2024-2026 Executive Board Nominee Statements
President Elect:
- Jay Martin — Wake Technical Community College
I am Jay Martin, Senior Professor at Wake Technical CC, where I have been teaching mathematics for 38 years. I am long time active member of NCMATYC and AMATYC. I have served on the AMATYC Conference Committee for 10 years and I have served as NCMATYC Eastern VP for two 4-year terms. Recently, I served as a Principal Investigator on a 3-year NSF ATE funded project “Connecting Industry to Mathematics Instruction” and I am currently working with another NSF funded project “Needed Math”. NCMATYC is one of the best AMATYC affiliates and I would like to help our organization continue to grow in areas such as communication within NCMATYC members and our relationship with NCCTM and other AMATYC affiliates. As your President, I do plan to lead projects that could improve issues that arise in our profession over the next 6 years.
Secretary:
- Stacey Harlow — Wake Tech. Community College
I have been a full-time instructor at Wake Tech Community College since the Fall of 2015 and attended my first NCMATYC conference in 2016. Since then, I have had the opportunity to present at multiple conferences and meet many teachers across the state. I have also had the opportunity to attend a few AMATYC conferences and participated in Project ACCCESS from 2017-2018. The NCMATYC and AMATYC conferences have been such great resources throughout my teaching career. The collaboration with other teachers, and the ideas I have gained from each conference have helped me continually improve my teaching and grow as an instructor. I would love the opportunity to become more involved in NCMATYC and serve as secretary over the next two years. If elected as secretary, I look forward to helping plan future conferences, working to grow our membership, and sharing the great resources offered through NCMATYC.
Treasurer:
- Vicki Todd — Southwestern Community College
Almost 15 years ago, I started as an adjunct at Southwestern Community College. At the time, I was taken to my first NCMATYC conference. I have made lifelong friends as well as developed contacts that help me to be a better instructor. It is my time to give back to this strong and worthy organization.
Eastern Region Vice-President
- Nolan Outlaw — Wake Tech. Community College
I am currently serving as the Eastern Region’s Vice President, and with your support, I would like to continue in this role for two more years. Working to help plan our conferences over the last two years and seeing the top-quality conference that we are able to host for North Carolina has been very rewarding. I have been a full-time math instructor at Wake Tech Community College since August 2016. Some of my NCMATYC and AMATYC leadership experience includes being a member of AMATYC’s Project ACCCESS Cohort 15 (2018-2019), the chair of AMATYC’s Math and its Applications for Careers Committee (2020-2021), and the current Eastern VP for NCMATYC (2022-2023). Through NCMATYC, I have met many math teachers from across North Carolina and have learned from their experiences and been able to grow professionally as a result of our organization. NCMATYC has been a valuable part of my teaching career, and it is my hope to ensure that it continues to be that great resource for all community college math teachers across our state.
Central Region Vice-President
- Zac Beckstrom – Durham Technical Community College
Hi everyone. My name is Zac Beckstrom and I’m the department chair of math and physics at Durham Tech. I am a huge fan of the NCMATYC and AMATYC conferences. I enjoy meeting folks from around the state and sharing valuable strategies. I attended the AMATYC conference in Omaha, Nebraska last November. I sat in multiple sessions on active learning and feel this proven system of teaching could greatly benefit our students in the community college system. I’m also interested in improving our support and gateway classes to make sure student learning is optimal and efficient. I have a diverse career history including social services and teaching. I’ve attended conferences in both professions and feel I can bring successful practices to the NCMATYC board. And like so many of you, I love teaching. I’d like to expand this passion through NCMATYC. Finally, as North Carolina educators, we are tasked with developing the minds of present and future generations. This amazing responsibility requires teachers to not only provide the best classroom experience possible, but to serve our system to ensure broader success. I would like step up and fulfill my this promise.
Western Region Vice-President
- Dustin King — Catawba Valley Community College
My name is Dustin King I have been a member of NCMATYC since 2018. I have been an instructor at Catawba Valley Community College since 2018 and department chair since 2022. Before 2018, I was a member of SOCAMATYC while teaching at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. Besides my resume, I see myself as a funny, laid-back person, who loves their son and now enjoys playing Pokémon Go. I am qualified for the position because I am passionate about mathematics and the students and faculty that I serve. I strive to bring equity and consistency to those that I serve. I’m currently on the NCMATYC FTE committee, provide feedback for the Developmental Education surveys, and champion for funding for STEM-related travel, including conferences and math competitions for both students and faculty. I have been accused of being too “faculty-friendly”, which I wear as a badge of honor. If I were elected for the position, I would want to continue to work on the FTE committee. I would like to expand opportunities for students across the state to attend math competitions by investigating the possibility of a travel grant for students. I also want to explore the possibility of a scholarship for those who are interested in pursuing a community college teaching career. As a possibility to help NCMATYC grow, look into creating a list of all community college math instructors in NC and their contact information to ensure NCMATYC is reaching everyone. I would inquire into the creation of a OneDrive/Google folder where members can share resources across the state.