Bethany Lay has joined Columbia State Community College. Lay comes to Columbia State from the Wayne County Board of Education, where she served as Supervisor of Adult Education since 2001. She will be responsible for leadership and management of the division of the college dedicated to resources and gifts development, the Columbia State Foundation; alumni development; community and government relations; and special projects.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Bethany Lay to Columbia State as the Executive for Advancement," said Dr. Janet F. Smith, president of Columbia State. "Bethany brings a wealth of education and experience that will enhance the College and our Advancement program. Her leadership and management abilities have been recognized throughout the state. She is well grounded in knowledge of our service area, education, 501c-3 organizations, service on and work with our Foundation, and community and government relations."

"I am certainly looking forward to contributing to the continuing growth and development of Columbia State Community College," said Lay, a Spring Hill resident. "The college has a rich heritage of excellence on which to build as it continues to be a vital part of the communities it serves."

Lay begins work at Columbia State on August 2. She received an Education Specialist in Administration and Supervision degree from Tennessee State University in 2003, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction degree from Concordia University Chicago in 1994 and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Freed-Hardeman College in 1988. Prior to her time as Supervisor of Adult Education, she worked as an Adult Education Teacher for the Wayne County Board of Education, and as a K-8 System Teacher.

She has been a member of the Columbia State Foundation Board since 2007, and a member of the Wayne County Three-Star Advisory Committee. She has served on Leadership Wayne County, the Wayne County 21st Century Community Learning Center Advisory Board, as Vice-Chair of the Wayne County Republican Party, Congressman Marsha Blackburn's Advisory Board on Education and on the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence Board of Examiners. Lay has also been a part of the State Office of Adult Education Curriculum Framework and Management/Instruction Team, Chair of the Tennessee Adult Education Advisory Board, the Academy for Instructional Excellence, the Tennessee Education Association and the Tennessee Association for Adult and Community Education.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.