LCC Pays Tribute to Employees of the Year

(Lamar, Colorado; December 17, 2015)  Lamar Community College is proud to recognize the following staff and faculty members who have been selected as Employees of the Year: Brian Harris, Administrator; Doug Cash, Faculty; Rita Horton, Classified Employee; and Terry Martin, Adjunct Instructor.  These individuals have made a true and lasting impact on LCC as a whole and the students in attendance.

Brian Harris – Administrator of the Year

Brian Harris

Brian Harris currently serves as the college’s Information Technology Director.  He has worked in IT for 16 years after he began his career in the Marine Corps.  He continued with the Department of Defense as a contractor before moving into education, first at the K-12 level and then in higher education.  He has served as the IT Director for LCC since 2010.

Brian is from the South and grew up in eastern Tennessee.  He met his wife while he was in the Marines and she was serving in the U.S. Navy.  The two returned to her hometown in La Junta when Brian took a position with La Junta Public Schools in 2005.  He spends all is spare time trying to keep up with his two kids.

Doug Cash – Faculty of the Year

Doug Cash

Doug Cash is the full-time welding faculty member at Lamar Community College.  He has worked at the college for five years, sharing over 30 years’ worth of experience in the welding industry with his students.

Doug started his career in welding in 1983 for A-J Sales, a small trailer company in Commerce City.  From there he went on to weld for Timpte trailers for a year or two, then at Merritt Equipment for 7 years.  While at Merritt Equipment he picked up a few certifications and practiced aluminum welding.  He then spent ten years working for Stanley Aviation, becoming a Class A aerospace welder.  After losing his wife in 1997, he moved his daughters to Wiley and started his own business.  He continues to run his business alongside his duties at LCC.

Rita Horton – Classified Employee of the Year

Rita Horton

Rita Horton is a valued member of the custodial staff at LCC.  She has a long history with the college, with over ten years of full-time employment.

Rita began working at the college part-time on weekends and additional hours as necessary.  She took over a classified employee position when another custodial member retired and has been working full-time ever since.  She takes pride in her work and enjoys knowing that she has done the best that she can in maintaining the college grounds.  She has lived in Lamar most of her life, but when she isn’t working she enjoys going to Denver to see her grandkids.

Terry Martin – Adjunct Instructor of the Year

Terry Martin

Terry Martin has worked as an adjunct faculty member in the welding department for two years.  He enjoys the teaching process as well as working with the college students while trying to impart to them the knowledge to be a great welder and a valuable employee in whatever direction they choose to follow.

Terry started welding in high school in 1967.  For years afterward he worked as a toolmaker for several aerospace firms and Cross Manufacturing here in Lamar.  He has acquired over 40 years of experience in the welding industry.  He also served as the training officer for 2 Helicopter squadrons while serving in the US Navy.

Each year the Colorado Community College System recognizes full-time faculty, staff, and administrators with system-sponsored events in February and March.  LCC elects to recognize the additional category of Adjunct Instructor.  These employees are selected by their peers: full-time faculty and staff within the college.

LCC realizes that its employees’ individual efforts make all the difference in serving students and maintaining a high quality educational environment.  The college wholeheartedly congratulates each employee for their continued contributions to LCC and thanks them for their years of service.