In recognition of National Women’s History Month, the College of Charleston’s Office of Institutional Diversity will host Trident Technical College President Mary Thornley for a keynote presentation on March 18, 2016.
Mary Thornley received an honorary degree from the College of Charleston in 2013.
Part of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Signature Speaker Series, the event takes place at 6 p.m. in the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance’s Alumni Center, located at 86 Wentworth St. The event is free and open to the public.
Thornley has been president of Trident Technical College since 1991. She holds associate and bachelor’s degrees from Mars Hill College, a master’s of teaching degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Carolina. She was awarded an honorary degree from the College of Charleston in 2013.
A lifelong and tireless advocate for education, Thornley is passionate about the role of community colleges in making communities and the nation stronger, more adaptable and better able to face the challenges of the future. She has been recognized by numerous organizations for her outstanding leadership, immeasurable service to the Charleston region and the state of South Carolina as well as her continued strong advancement of diversity, inclusion, access, and equity in South Carolina higher education.
John Bello-Ogunu, Sr., associate vice president and chief diversity officer for the College, described Thornley as “an outstanding role model, a champion of diversity, access, equity, and inclusion in higher education, and an excellent example of the immeasurable and priceless contributions that women have, and continue to make to the growth and development of our regions, states, nations, and indeed, of our world.”
Among the many awards and recognitions Thornley has received are the Service and Leadership Award for Promoting Access and Equity in Higher Education from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education; the Southeast Region Chief Executive Officer Award from the Association of Community College Trustees; the Trident United Way Women’s Leadership Award; The Citadel’s School of Business Leadership of Principal Award; the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s Influential Women in Business Award; the Free Enterprise Foundation Ethics and Civics Responsibility Award; the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Vision Award; Septima P. Clark Charleston Branch NAACP Education Award; and the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from Phi Theta Kappa.
The Office of Institutional Diversity’s Signature Speaker Series was created to promote community dialogue on diversity, inclusion, and social justice issues through presentations, workshops and seminars by local, regional and national speakers with the ultimate goal of advancing diversity, access, equity and inclusion at the College of Charleston.
