THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509130099
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
At age 25, Claudia Macon may seem young to have such a demanding job as business manager at the Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College.
At an age when many people are just beginning their careers, Macon already has years of experience in business management and accounting.
Macon, a Western Branch resident, started her new job at TCC last May after fine-tuning her business management and accounting skills at Vanguard Energy Services, a French-owned coal import company.
During working hours at TCC, Macon oversees the daily operations of the college, which include, among other things, collecting tuition payments, helping the many departments of the school plan and manage their annual budgets and making sure the parking lots accommodate the needs of students and faculty.
Budget management is probably Macon's favorite responsibility.
``There is a structure with numbers. Once you know the basic principles you can do almost anything. It's working through that structure that I love,'' she said.
Number-crunching has become even more important at TCC these days.
``Like everybody else, we're learning how to do a lot more with a little less.''
Although she's only been on the job for a few months, Macon has already settled into her duties comfortably and is in the process of updating her department's technology, a task she's prepared to handle.
``I have experience training people and dealing with the pressures that come when people don't want to change,'' Macon said.
Macon's job description might intimidate some, but as far as she's concerned, the busier the better.
``The reason I do well in this job is because I like to handle many tasks at one time. I love to juggle,'' said Macon.
And juggle she does. While in the midst of writing a baby book - a project she's a bit secretive about - Macon also serves as an assistant training officer with the Naval Reserve mobilization unit. The unit mobilizes active duty personnel during times of war.
``We guide them through the process, help them get their affairs in order before they get on the bus and leave for duty,'' she said.
Serving in the Naval Reserves fills a gap for Macon, a gap created when she left home and embarked on her own.
``My father was in the Army for 26 years and, at times, it felt like I was in the military, too. I really missed that when I left home.''
Last summer, the Reserves took Macon to Germany where, for two weeks she studied current operations in Bosnia. ``I hope to go back next summer. Two weeks isn't always enough time to learn what you need to know.''
Macon's weekends are reserved for her 1-year-old daughter, Bianca, and her most recent purchase, a fixer-upper in Western Branch.
``I enjoy taking older homes and improving them,'' she said. ``This is my third home, and once I finish, I'll probably rent the house and move onto yet another project.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Claudia Macon, a Western Branch resident, is business manager at the
Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College.
by CNB