May 5, 2025

East Mississippi Community College Business & Marketing Management Technology instructor Dr. Joshua Carroll was elected as president of the Mississippi Faculty and Staff Association for Community Colleges (MFSACC) in a unanimous vote among present organization members that took place on April 23.

Carroll, who teaches on EMCC’s Scooba campus, will serve for two years in the position.  

“My priorities are to provide maximum transparency to members, to establish trust in the organization and to grow membership,” Carroll said.

The MFSACC represents faculty and non-administrative employees at Mississippi’s 15 community colleges and serves as a liaison between legislators, college presidents and other educational institutions, such as the Mississippi Community College Board.

“While MFSACC is a voice for faculty and staff in regard to pay, the main priority is to be the voice for students, to identify their needs going into the classroom and to advocate on their behalf,” Carroll said.

One of Carroll’s first duties as president of MFSACC was to appoint a treasurer for the organization. He chose EMCC Humanities and Fine Arts Division Chair DeLisa Brand, who served two terms as president of the Faculty and Staff Association on the college’s Scooba campus, where she teaches English Composition I and II, as well as World Literature.

“DeLisa is a very diligent, very trusted individual amongst her peers who has close ties to our legislators” Carroll said.

Brand will be responsible for the organization’s budget and generating a treasurer’s report.

“The MFSACC plays an important role in conveying the needs of Mississippi’s community colleges, employees, and students to legislators and educational regulatory bodies,” Brand said. “I am excited about the opportunity to be a part of that process.”

The MFSACC meets three times a year in addition to special meetings to address specific issues. Officer meetings will take place either virtually or at a host site, which will likely be one of the community colleges in the state. There is also an annual Capitol Day at which members will travel to Jackson to meet with state legislators.

According to the organization’s bylaws, the purpose of the MFSACC is to: act as an advocacy agency for the interests and welfare of community and junior college faculty and other non-administrative community and junior college employees; act in coordination with other organizations to support the interests and welfare of community and junior colleges; and serve as a medium of professional and social interaction for members.

Carroll, who is a 2024 Moody Institute Fellow, has taught at Mississippi institutions of higher learning for 17 years, with 11 of those at EMCC. Prior to that, he was an instructor at Northwest Mississippi Community College and previously served as a Military Science instructor at the University of Mississippi.

Brand is in her ninth year at EMCC. She is EMCC’s 2022 Humanities Teacher of the Year Award recipient and serves on numerous committees at the college. She is also a former William Winter Scholar.  Brand previously taught at Meridian Community College and was a high school English teacher in Thomasville, Alabama prior to that.

“Joshua and DeLlsa are both tremendous assets to EMCC and will well represent faculty, staff and community colleges across the state,” EMCC President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks said. “This experience will provide them with a deeper understanding of our community college system, which will benefit them and EMCC.”