R-CCC Trustee Spotlight –Jeri Pierce

June 13, 2023

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R-CCC Trustee Spotlight – Jeri Pierce

(Seventh in a series of columns about the college trustees)

Jeri Pierce is following in the footsteps of her father, John E. Pierce, Jr., who left a lasting impact of service in Hertford County.

“As a Hertford County Commissioner, my father gave so much to the community that when he passed in 2009, I felt that I should step out there to serve and give back to the county the way he did,” states Ms. Pierce.

2009 is also the year she was appointed by the Hertford County Commissioners to serve as a trustee on the board at Roanoke-Chowan Community College. She was asked to serve as a trustee by another former commissioner, the late DuPont Davis, who had served with her father.

The Pierces are a family of service as her mother retired from the Hertford County Office of Aging where she assisted with services for older adults. She has one brother, who lives in Pennsylvania and whose daughter, her niece, is graduating from high school this year at the top of her class. She also has one nephew that currently majors in Computer Science at PennWest Clarion. 

From Winton and a 2001 graduate of Hertford County High School, Pierce received a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in psychology from East Carolina University in 2005.  She was considering law school but returned to Hertford County and accepted a job at the State Employees Credit Union where she is now a Financial Services Manager.

“I love my job and am so proud of all that the credit union does to help the community,” she says.  “Providing scholarships for students at R-CCC is one of the ways we support educational institutions in our area.”

Roanoke-Chowan Community College is a participant in the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation Bridge to Career Program that provides funding to colleges to award scholarships to outstanding students.  The local SECU has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to R-CCC students for many years.

Pierce has helped to present these scholarships to students and is a frequent participant in many of the college’s events. She promotes events that bring students to see the campus and suggests new ideas such as alumni events to help recruit new students. 

“Our college is making much progress in growth and at this year’s graduation we saw an increased number of graduates in programs such as nursing,” states the trustee.  “Our challenge is to attract those students who wish to stay in the community and re-invest in the area.”

“Many students are not ready to move to larger colleges and universities.  R-CCC allows them to stay at home and receive the education they need to transfer to a university or enter the local workforce immediately,” she states. 

Pierce served as the R-CCC Board of Trustees’ chair for three years, and currently serves as the board’s vice-chair.  

She is a past member of the Hertford County Joint Community Advisory Committee where she served as vice-chair; a current member of the Hertford County ABC Board serving as the chair for 2 years and vice-chair for three years; a past member of the Ahoskie Kiwanis Club; and a current member of the Hertford County Board of Elections.  

The trustee is a member of the Iota Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and an active member of Pleasant Plains Baptist Church, where she serves as a trustee. 

“It is a joy to serve on the board of trustees at R-CCC,” she states.  “We are excited to welcome new trustees to the board recently and the fresh ideas they bring for the future.”

The trustees hosted a luncheon of appreciation for the R-CCC faculty and staff recently and Trustee Pierce commented ‘it is important to invest in the ones who help our students and show our appreciation to them.’

“It’s often the small things we do that make a large impact on the ones we serve,” concludes the trustee.

Although she has big footsteps to follow, it appears that Jeri is another Pierce who is making a lasting impact on Hertford County. 

Members of the Roanoke-Chowan Community College Board of Trustees are appointed to the board by the Governor of North Carolina, the Hertford County Board of County Commissioners, and Hertford County Board of Education.