Northwest Florida State College Wins Blackboard Catalyst Award for Optimizing the Student Experience

Photo Caption: (left to right) Lee Blakemore, Blackboard Chief Client Officer and President of Global Markets; Dr. Nate Slaton, NWFSC VP of Student Success; Cole Allen, NWFSC Chief Information Officer; Dr. Deidre Price, NWFSC Director of Instructional Technology and Online Education and Bill Ballhaus, Blackboard CEO


NICEVILLE, FL – Northwest Florida State College was recently named a winner of the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Optimizing the Student Experience. Blackboard is a provider of learner success-focused technology solutions and services. Their award honors institutions whose educational and administrative innovations have markedly improved the total learner experience by leveraging technology in the areas of student recruitment, financial aid, enrollment, retention and assessment, graduation and beyond. Winners are selected by a cross-functional team of Blackboard experts.

“Northwest Florida State College focuses on creating the best experiences for students, and we are incredibly proud to be acknowledged by Blackboard for our hard work” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, Northwest Florida State College president. “The strategic investment in personnel and technology has already made a positive impact on the student experience, and we remain committed to ensuring our students soar and Take Flight!”

Many employees from Learning Technologies, IT, the Academic Success Center and Student Success were instrumental in optimizing the student experience at Northwest Florida State College: Cole Allen, chief information officer; Carter Caywood, executive director of student success navigation; Angelica Cummins, technical support specialist; Jessica Holley, manager of retention and completion; Joshuah Jacobs, online learning support specialist; T.J. Lawhon, LMS administrator; Brian Majka, instructional technologist; John Patten, instructional designer; Dr. Deidre Price, director of instructional technology; Romanie Roach, online accessibility specialist, and Dr. Nate Slaton, vice president of student success.

“We’re thrilled to honor this year’s Blackboard Catalyst Award winners for their commitment to improving the educational experience for all learners through EdTech and sharing these insights with the broader community,” said Lee Blakemore, chief client officer and president, global client operations & success at Blackboard. “Clients like these inspire us to accelerate innovation driving student success and we’re proud to be a part of their story.”

The Northwest Florida State College team was honored alongside other Blackboard Catalyst Award winners during BbWorld 2019, Blackboard’s annual user conference held July 23-25 in Austin, TX.

For more information on the Blackboard Catalyst Awards, please visit: https://community.blackboard.com/groups/catalystawards.

About Blackboard

Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable learner and institutional success, leveraging innovative technologies and services. With an unmatched understanding of the world of the learner, the most comprehensive student-success solutions, and the greatest capacity for innovation, Blackboard is education’s partner in change.


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