Jefferson Recognizes 2026 Outstanding Adjunct Faculty
Published on Feb 27, 2026
Jefferson Community and Technical College recently celebrated its third annual Outstanding Adjunct Awards, honoring adjunct faculty for their hard work and commitment.
This year, ten adjunct faculty members were nominated for the award, which aims to encourage adjuncts to be more involved in college activities, promote the college community, and raise morale. Each Dean recommends one adjunct who has taught a minimum of four semesters and exemplifies the suggested characteristics of an Outstanding Adjunct, such as the ability to inspire students to do their best work, innovation, and campus involvement.
The nominees were recognized during the faculty meeting on Feb. 27 and presented with the Outstanding Adjunct Award certificate and a gift.
This year's award recipients are:
- Matt Bowman, 18 semesters of service: Allied Health Division | Physical Therapy Assistant
Matt demonstrates patience, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to student success and retention. His flexibility, extensive experience, and deep knowledge of the physical therapy profession allow him to connect theory to real-world practice in a way that is meaningful and effective for students. He comes to class prepared and delivers high-quality, well-organized, and clinically relevant content.
His teaching reflects not only strong instructional skills but also a sincere investment in helping students grow into competent and confident future clinicians. Beyond his teaching, Matt is a valued colleague who contributes positively to our program and team. We are truly fortunate to have him on staff, and his contributions greatly enhance the quality of our Physical Therapist Assistant program. - Tyler Ewing, 4 semesters of service: Business and Technology Division | Commercial
Arts Technology Program
Tyler has gone beyond teaching duties to help build the Prison Education Program. He introduced new ideas and approaches, adapting instruction and materials to meet real-world limitations that don’t exist in our regular campus environments. His work reflects thoughtful planning, flexibility, creativity, and a commitment to motivate students to do their best work. In addition, Tyler has helped lay a strong foundation for our program at Luther Luckett Correction Center by identifying structural challenges, suggesting workable solutions, and communicating clearly with program leadership and our Department of Corrections stakeholders. His follow-through, calm professionalism, and willingness to take initiative have directly supported our progress and success. - Gary Lyons, 35+ semesters of service: Manufacturing Division | Engineering and Electronics
Technology Program
Gary goes way beyond covering classes and has been an integral part of maintaining the equipment in the labs. Working with vendors, obtaining quotes, and installing software consumes many of his hours outside of class. His dedication to the students is demonstrated by working during the winter break to install software on laptops for the PLC class, ensuring his students would lose no learning time in the class. This was completed with no additional cost to the program. Gary held class on the day of his mother’s funeral. After getting stuck in traffic and arriving late, he still completed the scheduled class. - Chanise Shepherd, 6+ semesters of service: Nursing Division
Chanise creates a positive and supportive clinical environment where first-semester students feel comfortable asking questions, learning skills, and growing their confidence. Dependable and always willing to step in and help, she goes above and beyond for both students and faculty each semester. A true asset to the nursing program, Chanise brings professionalism, encouragement, and a genuine commitment to student success in everything she does. - Jason Longenbach, 11 semesters of service: Workforce Solutions Division | CMM (Machine
Tool) Program
Jason consistently receives excellent student feedback and is reliable, professional, completing all required paperwork and tracking documentation. He demonstrated dedication, exceptional flexibility, and creativity by teaching a special project course in addition to his already scheduled lab when there was a critical staffing need. Beyond instruction, Jason actively supports program growth and workforce partnerships. As an instructor at Southern High School, he recruits students and connects employers to the program, directly leading to a current employer partnership and the development of a special CMM cohort beginning Fall 2026. He has also taught for multiple industry cohorts, including Multi-Company Machine Tool, Ford, and MSD, demonstrating a level of commitment comparable to full-time faculty. - Kevin Browne, 15+ semesters of service: Behavioral and Social Sciences Division |
Philosophy Department
Kevin’s best quality is his availability to students. He responds quickly and politely to all requests made of him. He has gone above and beyond the typical scope of Adjunct duties by creating a master class for Philosophy that all other adjuncts could use that meets the KES standards. Kevin is willing to be an involved team player, filling in for unexpected staffing needs. To sum it up, Kevin is up to whatever task you ask of him, and he does it well. - Sarah Pennington, 7 semesters of service: English Division
Sarah’s interest in Interdisciplinary Humanities brings insight and enthusiasm for teaching to her classroom. She shows exceptional dedication and genuine care for students by intentionally creating a welcoming environment and offering snacks at each class. Sarah states, “The best part of JCTC is the students. I love seeing how motivated and engaged they are.” Sarah shares, “By setting out snacks, it fosters a space where students feel supported, valued, and comfortable engaging with peers. Not only are they motivated to better their lives by pursuing the degrees they need for their eventual careers, but they also are genuinely curious about the world.” - Midori Fushi, 5 semesters of service: Humanities Division | Modern Languages Program
She is eager to help build the program, teaching Japanese synchronous sessions for several semesters and now adding JPN 201 this summer. She reaches out to her students to keep them updated on their progress without being prompted to do so. She is very kind and patient with her students, which is especially important for a language as difficult as Japanese. She has been pivotal in helping to create a strategic plan to build Japanese so that students can receive a credential (outside the college) that they can present to employers, and undergraduate and graduate schools. - Karna Kafley, 14 semesters of service: Mathematics Division
Karna is a vital part of the Mathematics division, consistently teaching a faculty member’s class load. His dedication to student success is shown by his willingness to teach regularly on several campuses, serving in the math labs at those campuses as well. Karna regularly attends and participates in division meetings and other activities such as coursework groups, which aren’t mandatory for adjunct faculty. - Maia Langley, 17 years of service: Natural Science Division | Geology, Geography,
and Sustainability Programs
Maia’s effort to address and challenge common misconceptions and provide accurate, thoughtful information makes a strong impression on her students. She is committed to presenting material responsibly and respectfully. Due to her extraordinary experience and professionalism, she has the rare ability to design and present engaging and impactful online classes. Maia’s dedication to Jefferson and her students is demonstrated by the glowing student reviews she consistently receives.
