

Slaten has served ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State in multiple capacities, including the Administrative Computer System Implementation Team and the OneACCS Administrative Computer System Implementation Accounts Receivable Team. She is a graduate of the 2020 Class of Leadership Etowah through the Etowah County Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, Slaten won the Chancellor’s Award for Administrators from the Alabama Community College System.

Dr. Joey Battles
Dean of Health Sciences

 

Dr. Joey Battles

Dr. Joey Battles is the chief academic officer for all of the Health Science programs. He develops and administers the programs instructional budget, provides innovative and strategic visionary leadership and supervises program directors. Departments reporting to him include Medical Laboratory Technology, Emergency Medical Services, Nursing Education (RN and LPN), Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Radiography, Surgical Operating Room Technology, Dental Assisting and Medical Assistant Technology.

Battles earned an associate degree in Radiography from ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο in 1991. He continued his education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and earned a bachelor’s degree in Medical Imaging in 1993. In 1995, Battles received a master’s degree in Allied Health Education from UAB. His doctoral degree in Educational Leadership was earned at Clarkson College in Omaha, Neb.

Battles has served in several health education roles throughout his career. Most recently, he was the director of the Radiography Program at ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State since August 2021. He has also worked as the program director of the Medical Imaging Program at Clarkson College; the associate director of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology; and the director of educational eligibility requirements at the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.

Dr. Dana Davis
Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Grants, and Special Projects

Dr. Dana Davis

Dr. Dana Davis is responsible for a comprehensive institutional effectiveness program that includes annual planning, assessment, evaluation and continuous improvement. She will conduct institutional research and identify pertinent data for informed decision-making, planning and program development and management. She will also prepare internal and external reports specific to the college's performance and she oversees grant writing, grant management, grant administration and special projects for the college. 

Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Services with a concentration in Psychology and Social Work from Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn. She holds a master's degree in Counselor Education from Jacksonville State University and received her doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama in 2010.

Davis began her career in 1995 as an admissions counselor at Martin Methodist College. The following year, she worked as a graduate student financial aid clerk and a practicum student counselor at Jax State. In 1998, she started her career at ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State as an admissions counselor and went on to work as an academic advisor and counselor as well as the acting director of Counseling and Advising. In 2018, Davis was promoted to director of the Advising and Retention Center, where she remained until her current appointment in April 2025.

Davis volunteers for the United Way of Etowah County, where she serves on the Allocations Panel and was a loaned executive. She was recognized as the United Way’s Loaned Executive of the Year in 2019. Other honors include winning the Staff Excellence to Service Award at ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State and the Services to Students Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success Excellence. In 2019, she was inducted into the Martin Methodist College Sports Hall of Fame for her service as the student athletic trainer and athletic assistant for all sports.

Davis is a member of the Alabama Community College System Advisor Group, the JSU Transfer Advisory Board and the BAMA LINK Political Action Committee for the University of Alabama. She also serves the College on several committees, currently serving as the liaison for the Margin of Excellence Committee; an advisor on the Title IX Committee; ad hoc member on the Curriculum Committee; and team lead for DegreeWorks, a web-based academic advising and degree audit tool.

 

Andy Robertson
Dean of Workforce Development

 

Andy Robertson

Andy Robertson is responsible for the Workforce Development Division, including credit and non-credit career technical programs, training delivery for business and industry, Adult Education and Continuing Education. He also establishes and fosters partnerships with local government, secondary education and regional business and industry.

Robertson earned an Associate in Applied Science in Electronic Engineering Technology in 2003 from ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State. In 2013, he was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education from Jacksonville State University. He most recently earned a Master of Science in Career and Technical Education from Athens State University in April 2024.

Robertson worked for five years as a service engineer for Vulcan Engineering before a stint as a teacher in the Pell City Schools. He came to ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State in 2015 to work as the Electronic Engineering Technology instructor on the Ayers Campus. Five years later, he was promoted to the coordinator of Workforce Development and the division chair of Applied and Engineering Technologies on the Ayers Campus.

Robertson was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Administration in 2024 and the Eugene Prater Exceptional Achievement in Teaching in 2019. He is also a graduate of the Faculty Development Institute, the ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State Leadership Academy and Leadership Calhoun County. Business Alabama magazine recognized Robertson in its July 2024 edition in the “Movers and Shapers” spotlight.

Mr. Andy Green 
Dean of Student Services

Andy Green

Andy Green serves as the dean of Student Services. He provides leadership, strategic planning and executive oversight of student enrollment, retention and success for credit and non-credit programs.

Green came to ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο State in November 2023 from Jacksonville State University, where he worked for 18 years. He served in several positions at the university, including director of academic advising, director of enrollment management, director of community engagement and assistant dean of honors and special programs.

Green has a bachelor’s degree in geography and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in spatial analysis management from JSU.

Green represents Place 1 on the Jacksonville City Council and has been appointed to the Civil Service Board and the Commercial Development Authority. He has served in many leadership roles in the Alabama Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the Alabama Banner Users Group and the Alabama ACT Council.

Green served as co-chair of the Calhoun County Complete Count Census Committee, was named Ambassador of the Year and is a graduate of Leadership Calhoun County through the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce. He was in the inaugural cohort of the Professional Leadership Academy and is a graduate of Leadership Etowah through The Chamber of ¸£Àû¼§×Ôο and Etowah.