During the 2022 LCTCS Annual Conference, three members of the Baton Rouge Community College faculty and staff were recognized for professional excellence and exceptional service: Eric Baskin, Outstanding Faculty Member; Paula Lee, Outstanding Professional Staff Member; Anne Marie Nicholas-Greene, Outstanding Professional Support Staff Member. Please join us in expressing pride and congratulations to each of these outstanding individuals.
Outstanding Faculty Member
Eric Baskin
Professor of Music (22 Years)
Eric Baskin has been a professor at BRCC for more than 20 years where he teaches music appreciation, music theory, and a jazz ensemble class. He is a graduate of Southern University with both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Secondary Music Education.
Professor Baskin’s talent as a musician includes being a trumpeter, jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and a complete one-man ensemble for special occasions. During his career, he has performed in concert with many famous musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Branford Marsalis, Alvin Batiste, Kirk Whalum, and a host of other legends in the music industry. In 2006, he composed the music for BRCC’s alma mater song.
Mr. Baskin previously served as an assistant band director and arranger for Southern University’s marching band and was the band director at Fort Valley State University. During his time away from the classroom, he has arranged music for the Baton Rouge Symphony and the New Orleans POPS Orchestra. Mr. Baskin is a member of the Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA) and the Nation Association of Music Education (NAfME).
Outstanding Professional Staff Member
Paula Lee
Head Coach, Women’s Basketball (13 Years)
Paula Lee enters her thirteenth season at Baton Rouge Community College as the Head Coach of Women’s Basketball. Overall, she enters her twenty-fourth season as a collegiate coach. Lee has experienced a great deal of success at the helm of the BRCC Women’s Program. The 2013-2014 season was a historical year for the BRCC Lady Bear Basketball Program. The Lady Bears were crowned Region #23 Champions and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament. The success of the Lady Bears in 2013-2014 earned Lee, District O Coach of the Year honors. The 2021-2022 season proved to be yet another successful season for Lee and the Lady Bears as they were crowned LCCAC Conference Champions and Lee earned Conference Coach of the Year. Lee’s Lady Bear Program has produced players who have moved on from BRCC to continue their athletic careers at four year institutions. Her players have moved on to Wiley College, Southern University, Jackson State, University of North Texas, Dillard University, Xavier University of New Orleans, LSU-Alexandria, LSU Shreveport, Mississippi College, Belhaven University, Southeastern and Southern Arkansas.
Lee’s success at BRCC can be attributed to her prior experience as a Division I Assistant Coach as well as her first Junior College Head Coach Position. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience after spending seven years at Louisiana State University (LSU) under the direction of Hall of Fame Coach Sue Gunter, two years at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, one year at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee, three years as the Head Coach at Southern University at Shreveport, and two years at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Lee began her coaching career at Belaire High School in Baton Rouge, LA. While at Belaire, she coached girls’ basketball, softball and cross country as well as taught Freshman English and Physical Education. It was under Lee’s leadership and direction that the girls’ basketball program was established in 1990. Four years later, Lee was named Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding her team to the State Play-Offs and a record of 20-9. Lee was also named Coach of the Year for Softball in 1993.
Outstanding Professional Support Staff Member
Ann Marie Nicholas
Administrative Coordinator (7 years)
Ann Marie Nicholas is the Administrative Coordinator for the Division of Business
and Law. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Southern University
and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary in San Diego. Ann
Marie moved to San Diego, California in 1986 to accept a position in “corporate America”.
After working in corporate and private industry for 13 years, she began her 20+ years
in higher education when she accepted a position with the University of San Diego
(USD). Her higher education experience continued as she moved on to Alliant International
University (San Diego), and later to Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth,
Texas. She returned to Louisiana in 2015 to join the team at Baton Rouge Community
College.
Ann Marie believes part of her purpose while working in higher education is to cultivate
an inviting environment in which students, faculty and fellow staff will have a pleasant
and rewarding experience as they accomplish their goals and dreams. Over the years,
Ann Marie has served with this mindset in several professional capacities: staff council
representative, committee chairperson, commencement Marshall, and community outreach
project volunteer. Ann Marie also volunteers in campus-wide events at BRCC like New
Student Orientation, HR Job Fairs, Commencement, Convocation, Division mock interviews,
hiring committees, and recruiting events.
Her personal life of service includes serving on/as several boards of directors, chair of church conference, choir member, youth group assistant, and member of a community outreach organization. In her free time, Ann Marie enjoys spending time with family and friends, movies, dancing, shopping, and last, but not least, resting.