Betty Blanton Educational Office
Professional of the Year Award
SCAEOP affiliates may nominate a SCAEOP member based on their personal and professional accomplishments, membership activities, and contributions to education. The Betty Blanton Office Professional of the Year is presented to the membership at the annual conference each year.
Office Professional of the Year
Tamara Collier, Sumter County
Tamara Collier resides in Sumter, South Carolina with her husband, Ja’llon, six-year old son, Maurie, and a Maltipoo named Odie. Her hobbies include smiling, eating (she and her family love to eat at different restaurants (they are self-proclaimed restaurant connoisseurs and foodies), reading, cooking, traveling, watching movies, and listening to music. She enjoys collecting bookmarks and cookbooks.
Currently, Tamara works as the Registrar/System Administrator at Crestwood High School, in which is located in the Sumter Schools District. She has been working in this capacity for seven years. Tamara absolutely loves her job because it provides her with the opportunity to assist the children and families of Sumter County. It also allows her to act as a support system to the administrators, faculty, and staff.
Tamara holds professional memberships in the Association of Educational Office Professionals of Sumter County (AEOPSC), where she currently serves as the President-Elect and Conference/Professional Development Committee Chair; the South Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals (SCAEOP), where she currently serves as the Chaplain, and the National Association of Educational Office Professionals (NAEOP), where she currently serves on the High School/Career & Technical Education Council and is a NAEOP Mentor.
Tamara has an Associate’s degree, certification, and diploma in Early Childhood Development, a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and presently, she is pursuing an M.Ed. in Educational Technology and Online Instruction, as well as a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification. In the future, Tamara aspires to contract herself out as an Early Childhood Trainer/Consultant to assist early childhood facilities/childcare centers with the training of their teachers, implementation of safe, healthy, learning environments, planning child developmentally appropriate activities and experiences, and ensuring that they are meeting licensing requirements. Tamara plans to use her technology background to become a certified technology trainer, and educate and train individuals on implementing technology into their daily work lives, so that they will possess the ability to “work smarter, not harder”.
Tamara’s philosophy of life is that she serves a God who does things with excellence. And since she was created in His image, everything that she does, she makes it her mission to do it with excellence! Tamara also believes that her smile is a gift from God. And since He has blessed her with that gift, one of her main goals, in life, is to allow her smile to change the world. Smiles are contagious, and she believes that if you take the opportunity to smile at at least one person daily, and that person smiles back, you have changed that person’s life for the better.
Currently, Tamara works as the Registrar/System Administrator at Crestwood High School, in which is located in the Sumter Schools District. She has been working in this capacity for seven years. Tamara absolutely loves her job because it provides her with the opportunity to assist the children and families of Sumter County. It also allows her to act as a support system to the administrators, faculty, and staff.
Tamara holds professional memberships in the Association of Educational Office Professionals of Sumter County (AEOPSC), where she currently serves as the President-Elect and Conference/Professional Development Committee Chair; the South Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals (SCAEOP), where she currently serves as the Chaplain, and the National Association of Educational Office Professionals (NAEOP), where she currently serves on the High School/Career & Technical Education Council and is a NAEOP Mentor.
Tamara has an Associate’s degree, certification, and diploma in Early Childhood Development, a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and presently, she is pursuing an M.Ed. in Educational Technology and Online Instruction, as well as a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification. In the future, Tamara aspires to contract herself out as an Early Childhood Trainer/Consultant to assist early childhood facilities/childcare centers with the training of their teachers, implementation of safe, healthy, learning environments, planning child developmentally appropriate activities and experiences, and ensuring that they are meeting licensing requirements. Tamara plans to use her technology background to become a certified technology trainer, and educate and train individuals on implementing technology into their daily work lives, so that they will possess the ability to “work smarter, not harder”.
Tamara’s philosophy of life is that she serves a God who does things with excellence. And since she was created in His image, everything that she does, she makes it her mission to do it with excellence! Tamara also believes that her smile is a gift from God. And since He has blessed her with that gift, one of her main goals, in life, is to allow her smile to change the world. Smiles are contagious, and she believes that if you take the opportunity to smile at at least one person daily, and that person smiles back, you have changed that person’s life for the better.
Contact Carol Brown, CEOE scaeoparea11@gmail.com