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RaymonSpottsvilleRaymon Spottsville isdean of education at FortisCollege in Smyrna, Georgia.Raymon, who joined EAfour years ago, has 27 yearsof experience in education.He has a Bachelor of Sciencein Biomedical Engineeringand a master’s degree in business administration. His onthe-job “A-Ha!” experience includes the realization that“students love structure,” he says. “When they learn in anenvironment that holds them accountable to high standards,they will step up to the challenge to be successful.” Askedwhy he was selected for inclusion in the Circle of Excellence,Raymon replied, “Fortis is a family. I instill family values,traditions and expectation in all that I do in my job.” Hesays career schools like Fortis College excel in educating“first-generation college students, second-chance students,and students who want to make an immediate differencein their life and the life of someone dear to them.” Raymonsays the best part of his job is “making a difference insomeone’s life every day I go to work.” Raymon and his wifeof 22 years, Tamara, have an 18-year-old son, Terrell, and an11-year-old son, Trenton.Kimberly PilkerKimberly Pilker is dean ofnursing at Fortis Institutein Erie, Pennsylvania.Kimberly, who joined EA12 years ago, has a career innursing that spans 20 years.She says working in nursingeducation has been a twoway street in which studentslearn, “but I also learn fromour students as well, how to engage in the classroom, howto motivate, et cetera.” Kimberly says career schools likeFortis enable many student success stories that otherwisenever would be told: “Most of the students in our program(like others) are non-traditional or displaced workers. Weare able to give these students an opportunity.” Indeed,she says the best part of her job is interacting with facultyand students and seeing former students succeed aftergraduating. Kimberly has two sons and three dogs, arecommended ratio. Her hobbies include photography andanything that takes her outdoors.Amanda RossAmanda Ross is dean ofeducation at Fortis Institutein Pensacola, Florida. Shejoined EA seven monthsago and previously spentnine years working forcareer colleges and nineyears teaching middle schooland high school students.Amanda has a Master of Artsin Education and Human Development and a Bachelorof Arts in Archaeology. Her hometown is New Orleans.One of her biggest “A-ha!” realizations is that her roletranscends day-to-day administration. “My role is so muchmore than administrative, it’s to help nurture and guidestudents along an unfamiliar patch,” she says. Fortis andother career colleges “fill a niche that would otherwise gounfilled,” Amanda says. “Our students are typically not assuccessful at more traditional schools.” She ranks her roleas a change agent as the best part of her job: “I like thatI have had a positive impact on the lives of students andtheir families.”Dr. ZoeJoanna HillZoe JoAnna Hill serves asdean of nursing educationprograms at the DenverCollege of Nursing. Zoe,who joined EA nearly 11years ago, has worked formore than 20 years innursing education. She alsopracticed for 15 years as a family nurse practitioner.She has a Doctorate in Nursing from the Universityof South Florida, a master’s degree in nursing fromthe University of Tampa, and a bachelor’s degree fromDartmouth University. Her recurring “A-ha!” experiencesinclude watching her nursing students blossomintellectually. “It is absolutely amazing to see a studentconnect the dots while in the program,” she says. Studentsuccess is rarely a clear path to graduation, so Zoe says sheoffers practical advice to improve student performancethrough better study habits and test-taking skills and theapplication of classroom lessons to practice. Zoe has oneson, Ricky, and in her free time, she and her husband areworking on the production of a collection of sacred andsecular acapella music.

Rebecca FordDr. Lisa CarwieRebecca Ford is dean ofnursing at Fortis Collegein Salt Lake City, Utah.Rebecca joined EA eightyears ago. Prior to her tenureat Fortis College, she wasthe dean of nursing foranother program in Utah.Rebecca has a master’sdegree in nursing, with acertification (NHCE, Nursing Health Care Educator)focus in education. She said her individual Circle ofExcellence honor reflects collective talent and hard work:“It is a dedicated and talented group of committedfaculty and staff that makes this program a success.” Twograduates of her program recently returned to report theypassed the NCLEX test (National Council LicensureExamination), and to thank her for her support duringtheir days as students. She says they thanked her for her“encouragement during the self-doubt times, and for beinga ‘family’ to them. They both told me that, had it not beenfor such a support system here, they would not have beensuccessful.” Rebecca has two kids, ages 33 and 30, and twograndchildren who are eight years old and four. She says,“my hobbies are to spend time with [my grandchildren] asmuch as I can.”Lisa Carwie is dean ofnursing at Fortis Institute inPensacola, Florida. Lisa hasspent nine years with EAand previously worked 34years as a registered nurse inwomen’s services and acutecare. Her experience innursing education spans 22years. Lisa has a Doctorate.in Instructional Design and Development, plus master’s,bachelor’s and associate degrees in nursing. She says heron-the-job “A-ha!” moments happen “when a student hasmade a difference in a patient’s life and they realize howimportant they can be.” Career schools like Fortis providemore personal attention than large universities, Lisa said.“Our students have names, not numbers, and I think thathelps our student population to succeed,” she said, andthe Pensacola campus of Fortis Institute “does an excellentjob of supporting students who have found themselveswithout a stable support system.” Lisa has two daughters,ages 26 and 19, and shares her home with a cat namedSqueak and a dog named Spencer.Tara GarrettTara Garrett serves as anacademic coach for nursingstudents at Fortis Collegein Centerville, Ohio. Tarahas a Master of Science inNursing and worked oneand a half years as a pediatricnurse care manager. Shejoined EA a year and a halfago. Her “A-ha!” momentsunfold when she sees students interact with patients forthe first time and apply classroom lessons. Tara says sheis a promoter of Fortis College and other career schoolsbecause they “give non-traditional learners an opportunityto better themselves.” The best part of her job, Tara says,is “encouraging students and watching them develop intonurses before my eyes.” Tara is an animal lover who hastwo cats, three dogs and 11 horses, and enjoys spendingtime in her barn and racing harness horses.Dr. Tina TaylorTina Taylor is a nursingfaculty member andacademic coach at FortisInstitute in Pensacola,Florida. Her hometown isBayou la Batre, Alabama.Before joining EA fouryears ago, Tina accumulated24 years of experience asa registered nurse (RN)and six years as an RN instructor. She has a Doctoratein Instructional Design and Development, a Master ofScience in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.Tina says her best “A-ha” moments occur when a studentdiscovers practical applications of classroom lessons, “andit all comes together.” She says career colleges help providea professional path, not just a career, to students who putin the work: “Success is all about effort and perseverance.”Tina has a son, Josh.

