Perkins to Receive Christian Hospital’s Drum Major Award
Thursday, December 17, 2020
The virtual celebration will be held Friday, Jan. 15, from noon-1 p.m. Participants are invited to visit the Christian Hospital website for details.
Perkins, campus president and chief academic officer of St. Louis Community-Florissant Valley, will receive a 2021 Drum Major Award. The award is the highest honor Christian Hospital bestows upon unsung heroes who have given their time, talents, treasure and service in the name of justice, equity and equality.
Other award recipients will be Chris Krehmeyer, president and CEO of Beyond Housing; Martha Jane Stewart, community activist; and Keith Williamson, president, Centene Charitable Foundation at Centene Corp.
Perkins was taken aback when she learned about the recognition.
“I have absolutely no idea what I have done to deserve this very nice honor,” she said. “It truly is a privilege to be associated with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I hope his courage to dream and most importantly act, continues to inspire our students, the community and generations to come.”
In 2019, Perkins received North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice’s Outstanding Education Award for her active support of NCCU activities and the College’s sponsorship of their joint Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. She chaired the celebration’s committee for two years.
Perkins joined STLCC as provost of the Florissant Valley campus in August 2016 and served in that role until the provost title changed to campus president and chief academic officer in January 2019. In addition to her role as campus president, she serves as the administrator for the College’s dual credit, dual enrollment and early college partnerships.
While at STLCC, Perkins has led taskforces on developmental education redesign and wait-listing options for students, and serves on a variety of committees for the College and campus. She also serves on the board of directors for the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce and as chair for North County Inc. (her term ends Thursday, Dec. 31).
Perkins’ passion and work with developmental education redesign and removing barriers to education is fueled by her commitment to access for all, as these barriers disproportionately impact students of color nationwide. The intention of her work in implementing multiple measures, co-requisite remediation and other delivery models is to create access to education and help students graduate from college.