08/21/2026
Dr. Reitha Cabaniss will soon retire after a nearly 40-year career with Bevill State Community College.
Cabaniss, the associate dean of health sciences, began her career with the college in the fall of 1987 as a nursing instructor at then-Walker State Technical College in Sumiton. Cabaniss spent a few years in patient care, however, before making her way to the college. She said there was never any question that she wanted to be a nurse.
“When I was a kid, I just remember knowing that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a nurse,” she said. “My grandmother on my dad’s side, she would talk about being someone in the community that people would reach out to if they got sick or thought she could help. I remember hearing those stories. I’ve never wanted to be anything but a nurse.”
Her grandmother wasn’t a trained nurse; however, Cabaniss was inspired to care for people when she heard her stories.
After graduating from Brilliant High School in Marion County, Cabaniss started her story, ironically, at Walker College in Jasper and remembers living in the women’s dorm on campus, McCutcheon Hall, now used for various campus offices. She earned an associate degree in applied science from Walker College in 1980 and then enrolled in the UAB School of Nursing in Birmingham.
“Here I was, 20 years old, and I felt — being in a big city was quite the change,” she said.
Cabaniss earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing two years later and her first nursing job was at Jasper’s newest hospital — Walker Baptist Medical Center, which opened its doors in 1980.
“It was the new hospital … and that was a big deal, being hired at the new hospital,” she said.
Her first job was as an intermediate care staff nurse — a tough floor, for sure, with a variety of cases presented every day. Cabaniss was later a charge nurse at the facility.
“I stayed there for years and was actually the house supervisor for the whole hospital for a few years. I continued my education and went back to UAB and got my master’s degree in cardiovascular nursing, so I was a cardiovascular clinical specialist, education wise. That was in 1985,” she said. “I loved patients and nursing. I didn’t want to be a head nurse. I didn’t care about the management part. I wanted to be on the floor with patients in clinical. That’s how I became the house supervisor on the evening shift. I did that for years and then started teaching.”
She said former Bevill State President Dr. Harold Wade and nursing instructor Alice Roberts hired her in 1987 to be a nursing instructor at then-Walker State Technical College (now Bevill State). Her first class was teaching students on the licensed practical nursing track. Cabaniss credits Alice Roberts and Patricia Reeves of the nursing faculty for their guidance and supervision during those early years.
“They were the start of Bevill’s nursing program. They took me under their wing,” she said. ”We had some good memories together.” According to an old Bevill State yearbook, the college’s nursing program began in 1981 and is now 45 years strong.
She also recalled working closely around that time with Penne Mott, Bevill State’s former dean of health sciences. Cabaniss specialized in cardiac, Mott taught obstetrics, and Roberts and Reeves also had their own areas of specialty. They all made a great team that way, she said.
Cabaniss was on the nursing faculty from 1987 to 2007 and admits she never imagined working as an educator. She only envisioned a career in patient care.
“I always wanted to be a nurse, but I never thought I would work in education,” she said. Yet, as time moved on, Cabaniss said she found a love for teaching, so she kept at it. She also didn’t lose sight of furthering her own education.
“I’ve always just pursued additional education,” she said.
Cabaniss said she loved caring for senior citizens, inspiring her to earn a post master’s degree in gerontology in 1994. She also went on to earn a doctorate in instructional leadership in 2013.
In 2007, Cabaniss became division chair of the college’s nursing program on the Jasper campus, where she managed nursing program activities and coordinated clinicals and classroom instruction. Three years later, she was named the college-wide director of nursing. In 2022, she was hired for her current role as the college-wide dean of health sciences.
“I feel like I’ve grown up here — grew and had a lot of experiences starting out at the hospital and then the college,” she said.
In addition to her time with Bevill, she worked on and off for the Baptist Health System in patient care. She has also written many scholarly articles, served on several boards and committees, contributed to books, received various honors and awards, and has professional memberships. In 2008, she also became a certified nurse educator through the National League of Nursing.
“I really have grown all these years and been able to contribute,” she said.
As for her decision to retire, Cabaniss said the timing seems right. She is of retirement age and says she’s ready for a change of pace and perhaps adventure, noting her love for travel.
“I’m not sure what’s next. I knew it was time,” she said. Her official retirement date will be September 1, 2026.
Cabaniss said part of her decision to stay with the college for so long was the ever-changing landscape of the nursing field and new challenges along the way that kept her busy — but a good busy.
“The job brought something new all the time,” she said.
Cabaniss said she feels the college’s health science programs are “very solid” with strong instructors and believes there are nothing but good things to come and opportunities for growth.
She said the greatest reward of the job over the years has been seeing the thousands of nurses and other medical professionals that have graduated be successful in their career endeavors. Some have even returned to the college as instructors to help continue the strong legacy of the nursing program.
In her office, Cabaniss has a painting of Florence Nightingale that was gifted to the college decades ago. She tearfully pointed to the photo directly in front of her desk as she discussed Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Cabaniss again professed her love for nursing, saying, “It’s a difficult field but very rewarding.”
Of course, Cabaniss said her career in patient care came with some trying times, as every nurse experiences, but being able to care for other people and instill that same passion in the nurses that have come through Bevill, have marked a successful career for Cabaniss.
She said nursing is about knowing your purpose and why you are placed in people’s lives, sometimes from beginning to end.
“Sometimes, they just want you to hold their hand and be there for them,” Cabaniss said. “They just want to know you care.”
Thank you, Dr. Cabaniss, for your many years of service to Bevill State Community College. Congratulations on your retirement! 💙🩺💚
