Celebrating Longtime Faculty and Staff at the College

The College hosted the annual Celebrate the Stars and Holiday Celebration event on Dec. 10, where the community came together to congratulate faculty and staff who have reached milestones in their years of service at the College. More than 100 employees celebrated 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 years of service and were presented with a certificate. The Gymnasium featured 1960s themed decor in honor of the College’s 60^th anniversary, and attendees enjoyed food, music, dancing, games and raffles.

Some of our stars celebrated 40 years of dedication to CCP, and offered to share a bit of their story with us:

Debra Carr Brooks

Carr Brooks has worked in Records and Registration at CCP and has held multiple roles in that office throughout her 40 years. Her favorite parts of working at CCP are helping students and working side-by-side with her colleagues, noting the satisfaction of seeing students relax when helping them navigate processes. Carr Brooks sees the College one group working together to get students where they want to be. “This College is a family,” Carr Brooks said.

Camille Mairs

Mairs is a faculty member in the Mathematics department and teaches primarily at the Northeast Regional Center. “I feel really grateful that I've been able to be here for so long, that I've been able to go through all these different phases in my life—stressful times, busy times where I couldn't dedicate as much to outside things,” said Mairs. “But now I can. And [I’m] so grateful for that.”

Mairs’ passion for teaching is palpable in the way she speaks about her profession. But she’s also passionate about CCP specifically. “I'm grateful that I love teaching so much, and I'm in a place that let me do it and let me grow in my own teaching skills and supported me,” she said. “I always felt at home and safe here.”

Theresa “Terry” Naana

Naana has held many positions at the College over her 40 years, but she currently works under the vice president of Business and Finance. Naana and Carr Brooks have worked closely together in their time here and have built a strong friendship along the way. Like Carr Brooks, Naana loves supporting students. “I think we work [well] together because at the end of the day, it's about our students,” Naana said. “And that's what everybody strives for.”

In addition to supporting students, Naana wants more people in the Philadelphia community to recognize how valuable CCP faculty and staff are. “Our staff is willing to help on the front lines,” Naana said. “And we…make sure things work really well.” Working toward the common goal of student success unites CCP faculty and staff to do their best work in collaboration with each other.

Bernard Rhodan

Rhodan has worked in Business Services at Community College of Philadelphia for more than 20 years. Before entering his role in Shipping and Receiving, he worked in the mailroom and in facilities. He originally came to the College in 1985 after his sister—who also worked at CCP at the time—recommended it. “CCP is a wonderful place,” Bernard said. Though it’s changed a lot since he first started 40 years ago, Bernard still finds the College to be a place with a strong sense of community. “It's a community, and I get to meet the folks and it's just…one big family, you know what I mean?”