The Coahoma Community College Board of Trustees is pleased to welcome appointees Dr. Mary F. Dear-Moton, of Coahoma County, and DeVoyce C. Morris, of Mound Bayou. Both are alumnae who have devoted a great deal of their time to education and the community.
Dear-Moton (’77) studied business while attending Coahoma. Upon graduating, she began working for Coahoma Opportunities, Inc., a non-profit community service agency she now heads as director. She then enrolled at Jackson State University, where she received a bachelor's in Social Work and a master's in Sociology with an emphasis in alcohol and drug counseling. In 2007, her education climaxed with a doctoral degree in Higher Education. Her thesis and dissertation titled "Effectiveness of Developing an Entrepreneurship for Community College Students in the Mississippi Delta" have been published.
The Clarksdale native is elated to have the opportunity to take part in developing and expanding the College to greater levels.
"Out of all my college attainment, the two years I was there at Coahoma Junior College was the most joyful time of my whole education," said Dear-Moton.
While employed by the city of Jackson, she initiated a partnership with Hinds Community College to start a GED program that has become recognized as one of the most outstanding programs in the state. After moving to Jackson, she accumulated experience teaching in Jackson Public Schools and the Sociology department at Jackson State University. Observing a need to improve the quality of life in communities, she founded the Family and Youth Opportunities Division, Incorporated, an organization she has passed down to her daughter.
Dear-Moton believes that with patience, dedication, and hard work, every individual can make a difference. She is a Sunshine Baptist Church member and the mother of four, Amanda, Garret, Charles, and Jasmine.
Coahoma Community College president Dr. Valmadge T. Towner anticipates their working together to continue a standard of excellence.
"Dr. Moton, she is an alumna of the College. She has been positively involved in the community," said Towner. "Apparently, she cares for our community. She is a lifelong educator, and I believe she will bring objectivity in her role as a Trustee, so I look forward to working with her because I know she loves Coahoma and so do I."
Morris sits on the board as a representative of Bolivar County. She is proud to have held the title of Miss Coahoma Community College.
The incoming member pledges her philanthropic support to the institution.
"I am humbled, elated and excited to have been afforded the unique opportunity to serve on the CCC Board of Trustees," she said, expressing gratitude for the appointment.
A retired principal of A. W. James Elementary School, Morris began her career teaching English at South Shore High School in Chicago then returned to Mississippi to become the first teacher of gifted education in the North Bolivar School District. Mississippi's Second Congressional District once named her Teacher of the Year. She is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and she also has membership in the NAACP, the Shelby Chamber of Commerce, the board of the Delta Arts Alliance, and other organizations. She is the founder and organizer of Ladies Night Out, an annual event promoting health education and awareness of breast cancer, Sudden Infant Death, Sudden Unexplained Infant Death, and domestic violence.
Morris is also heavily involved in Christian activities at First Baptist Church in Mound Bayou. As a dean in the Bolivar County Baptist Association Congress of Christian Education, she teaches Public Speaking, Writing Techniques I, and Developing Your Spiritual Gifts.
Due to her disaster relief efforts for Bolivar County residents, she has been selected to receive the 2020 Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence (GIVE) award. She is married to her college sweetheart Rogers B. Morris Sr. They are the parents of four adult sons, Bertrand, Rogers Morris Jr., Dr. Jeremy Kyle Morris, and Dr. Justin J. Morris. One precocious grandson, Kyle Rogers, and three talented granddaughters, Jordan, Sydnee, and Nia Marie, illuminate her life.
"Having accepted this position on the board, I firmly believe that my services will assist in producing an intellectual environment that will impact the educational and personal development of our students for future generations," Morris added.
Morris holds a bachelor's in English Education from Jackson State University and a master's, educational specialist degree, and certification in administration, leadership, and supervision from Delta State University.
President Towner anticipates Morris’s contributions to efforts in driving the institution forward.
"Mrs. DeVoyce Morris is a reputable educator from all accounts. Everyone is positive about her career as an educator. She's also a graduate of the College. She quickly acknowledges that she has an affinity for the school, and I am optimistic that she will do all that she can to make certain that the College continues to make progress," Towner detailed.