2026 National Rising Star
Wallace Caleb Bates
Director of Marketing & Communications
Hazard Community & Technical College
Hazard, KY
When you started at HCTC in January 2024 as coordinator of public relations, did you have any idea that marcom director would be in your future? Oh, my goodness, no. Our previous director worked here for 37 years in total, and she was nearing the end of her career. Of course, I did not realize that. Interestingly, I’m the longest-serving consecutively here in our department, at two years of experience. My former boss retired and asked me if I’d be interested in assuming the role. It wasn’t planned, but it worked out.
What are some of the benefits of having such a new-to-the-organization staff? Since I took over last July as marketing director, it has been a blessing to have a team that has a respect for institutional legacy while also recognizing that there are benefits to trying new things. We’ve moved from a traditional print operation to really working as a transformational unit. We’re involved in conversations around enrollment, recruitment, reputation management and safety and operations.
How does being an HCTC grad help you market the college? I can picture back to what it was like for me to first enroll in classes, what it was like for me to walk through the doors and navigate the campuses. I was able as a student to build positive relationships with our faculty and staff, and so now that I’m working at the college, I can continue building upon that.
Your nomination form mentions your skill in crisis comms. What helps you keep your head in a crisis? I grew up living with my grandparents. My grandmother is one who has always had that ability to think through situations. She passed some of those skills on to me. I tend to think of myself as an empathetic person, and so I try to put myself in the mindset of other people. It’s being able to think through, “How will a faculty member perceive this communication? How will a staff member perceive this communication? How will a student perceive this communication?”
Your nomination form also mentioned you are currently working on your doctorate. I earned my master’s degree from Morehead State University back in May of 2025. I studied communication in the context of online learning and loved that. Now I’m working on a doctorate of education in P-20 and community leadership, looking at pre-school all the way up through higher education (and ensuring students are developing skills that will prepare them for the workforce). My plan is to focus my research on the leadership styles of Gen Z community college administrators because, of course, I’m living in that space every day.
What’s your dream job? Twenty years from now, when you say, “I made it! I did it,” what are you doing? I’m very interested in serving as president one day. Even when I think about that now, as I’m trying to find that motivation to get through those classes, that comes to mind.
What’s been the toughest class you’ve had to take? I had a really hard time in my master’s program with a pop culture class I took. It’s so abstract, and there’s so many different avenues. There’s media analyses, and there’s movie reviews, and there’s looking at the symbolism behind movies. I had a hard time because I wanted to find a way to incorporate my work somehow. I was able to work around that, but it was a struggle. I focused on TikTok and the role it is playing in higher ed communications.
OK, speaking of pop culture—what’s your favorite bit of pop culture these days? Often here in my office, I’ll have the TV on in the background. Unfortunately, I have finished “Desperate Housewives.” Loved it. I wish I would have spaced it out. I love anything by Marc Cherry. I am currently watching “The Middle.” Also, I’m a Swifty. I love Taylor Swift and always have. I did not get to go to The Eras Tour, and I’m still a little bit sad about it. I drove to Nashville and tried to grab a last-minute ticket, but I ended up sitting outside the arena with thousands of other people who had the same idea.
Let’s talk about your national Rising Star award. When went through your head when you learned you’d won? It came at the perfect time. (I had gone through a family crisis) that week, and it was just a tough time. It was the end of the week, and I found out after all that I had gone through that week. Honestly, it felt like a sign, like, “OK, you need to keep going.”
Is there anything else you want to share with NCMPR? This is deeply personal for me. Because I’m going to be on this national stage, I want to use this opportunity to try and combat some of the negative stereotypes that exist about Appalachia. There is an out-migration right now. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have remained here in my community, to be working in it now, to be serving in it, to be living in it. It makes me very emotional to think about the fact that, there’s this stigma among young people and some adults who live here that, if you remain here, you’re gonna have a hard time finding success. After having achieved this award, I hope that I can prove that I can be recognized nationally after having worked right here in my home community. I’m very excited about that.