Pitch for the Skilled Trades - Ask Me Anything
This webinar will focus on 2025's Ratcliffe Pitch for the Skilled Trades
Ratcliffe Pitch for the Skilled Trades Competition
Event Details
This webinar will focus on 2025's Ratcliffe Pitch for the Skilled Trades Competition with the final presentations being held at the 2025 NACCE National Conference (October 5 - 8 in Coronado, CA). A review of the competition's guidelines will be provided along with guidance on lessons learned from the past. Finally, time to ask questions. So come and join the fun and we look forward to hearing about your proposed campus projects.
Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce is the Ogallala campus administrator for Mid-Plains Community College. During her 10-year tenure, Pierce has been an advocate for her students, her community and its businesses and industry. Pierce believes in the power of education and that not all higher education has to be in the for-credit realm. She acknowledges the community college’s role in helping students become self-confident and self-reliant in today’s marketplace as well as be responsive to the needs of the community, its businesses, and industries.
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Lydia Perez
Lydia Perez is a dedicated Project Coordinator at the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), where she drives initiatives that empower communities nationwide. Lydia leads NACCE’s STRIVE Program in partnership with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), onboarding colleges and hosting monthly consortium calls to foster collaboration and support.
In addition, Lydia manages the Everyday Entrepreneur program, guiding colleges through Level 1 onboarding, collaborating closely with funders, and helping to develop Level 2. She conducts quarterly outreach, tracks entrepreneurial success, and provides showcase opportunities for program participants. Beyond these roles, Lydia coordinates NACCE’s webinars and serves as the primary liaison for the CodeBoxx partnership, regularly connecting with colleges to monitor and support their pilot programs.
Through her work at NACCE, Lydia is committed to creating positive, lasting impacts across communities and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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Dr. Kevin Logan
With over two decades of private sector experience in telecommunications, Kevin now works with students, early-stage business owners, and other individuals and organizations to identify, build and strengthen their human capital through autonomy, competence, and relatedness to connect, communicate, and discover more effectively.
NACCE Fellows Project
Entrepreneurship Mentoring Program
Mentoring Competency Model (MCM) focusing on Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Communication. The program will be carried out by the Entrepreneur In Residence (EIR) over 12 months and will involve the following tasks:
Pre-assessment: Initial evaluation of the entrepreneur's goals, achievements, and reflections aligned with EIR's responsibilities.
Mentoring sessions: Weekly or bi-monthly 1-on-1 sessions with a mentor.
Cohorts: Small groups of 3 to 5 individuals for accountability, community engagement, and peer-mentoring, with monthly readings from NACCE's library.
Speaker Series: Bi-monthly Professional Series Programs and Lunch-n-Learns from NACCE schools and Corporate sponsors, accessible both in-person and virtually.
Outcomes: Desired results tied to the initial assessment and reflections.
Dashboard: A tracking system to monitor each EIR's progress, including daily self-check-ins and a points/progress bar for growth.
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Dr. Darcie L. Tumey
Darcie L. Tumey, MBA, EdD has been appointed Dir. of Events and Programs at NACCE. She brings a diverse background to NACCE by working at UNC at Chapel Hill in administrative roles at both the Undergraduate Library and in the School of Medicine’s Dept. of Dermatology and Dept. of Pediatric Surgery. She continued her career in academics by working 17 years at two different NC Community Colleges in managerial roles. She worked with the college’s business and entrepreneurship programs, Small Business Centers, pitch competitions, lead two SkillUSA Entrepreneurship teams to earning national gold medals, co-organizer for Catawba Valley CC’s annual Business Symposium, HP LIFE Ambassador, and co-advisor for NACCE’s Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund. “I enjoy working with students and supporting their career pursuits whether in the classroom or through a business plan competition. Individuals are filled with ideas and solving community problems. They are inspiring. To see them take an idea or product to market.” Through these diverse experiences, planning events and programs is a natural fit with having to be organized and preparing things for the future. “It is like putting puzzle pieces together and then having the final result in front of you. With being able to work with the NACCE family from across the country throughout the planning process.”
While living in Plymouth, NC, Tumey was actively involved in community revitalization by working with community leaders through NC’s Main Street Program and the Rural Center. As part of the revitalization, the local community college was involved in the process. By being both a recipient of the community college’s resources and an employee, “community colleges are an invaluable asset to our communities by providing curriculum and continuing education programs. These courses provide the foundation for our cities and towns to continue to prosper and grow with offering both traditional programs and new skill courses.”