Angela Criscoe has been named the new executive director of Georgia College & State University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Criscoe grew up in Paducah, Ky., as the only girl to four younger brothers. As a child, she aspired to be an actress. Her love for television and film and the stories they could bring out, heavily inspired a younger Criscoe.
“Acting was my first love, but stage fright told me that the front of the camera was not where I needed to be. So I started looking behind the scenes and advertising really struck an interest with me,” said Criscoe.
Once she graduated high school, Criscoe attended Paducah Community College, now known as Western Kentucky Community and Technical College, and earned an associate’s degree in telecommunication. To obtain this degree, she went to work at a local television station. Criscoe started as an editor, and worked in production until she eventually transitioned into commercial traffic as assistant traffic manager. In this position, she created a log to decide where commercials would go. It was the perfect behind-the-scenes job that she had been looking for near film and television. By the end of her time with the station, she would be working in national sales.
“While in national sales, someone reached out to me about a position at Bojangles corporate office as a marketing and media coordinator. In that role, I had the opportunity to work alongside advertising, develop marketing, and develop calendars,” said Criscoe.
In this profession, Criscoe got to play out her childhood dream by taking roles in some commercials on both television and radio. According to Criscoe, it was the opportunity to understand advertising and television from the other side.
“It was a great opportunity to do a 360 and understand the full scope of television and radio. However, at that point my husband and I needed to move closer to his family in the lake area so we moved to Georgia and I started at Georgia College in the Office of Information and Instructional Technology,” said Criscoe. “I actually created the SERVE help desk here at Georgia College.”
Criscoe was the creator of the SERVE help desk in 2000 that primarily helps staff and students with technology around campus. She created the organization through a Microsoft Access database AIX and was in charge of answering the phones and doing basic troubleshooting. In 2004, Criscoe left her position at SERVE to receive her bachelor’s degree in mass communication and later, in 2006, her masters degree in instructional technology through Georgia College.
“After I received my degrees, I worked for a year in admissions when I noticed that a co-worker of mine had an undergraduate mass communication book. With discussion with them, it led me to talk to the department chair of mass communication and I started in the summer of 2006 as a part-time advisor in the department,” said Criscoe.
After her summer job, an opportunity would open for Criscoe to become a professor within the mass communication department. At first, she was hired as a one-year instructor to teach broadcast journalism, but that role evolved into a lecturer position and further into a senior lecturer position.
“At that point in my career, my mentor and department chair Dr. Mary Jean Land explained that I needed a PhD to advance,” said Criscoe. “But I didn’t want a PhD. I’m more creative and I wanted to produce content and explore innovative production processes, so I proposed getting an MFA in film and television.”
An MFA in film and television is a terminal degree equivalent to a PhD. Through receiving her MFA in film and television at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Criscoe would be hired as an assistant professor and go on to receive her tenure as an associate professor.
“I went from this girl who wanted to be in film and television to finding my niche in areas all around the camera. I built my career from my childhood dream and it led me to teaching, which I absolutely loved,” said Criscoe. “As a lecturer I saw where I was making an impact on young adults and that desire created a determination within me to help workforce professionals learn the skills that they need to be successful in their jobs.”
Criscoe was offered a position as interim executive director for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. While in this role, she also served as the director for the Continuing and Professional Education unit in order to work with the staff to coordinate programs and hire Director Angie Woodham. In these positions, she oversaw all six units and created curriculums, certificate programs and identified educational programs to support workforce professionals.
“That role was what was exciting to me because it’s not about just making connections on campus but also finding employers in those workforce professionals that need skills and tying the two together to help the wider community,” said Criscoe.
As the new executive director of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Criscoe envisions all six units within the school continuing and growing their educational programs. She desires to expand the impact on workforce development, grow employer partnerships, and better support the K through 12 school district.
“I really thought I was a servant leader, but I have learned this past year that I’m a visionary leader. I can see the bigger picture, I am goal oriented, persistent, enjoy working with my team to be innovative, and I am very optimistic ,” said Criscoe. “I work closely, and sometimes alongside, my colleagues so we can create a working environment that is built on trust, transparency, and support of each other.”
Criscoe put a lot of prior time in making connections with deans and faculty on campus. This upcoming year, she plans to focus her time on the community and surrounding communities by spending more time with the Chamber of Commerce and meeting with institutions and organizations outside of Baldwin County.
“This next year is really going to be about making connections with employers to show them that Georgia College is the place that has quality educational programs that will help them retain their employees and help them upskill for jobs that they may not even have in their workforce yet,” said Criscoe. “Expanding our horizons past our county will in turn bring more potential into the county for the workforce and education system.”