TUPELO, Mississippi—Several staff members have been nominated by their peers for North Mississippi Medical Center’s Unit Coordinator Excellence Award.

NMMC presents Excellence in Nursing awards in several categories and will honor each winner on their unit during National Nurses Week, May 6-12.

Beth Anglin, a unit coordinator and certified nursing assistant on 4 Central, joined the NMMC staff in 2016. She graduated from Marine City High School in Michigan in 1989 and completed nursing assistant training at Itawamba Community College in 2016. She is also certified in phlebotomy. Anglin has won NMMC’s Beyond Exceptional Expectations (BEE) Award twice. She and her husband, Raymond, have a daughter, Morgan Rae, and a grandchild, Warren.

Laqwinder Brownlee, unit coordinator on 3 South, joined the NMMC staff in 2015. A 1998 graduate of Houston High School, she earned an associate degree from ICC in 2011 and is certified as a medical administrative assistant. She and her husband, Richard, have three children—Rykeria, Jamiya and Kaliya. She attends Bethlehem M.B. Church, where she leads the youth department.

Liberty Duffie of Saltillo has served as unit coordinator for 4 Central since 2019. She graduated from Booneville High School in 2015 and attended ICC. She serves on NMMC’s Nursing Shared Governance Committee and is engaged to Reed Burcham.

Monica Prestage of Tupelo works on 2 West as a unit coordinator, monitor technician and certified nursing assistant. She joined the NMMC staff in 2016 and previously worked on 6 South. She is a 1986 graduate of Itawamba Agricultural High School and pursued a career in health care after working as a cosmetologist for 20 years. She is engaged to Mike Larsen and has four sons—Zach, Adam and Eric Rhyne and Shawn Prestage—and 11 grandchildren—Weston, Ellis, Hazel, Alexis, Mackenzie, Jace, Gracelynn, Erika, Caden, Deaton and Rayna Klaire. She is a member of Anchor Church in Verona and is active in the Health, Hope and Healing ministry and Itawamba Cruisers.

Jennifer Ray joined the NMMC staff in 2002 and works as a unit coordinator, monitor technician and certified nursing assistant on 3 Central. A 1985 graduate of Pontotoc High School, she completed ICC’s nursing assistant program in 2002. She lives in Tupelo and attends Blackland Missionary Baptist Church. Ray has received NMMC’s Beyond Exceptional Expectations (BEE) Award. She has three children—Brittany, Jharissa and Jerrick—and four grandchildren, Courtland, Connor, Harleigh and Braxten, and is expecting a fifth grandchild in June.

Tammy Smith has served as a unit coordinator and certified nursing assistant on 6 South since 2015. She graduated from Saltillo High School in 1989 and completed ICC’s nursing assistant program in 2009 and phlebotomy program in 2011. She has two sons, Justin Hutson and Jimmy Smith. She lives in Saltillo and attends Friendship Baptist Church in Baldwyn.

For more information about joining the NMMC team, visit www.nmhs.net/careers or email recruit@nmhs.net.