November 2020 | Issue 1
In this Issue
Community Leader Spotlight
Judge Justin Lewis
Alumni Spotlight
Haylee Williams
Program Spotlight
Networking Cybersecurity
Updates
Athletics
Century Club Membership
Upcoming Events
Hill College Players' Holiday Show (Click image)
Welcome to the new Director of Development
In August, Hill College named Leigh Ebner as its new Director of Development. In this role, Ebner will also coordinate the college’s alumni efforts.

Ebner brings more than 20 years of community college experience to the position, serving the last 17 years as the head softball coach at Hill College, which she recently retired from.

“Retiring from coaching is the hardest decision I’ve had to make as an adult so far,” Ebner said.
Alumni & Community Spotlights
Judge Justin Lewis
“There’s some satisfaction knowing at the end of the day that you accomplished something, you helped somebody, you helped your community be a little bit better. And I’m really thankful to the people of Hill County who let me do it.”
Community Leader Spotlight:
Judge Justin Lewis
Justin Lewis never expected to become Hill County’s sitting judge for 14 years.

Lewis, born and raised in Kingsbury, moved to the Hill County area in December 1999 after graduating
from Texas A&M University with a degree in Agricultural Development to run the northern division of his family’s farm, which primarily consisted of raising turkeys.

Not long after he started working on the farm, Lewis and his wife Courtney decided they needed to
learn Spanish so they could better communicate with staff. So, they enrolled in a night class at Hill
College.

“Hill College made us feel welcome and like we were going to learn something there,” Lewis said. “It was
a wonderful opportunity for my wife and I to meet some people around the county, as well as to have a
serious learning experience as non-traditional students.”
Alumni Spotlight: Former Lady Rebel Haylee Williams
As a homeschooled high school graduate who moved to Texas from Georgia in the middle of her senior year, Haylee Williams was certain she didn’t have a shot at making the 2004-05 Lady Rebels softball team. And at the time, she didn’t even consider it.

Williams enrolled in courses at the Hill College Johnson County Campus (JCC) in the fall of 2003. In her spring semester, her weight training teacher, then volleyball coach Nicole Smith, made a suggestion that forever changed Williams’ life.
Haylee Williams (left)
2006 Hill College Alumnae
“I love being a coach
more than I love softball
because I love my kids.”
Program Spotlight: Cybersecurity
Hill College aims to close the cybersecurity skills gap through national designation, local partnerships
Computer science instructor Jackie Armstrong works with students
during an information technology security class, a 3-hour credit course
in the networking cybersecurity program, at the Hill County Campus. 
In keeping up with national security needs and cybersecurity workforce demands, Hill College completed the rigorous application process to become a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).

The CAE program is sponsored in part by the National Security Administration (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and aims to reduce vulnerabilities in the national information structure through a collaborative cybersecurity educational program with community colleges, colleges and universities.

Hill College’s Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Computer Science, Networking Cybersecurity program received the prestigious CAE-CDE designation from the NSA and DHS last year, becoming one of only 108 two-year colleges nationwide with the designation.
Cybersecurity Resources
for Individuals, Students,
Educators & Businesses
Cybersecurity defense is something that all citizens should be aware of. Use the resources below to learn more about what you can do to help protect yourself, your business and our nation.
Updates
Hill College Athletics Updates
The NJCAA’s most recent plan of action shifts all close-contact fall sports to the spring semester. All winter sports competition will begin in January with a majority of championship seasons moved from March to April. Spring sports competition remains intact with minor adjustments to dates.

Athletic teams began fall practices and scrimmages following the NJCAA’s adjusted start dates, which allowed for a phased return to athletics. Please check the Hill College Athletics Facebook page for updates on scrimmage dates.
The Century Club is an association of individuals and businesses that are passionate about furthering the work of Hill College. Membership dues provide annual resources that allow Hill
College to complete special projects that are not funded by federal, state or local dollars. Membership is open to all persons or firms interested in advancing the mission of Hill College.

As a Century Club Member, you play
a leading role in helping Hill College
offer top notch educational programs,
provide an environment conducive to
higher learning, and sustain a strong
faculty and staff. Won’t you join us?
HILL COLLEGE | www.hillcollege.edu