March 12, 2026

Lassiter and Gatling Honored with Trustee Emeritus Designation

By Dr. Murray J. Williams, R-CCC President

                                                                       

AHOSKIE, NC– Roanoke-Chowan Community College (R-CCC) has reached a historic milestone. For the first time since the college opened its doors in 1967, the Board of Trustees has conferred the honorary title of Trustee Emeritus. That distinction has been awarded to two men whose names have become synonymous with steadfast leadership and unwavering advocacy for this institution and the communities it serves: Mr. Andre M. Lassiter, Sr. and Mr. Ronald J. Gatling.
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Their emeritus recognition is more than a ceremonial honor. It is a formal acknowledgment that without their persistence, vision, and courage—often exercised behind the scenes and under significant pressure—Roanoke-Chowan Community College might not exist in its current form today. Both men were two of the three trustees, along with current Board Chair Jeri Pierce, who stood in Raleigh and made the case that this college must remain open, that its students and its rural region deserved better than to see their local community college shuttered because of the failures of a few.
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A first in the college’s history
Under Policy 1.11, the title of Trustee Emeritus is reserved for former trustees who have provided outstanding and dedicated service to Roanoke-Chowan Community College over many years, including service as Board Chair and as chair of at least one standing committee. It is an honorary designation, without voting power, intended to recognize those whose leadership has significantly advanced the mission and vision of the college while modeling integrity, commitment, and a collaborative spirit.
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In selecting Mr. Lassiter and Mr. Gatling as the first recipients of this honor, the Board of Trustees is recognizing more than longevity. It is recognizing a particular kind of leadership: steady in crisis, generous in service, grounded in the lived realities of students and families, and unafraid to speak with clarity to county commissioners, state legislators, and system officials when the future of the institution was at stake.
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Andre M. Lassiter, Sr.: A first-generation graduate who became a first-class advocate
Andre M. Lassiter, Sr. knows from personal experience what a community college can mean to a student’s life. As a proud first-generation community college student and graduate of Roanoke-Chowan Community College, he has never forgotten the doors that opened for him on this campus. He carried that gratitude into 14 years of trustee service, from 2009 to 2023, including four years as Board Chair, four years as Finance Chair, three years as Personnel Chair, and 11 years on the Board’s Executive Committee.
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During his tenure, Mr. Lassiter became a mentor to new trustees and a bridge between the Board and the president, helping to shape a relationship characterized by open communication and shared commitment to student success. He also brought the perspective of a business owner who understands the importance of strong workforce partnerships; that vantage point helped the college align its programs with regional labor-market needs and build deeper ties with employers across Hertford, Bertie, and Northampton counties.
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The physical campus itself bears witness to his influence. Under his leadership as a trustee, the college undertook a series of significant renovations and upgrades: a refurbished auditorium; bathrooms upgraded for ADA compliance; modernized HVAC infrastructure; roof replacements across campus; and the total renovation of the historic Davis Building, the college’s first facility and a landmark in its own right. Mr. Lassiter also helped lead fundraising and planning efforts for a new Fine Arts building and a new Allied Health building, understanding that modern, well-designed learning environments are critical to recruiting students and offering high-quality programs for the region.
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Beyond bricks and mortar, his impact can be seen in a long list of academic and student-success initiatives he championed as Board Chair and executive committee member. Among them are innovative evening and weekend programs for underemployed residents; “CAPS on the Wave,” an advising pathway designed to support students from application to graduation; credit for prior learning policies that recognize noncredit training; and new workforce programs in advanced manufacturing, barbering, commercial truck driving, HVAC, and welding developed in partnership with local employers.
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He provided board leadership for major grant-funded efforts as well, including a Golden LEAF–supported Universal Training Center, satellite training centers in Bertie and Northampton counties, the Male Minority Success Initiative, the “First in the World” persistence and completion initiative, the Scholars of Global Distinction program, the R‑CCC Commitment last-dollar scholarship, and expanded transfer and career fairs for area students. He also played a key role in securing a Cannon Foundation grant that launched the college’s clean energy initiative to modernize HVAC and lighting systems.
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Much of this work required careful, persistent advocacy in Raleigh and beyond. Mr. Lassiter met regularly with legislators and senators to pursue special state appropriations for capital projects and operations, and he advocated at the national level for policies such as summer Pell and free community college. He convened state leaders on the R‑CCC campus to discuss a vision for a universal training center and healthcare complex that would position the college as a regional hub for workforce development in northeastern North Carolina.
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At every step, he brought not only policy knowledge and political skill, but also a personal story—speaking as someone who had “walked the walk” of community college education and understood what it means for a student to be given a chance. That combination of lived experience, strategic leadership, and deep commitment to students is what makes his designation as Trustee Emeritus so fitting.
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Ronald Gatling: Steady leadership in times of transition
If Mr. Lassiter’s story is one of transformation grounded in a student’s journey to trustee leadership, Mr. Ronald Gatling’s story is one of quiet steadiness and institutional memory through times of uncertainty. Mr. Gatling served as a trustee for more than 20 years, providing thoughtful leadership through the terms of several presidents and multiple periods of transition at the college. He served as Vice Chair for many years, dating back to at least 2009, and later as Board Chair from August 2022 until his retirement from the board in May 2025.
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Colleagues describe him as a trusted counselor, particularly during difficult seasons. As then-Chair Jeri Pierce has noted, she relied heavily on his advice and encouragement as the board navigated a challenging period that included the tenure of an unsuccessful president, two interim presidencies, and the beginning of Dr. Murray J. Williams’s service as president—all under the watchful eye of a special committee appointed by the State Board to monitor the college’s board governance. Through it all, Mr. Gatling’s deep knowledge of the institution and his calm, principled guidance helped steady the board and keep its focus on mission.
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One of the defining moments of his trustee service came when he, former Trustee Lassiter, and Chair Pierce traveled to Raleigh to meet with legislators and North Carolina Community College System officials to advocate for Roanoke-Chowan Community College at a time when closure was actively being discussed. In that critical meeting, Mr. Gatling spoke passionately about the college’s importance to the region, the unjustness of allowing the missteps of a few individuals to define the institution, and the real consequences closure would have for students, families, and employers in the Roanoke-Chowan area. Those conversations were instrumental in preserving the college and charting a path forward.
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Mr. Gatling’s advocacy for education has always extended beyond the community college. He has worked to build meaningful connections between K–12 students and R‑CCC, encouraging collaborations that support academic growth and help students see local postsecondary options as part of their future. In his role as Chairman of the Hertford County Board of Commissioners, he remained a strong supporter of the college, encouraging his fellow commissioners to fund its facilities, operations, and programs at levels that reflected its importance to the county and region.
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Across his many years of service, he earned a reputation for wisdom, reliability, and genuine care for people. Trustees and presidents alike have spoken of the privilege of serving alongside him, and of the quiet but enduring imprint he has left on the institution’s culture and decision making. His selection as Trustee Emeritus recognizes that enduring influence and the critical role he played in ensuring that Roanoke-Chowan Community College not only survived, but is now positioned to thrive.
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Standing in the gap for a college and a community
The stories of Andre Lassiter and Ronald Gatling are deeply intertwined with the story of Roanoke-Chowan Community College itself. Both men have spent years building bridges—between the college and its three counties, between the board and the president, between the campus and business and industry, and between policymakers in Raleigh and Washington and the people whose lives are changed by access to education close to home.
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Their most consequential act of leadership may well have been their willingness, alongside Chair Pierce, to stand in the gap when the college’s future was in question. In that moment, they were not only defending an institution; they were defending the right of rural students to have a strong community college in their own backyard, the right of local employers to a trained workforce, and the right of the Roanoke-Chowan region to chart its own future rather than have it decided from afar.
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The Board of Trustees’ decision to create a Trustee Emeritus designation and to confer it first on Mr. Lassiter and Mr. Gatling sends a clear message about what kind of leadership Roanoke-Chowan Community College values: leadership that is rooted in community, committed to equity and opportunity, and willing to do the hard work—often quietly, often over many years—that keeps an institution moving forward.
 
As the college looks ahead to new facilities, expanded workforce programs, and renewed efforts to serve students across Hertford, Bertie, and Northampton counties, it does so on a foundation strengthened by the service of these two men. Their names will now appear with the honorary title of Trustee Emeritus, but their true legacy is written in the lives of students who enrolled, persisted, and graduated; in the partnerships that have been forged; and in the simple, powerful fact that Roanoke-Chowan Community College’s doors remain open.
 
Lassiter and Gatling’s Trustee Emeritus status will be formally recognized during Roanoke-Chowan Community College’s 57th Commencement Exercises on May 1, 2026, at 6 p.m. This celebration will allow the college’s graduates, their families, and the broader community to join Roanoke-Chowan Community College in honoring the exemplary service and enduring legacy of these two former trustees.

Roanoke-Chowan Community College’s Mission

Roanoke-Chowan Community College, a member of the North Carolina Community College System and located in Hertford County, is a public, two-year institution of higher education offering associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, college and career readiness, and customized business and industry training in a variety of delivery modes promoting public service, transfer, and workforce development for a diverse student body, leading them to contribute to the vitality of an increasingly global community. www.roanokechowan.edu #DiscoverRCCC “Where community and careers connect”

Media Contact: Melanie Temple, Director of Marketing & Recruitment/PIO, metemple7181@roanokechowan.edu, 252-862-1243