Who We Are
As a premier resource that addresses challenges associated with the military lifestyle, an MCEC Military Student Consultant is a trusted professional resource during times of transition and throughout the deployment cycle, providing individualized support services for parents, educators, and administrators.
What We Do
MSCs are highly specialized education professionals who provide personalized concierge support directly to students, parents, or professionals who serve military-connected (Active-Duty, National Guard, Reserve, ROTC cadre, recruiter, and veteran) families, no matter where they are located in the world.
Through partnerships and collaboration with installation school liaison officers, EFMP coordinators, state-level Department of Education student services, Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commissioners (MIC3), and other MCEC programs, MSCs provide wrap-around individualized transition and relocation support services to assist military-connected students, families, and professionals with real-world transitional barriers associated with the military lifestyle.
An MSC personally responds to every phone call or submission received.
MSCs advocate for and provide support to students and parents who experience academic or social-emotional challenges and need direct problem-solving support resources. Critical areas MSCs routinely respond to include:
- Transition Support: Academic, developmental, and/or social-emotional
- Relocations: PCS, deployments, retirements, and/or families who are leaving the service.
- Academics: Credit transfers or transcript evaluations
- Readiness: Academic (school, colleges, and universities), career, work, and/or overall life readiness
- Exceptional families: Support with EFMP, IEP, and/or 504
Meet our Military Student Consultants (MSC)
Mark Patton
Mark is a retired U.S Air Force officer, father of two, and a proud grandfather. He grew up as a military kid, living overseas in Germany and graduating high school in Fayetteville, N.C.
Families find it easy to talk with Mark. His easy-going, down-to –earth personality endears him to so many. After spending nearly 40 years serving members of the military community, Mark understands all too well the stressors military-connected students and families face and looks forward to opportunities where he can be part of solutions that put people at ease and make their lives better.
Prior to serving with MCEC, Mark served as a high school counselor and as a Senior Aerospace Science Instructor for the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Corps (JROTC) program in Nash County and Cumberland County Schools. Retiring from teaching, Mark became a Military Student Transition Consultant for Cumberland County as part of a DODEA grant.
He holds a Master of Education in Human Relations with a specialization in organizational behavior and counseling.
Terri Whiddon, M.Ed.
Terri is the military child of a retired Air Force service member. She grew up in four states and two countries abroad during her father’s military career. In twelve years, she attended nine different schools, so transition and all the struggles that military students face are within her area of expertise.
Terri served as an MCEC Military Student Transition Consultant in Vernon Parish, Louisiana public schools before joining the MSC team in September 2021. In this position, she worked closely with students, parents and school personnel, helping them navigate the various issues unique to military children and their families. She is excited to now be able to help a much broader range of families at military installations across the U.S. and around the world.
Prior to becoming part of the MCEC family, Terri was a teacher for 35 years with 29 of those years spent in Vernon Parish schools. She interacted with students in every grade from kindergarten through twelfth while teaching Family and Consumer Sciences, English, and Computer Applications and while coordinating the Title I program for her school. She holds a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision.
Have a Question?
Send your questions and comments to an MSC by clicking the button below -OR- call (254) 953-1923 ext. 1146.
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