Bryant PhamBryant Pham is an assistantprofessor at the DenverCollege of Nursing. Priorto joining the team oneand a half years ago,Bryant was an assistantprofessor at the Universityof Colorado. When askedabout his “A-ha!” moments,Bryant shares that heworks “to communicate with students on an equal level.When equality is established, students tend to begin tothink critically for themselves and begin to synthesizeinformation rather than regurgitate it.” Bryant sayshe loves learning new things and that his free time isspent “learning about anything and everything I canget my hands on,” including longboarding, motorcycleriding, eating contests, historical research, and servingas a Certified Instructor for the American Sport KarateAssociation.Dr. Sonia BrownSonia Brown is a nursingfaculty member at FortisInstitute in Port St. Lucie,Florida. Before joining thenursing faculty over a yearago, Sonia spent 12 years asa nursing instructor, usingher more than 30 years ofnursing experience to serveas a resource to studentnurses. She says career colleges provide students theopportunity to achieve personal and professional goals thatmight have been deferred because of life circumstances.Asked why she thinks she was nominated for recognitionin the Circle of Excellence, the Royal Palm Beach nativesays it was because of her commitment to the success ofeach student: “I avail myself as a mentor to promote thehighest professional standard of a nurse.” Sonia has onedaughter and a grandson.JonathanBudzlakJonathan Budziak is anursing instructor at FortisInstitute in Scranton,Pennsylvania and bringsplenty of professionalexperience to the classroom.Jonathan has worked as anurse for 30 years. He hasan associate degree in nursing and a Bachelor of Sciencein Biology. His “A-ha!” experiences at Fortis unfold “whena student who doesn’t understand something at first, andfeels they’ll never get it, ends up not only knowing itbut explaining it to other students. I love that the most.”Putting classroom lessons into practice is a key outcomethat Jonathan pursues. “Book work is important but beingable to carry it from the classroom to the clinical and labsetting is a whole new ballgame,” he says. Jonathan hasbeen married for 19 years to his wife Gail Ann. They havetwo dogs and parrot.Connie MorrisConnie Morris serves asa registered nurse (RN)instructor at Fortis Collegein Orange Park, Florida.Connie, who joined EAnearly five years ago, startedteaching practical nursingstudents in 2005 and RNstudents in 2013. Sheholds a master’s degree innursing education from Walden University. Connie lovesan underdog. “Each of my students has a special story,”she says, “but I am drawn to the ones with the hardshipsand roadblocks that keep coming up in their lives. Butit doesn’t stop them from reaching their goals.” To keepstudents headed toward goals, Connie says she offers them“a listening ear, patience and encouragement.” But Conniesays she avoids coddling students academically: “We havegood programs here, but they are not easy,” she says. “Wedo not hand out degrees.” Connie has two adult sons plustwo grandsons and three granddaughters who range inage from two to 16 years. She also has two cats and enjoysboating and riding a motorcycle with her husband.

Amy ChristopherKyle HutchinsonAmy Christopher is anursing professor at FortisCollege in Salt Lake City,Utah. She holds an associatedegree in nursing and amaster’s degree in nursingeducation. Her “A-ha!”experiences come from thepersonal moments she haswith her students: “I loveworking with students on an individual basis. Throughthese experiences I have developed a deeper love for mystudents and their experience during school.” It’s herpersonal approach that earned her a spot on the Circle ofExcellence:

All-State Career School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Heather joined EA four and a half years ago and has 20 years of experience in education. Heather has a master's degree in curriculum and instruction of adult learners. She said All-State Career and other career schools serve many students well and do so economically: "We offer education .