COTC Recognizes Alumni Award Recipients

Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) presented three alumni awards to graduates who demonstrated remarkable achievements in their careers and have used their success to positively impact the lives of youth in the community, past and present healthcare students, and those affected by substance use disorders and behavioral health conditions. The Outstanding Alumni Award, Transitions Alumni Award and John C. “Jay” Barker Community Service Alumni Award were announced at the college’s annual alumni reception earlier this month.

Outstanding Alumni Award

The Outstanding Alumni Award recognizes COTC alumni who have demonstrated personal or professional achievement that brings honor and distinction to the college as well as individual attainment and contributions for the betterment of the community.

Amanda Vozzella (2007, human services program) was named this year’s Outstanding Alumni Award recipient. Serving as the founding executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Newark since 2018, Vozzella worked alongside the founding steering committee to bring the organization to life. Nine months after its grand opening, the pandemic required the club to close its doors. Vozzella never missed a beat, maintaining staff, connecting with kids virtually, and ensuring the club members and their families had critical supplies throughout the lockdown.

The club has since rebounded in size and is seeing an average summer attendance of more than 100 students per day. Over the last five years, Vozzella has successfully built a team that cares deeply about the youth in our community. She has forged incredible community partnerships and works tirelessly day-in and day-out to provide local youth with a safe and loving environment so club members can have every opportunity to be successful in life. She and her staff provide fun, engaging programs that ensure youth excel in school and become lifelong learners, putting special emphasis on academic success, healthy lifestyles, character and leadership, and mental health and well-being.

Vozzella grew up in Newark, attended Newark High School, then transferred to the Licking County Joint Vocational School (now C-TEC) to study early childhood education. After graduating from COTC, she attended Capital University where she earned a Bachelor of Social Work in 2009.

Her community activity includes volunteering with the Salvation Army Food Pantry and collecting and distributing winter clothing  to those in need. She served as vice president of the South Newark Civic Association from 2011-2017, was a Newark City Youth Consultant from 2015-2016, and served as a C-TEC Social Studies Advisor from 2013-2015. She is also a current member of the COTC Alumni Council and was one of the 50 Notable Alumni highlighted in 2021 as part of the college’s 50th anniversary.

Transitions Alumni Award

The COTC Transitions Alumni Award recognizes COTC alumni currently working at the college in either a faculty or staff capacity who help advance the college and make a difference in the lives of current students.

Assistant Professor Natasha Ford (2016, diagnostic medical sonography technology) was selected as the Transitions Alumni Award recipient. Following her graduation from COTC, she made an immediate impact as a clinical instructor for the sonography program, receiving multiple clinical excellence awards — a testament to the exceptional learning environment she cultivated and her growing passion for teaching.

In 2018, Ford transitioned into a teaching role at COTC, where she quickly established herself as a competent and effective leader in the classroom. Her commitment to education did not stop there; she pursued further academic achievements, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Southern New Hampshire University. To further enhance her expertise, she became certified as a breast sonography specialist and cross-trained in adult cardiac echocardiography.

As a full-time faculty member and the sonography program lab coordinator, Ford remains a strong advocate for student success. She guides her students through complex subject matters and scanning techniques, and, by upholding the highest standards, she ensures that they are well prepared to deliver quality patient care and succeed as job-ready sonographers. Her passion for teaching is evident in every aspect of her work.

Beyond the classroom, she is a positive ambassador for COTC, actively engaging in her community through volunteerism. She serves as a board member for the Licking County Women’s Shelter, is a big sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Licking and Perry Counties, and contributes as a board member for Lakewood schools athletics.

Her transition from COTC student to a leader in education and her field not only helps advance the college, but she is making a difference in the lives of current students each and every day.

John C. “Jay” Barker Community Service Alumni Award

The John C. “Jay” Barker Community Service Alumni Award recognizes extraordinary graduates who give back through community service. This award honors the legacy of friend, community servant and proud COTC alumnus, Jay Barker, who passed away in March 2014.

The Barker Community Service Alumni Award was awarded to John B. Jordan (2014, human services program), the passionate and innovative executive director of the Licking County Alcoholism Prevention Program (LAPP). John’s mission is to educate the public about substance use disorders and ensure barrier-free treatment for individuals and their loved ones who are affected by behavioral health conditions, specifically addiction. He is dedicated to making a positive impact in Licking County, motivated by his diverse professional experiences and the values he developed during his military service, educational foundation and personal journey.

Jordan joined LAPP in 2014 as a COTC practicum student. After graduating, he continued to provide substance use services part time for eight years as a contracted counselor in the OVI/DUI Driver Intervention Program. He began a full-time career at LAPP in April 2022 as the program director and was appointed as interim executive director in November of the same year. He was hired as the executive director by the board of directors in June 2023.

As executive director of a nonprofit behavioral health organization, he oversees all the agency’s operations, including clinical treatment, educational programming, financial procedures, grant management, staffing and community relations.

Prior to his current role, he served in the Army National Guard as a combat medical sargeant for 14 years during Operation Iraqi Freedom and in the U.S. Army’s Military Police division during Operation Enduring Freedom until his medical retirement for service-related injuries in 2012. He then spent eight years as the lead medical technician at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Columbus Ambulatory Care Center, where he led, trained, assisted and managed a team of 10 medical technicians.

After graduating from COTC in 2014, Jordan earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ohio State in 2016 and a master’s degree in public administration from Ohio University in 2020.

He also has extensive service to the local community. He is an ally of the LGBTQI+ community and currently serves as the vice chair of the United Way of Licking County’s United in Pride Affinity Group and treasurer of the Licking County Re-Entry Coalition. He participates on the Corrections Planning Committee, Drug Court Treatment Team and the Drug Overdose Program at the Licking County Health Department.