“Teaching has been a journey of continual learning, deep rewards and fulfillment, and I truly wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

Dr. Lacey Benns-Owens didn’t just set out to teach—she set out to help students have the same life-changing educational opportunities that first shaped her career. A professor of communication, now in her 25th year of teaching at Columbia State, she traces her passion for community colleges back to her upbringing in the rural Midwest, where higher education offerings were limited.

Her life and experiences guided her into a career in influencing and educating countless students. In March, her career and passion for teaching led her to be named the Tennessee Board of Regents’ 2026 SOAR Community College Faculty Member of the Year. While the recognition names her as the top faculty member for community colleges across the state, Benns-Owens credits mentors, colleagues and opportunities that shaped her journey.

“I'm honored to be recognized and appreciate the support from Columbia State and TBR; it's also helped me to appreciate all the people who have shaped my career and helped me become the faculty member that I am. And I'm very appreciative that I've had the opportunities that I've had here at Columbia State. I was really lucky to have some great mentors here at Columbia State. So, everyone from Dr. Cathryn McDonald, who was our vice president of Academic Services whenever I first came, and then to Dr. Barry Gidcomb (dean of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division), there's so many people who really helped to guide me to become successful, and I'm forever grateful for those individuals.”

Originally from southern Illinois, Benns-Owens said what led her to come to Columbia was rooted in her own educational experience: the power of community colleges in suburban and rural areas.

“I was actually working as an adjunct at the community college that I attended, and I knew that I wanted to be in a community college. It aligned with my values and mission as an educator, but also, I know the impact that it had on me. I come from a rural area. It's a coal mining community, and if it weren't for the community college there, I'm not entirely sure that I would have gone to college at all. And so, I wanted to be able to continue that. When this position first opened up, I applied the first year and didn't even get an interview. And then next year, it was available again, and I applied again, and that was 25 years ago.”

 After she began teaching at Columbia State, her interest in interpersonal and intercultural communication led to her desire to become a study abroad advisor and later the TBR Global Studies representative for the college. Her interest in expanding both her own knowledge and her students’ knowledge of international cultures led her to visit 21 countries across five continents.

“When I was at a community college, I was able to do a one-week study abroad trip to Spain, and I know what a transformative experience that was for me. It opened my eyes to the value of learning about culture and learning more about the world around us. I truly don't know if I would be here if it weren't for that experience. When I came to Columbia State, I was lucky enough to become friends and colleagues with Ana Basoa, who had been the driving force behind really creating study abroad with what is now TBR Global Studies, and I was just able to learn from her and see how she managed to develop those programs. And I'm incredibly thankful for her guidance.”

International travel helped shape Benns-Owens into the professor she is today; that impact is what she hopes students who take the step out of their comfort zone to study abroad will also have.

“We have students who have never flown, who have never left the South and their first experience is to get on a plane and go study abroad. And it's an act of bravery for our students to participate in study abroad. And so, one of the things I think that's really important is to be present, to put aside social media, to leave the pressures from home and really be open to new experiences and new feelings and challenges that can transform their lives.”

Overall, whether it's teaching students abroad or in Columbia State classrooms in Middle Tennessee, her passion for educating her students remains constant.

“For me, the most rewarding part of teaching is student success. When students study abroad, I love to hear their experiences about what they learned, what challenges they face and how they overcome them. In the classroom, I love the light bulb moments where students suddenly realize, ‘Oh, that's why this conversation went wrong,’ or ‘Gosh, I actually can do public speaking.’ But I think even more than that, I love to see long-term success and to see how our students are achieving once they leave Columbia State. I have students who have become nurse practitioners and managers, and another student is working in accessibility and technology, and another is an assistant principal at a local school. Some of our former students actually work here at Columbia State, and what I love to recognize is that their success started here at Columbia State, that we were able to help them achieve their goals.”

 Reflecting on her career, Benns-Owens shared: “Teaching has been a journey of continual learning, deep rewards and fulfillment, and I truly wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

On May 1, Benns-Owens will officially receive her 25 Years of Service Award from Columbia State at the annual Employees’ Honors and Awards Convocation.