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In May 2026, Northwest Mississippi Community College leaders finished various leadership programs to help them better serve the Northwest community.
Dr. LaQuita Smith-Parker of Houlka, director of Student Support Services TRIO, finished the Mississippi Policy Fellows Program where she used this time to education herself on advocating for community colleges on both a state and national level.
“I plan to use the strategies I learned to continue to advocate for Northwest and our TRIO program,” said Dr. Smith-Parker.
Dr. Smith-Parker studied psychology in undergrad and received a master’s degree in counselor education, and a doctorate in higher education from the University of Mississippi. In 2010, she started as a TRIO counselor, and in 2017, she was promoted to the TRIO student services director. Since then, she has helped transform students’ lives by providing them with support.
Steven Bennett of Oxford, student services manager, and Dr. Craig Lafferty of Memphis, dean of the School of Health Sciences, completed the Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy.
“The sessions we attended and the literature we reviewed broadened my perspective on higher education leadership,” said Bennett. “Through the program, we had the opportunity to learn from and engage with presidents, vice presidents, provosts, and other administrators from community colleges and universities across Mississippi.”
Growing up in Southaven, he graduated from Southaven High School in 2001 and then attended Northwest in Senatobia where he was a very involved student. He transferred to Delta State University where he majored in sports management. In 2007, he earned his Master of Education while working as an admissions counselor at DSU.
Dr. Lafferty has a long background in medical research and has worked as an educator for many years. He began his college career at the University of Memphis studying graphic design, but after looking for a change, he went to Arizona State University where he switched to biology. Afterward, he attended Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science where he received his DPM in Podiatry. At the University of Kentucky and University of Tennessee, Dr. Lafferty did additional research and received a Master of Science degree.