Double Honors: STLCC-Florissant Valley and its President to Receive NCI Awards

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley will soon receive double honors from North County Inc., Regional Development Association.

Rebecca Zoll, president and CEO of NCI, announced by letter that the campus is the winner of the organization’s Community Development Leadership Award. Zoll also announced that Elizabeth Gassel Perkins, EdD, campus president and chief academic officer at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, is the winner of the organization’s Elmer Belsha Leadership Award.

The College and Perkins will receive the recognition as part of NCI’s 48th Annual Leadership Breakfast, which is May 9 at 7:30 a.m. at the Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel, located at 10700 Pear Tree Lane, in St. Louis.

The Community Development Leadership Award is bestowed on “an individual, organization or business whose efforts positively benefited youth, residents, civic organizations, or others through selfless acts. Their contribution needs are beyond the individual’s employment responsibilities or a business/organizations’ mission and scope of work.” Besides STLCC-Florissant Valley, the City of Florissant Recreational Facilities Improvement Project, Union Sportman’s Alliance, Sunset Park Archery Project, and Urban League Senior Housing were also tapped for the honor.

Perkins is thrilled recent campus and program improvements also represent a win for north St. Louis County.

“We are committed to putting our students first. Part of that dedication called for expanded programs and two new modern centers that were made possible through STLCC Transformed, the Nursing and Health Sciences Center and Advanced Manufacturing Center,” she said.

“While the expanded programs and state-of-the-art facilities will advance learning for our students and enhance workforce readiness, the improvements also roughly represent a $142 million investment that we believe will elevate both the business climate and surrounding community. It’s a win for STLCC Archers and the area. I’m deeply honored NCI selected St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley for this award.”

Perkins will need to remain standing after she accepts the award on behalf of the College, because she is the 2025 recipient of NCI’s Elmer Belsha Leadership Award. The honor is bestowed on an individual whose long-term commitment to North County Incorporated and the north St. Louis County area has had a positive impact.

Andrew Langrehr, PhD, vice chancellor for academic affairs for St. Louis Community College, supervises Perkins. He is not surprised she was tapped for the recognition.

“A lot of people know Elizabeth consistently does an amazing job as an educational leader at STLCC, but beyond ensuring Archers are equipped for success before they leave Florissant Valley, she has also made countless contributions to NCI over the years,” he said.

“Her partnership with NCI has opened doors to community collaborations and has even had an impact on our enrollment growth. She is the natural choice for this well-deserved honor.”

Perkins serves as an executive board member and past chair of North County Incorporated, current board member of the Greater North County Chamber of Commerce and past chair and secretary of The SoulFisher Ministries.

She is the recipient of Phi Theta Kappa’s 2025 Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, the University of Montevallo National Alumni Association’s 2024 Nathalie Molton Gibbons Alumni Achievement Award and Christian Hospital Foundation’s 2021 Drum Major Award. She is also the winner of the 2019 Outstanding Education Award from North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice.