SGTC Board of Directors recognized at TCSG Leadership conference

November 2, 2021
Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier is shown above with SGTC Director of Business and Industry Services Paul Farr, SGTC Board of Director Member Grant Buckley, SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and SGTC Foundation Executive Director Su Ann Bird, SGTC Career Services Director Cynthia Carter, SGTC Foundation Trustee and TCFA Foundation President Mike Cheokas, SGTC President Dr. John Watford and Barbara Watford, SGTC Board Member and TCDA Past President Janet Siders, SGTC Board Member Michael Coley and his wife Linda, Michael Cunningham and SGTC Assistant to the President Teresa O’Bryant, SGTC Director of Business and Industry Services Michelle McGowan, and Margie and Jake Everett of the SGTC Board of Directors.
Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier is shown above with SGTC Director of Business and Industry Services Paul Farr, SGTC Board of Director Member Grant Buckley, SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and SGTC Foundation Executive Director Su Ann Bird, SGTC Career Services Director Cynthia Carter, SGTC Foundation Trustee and TCFA Foundation President Mike Cheokas, SGTC President Dr. John Watford and Barbara Watford, SGTC Board Member and TCDA Past President Janet Siders, SGTC Board Member Michael Coley and his wife Linda, Michael Cunningham and SGTC Assistant to the President Teresa O’Bryant, SGTC Director of Business and Industry Services Michelle McGowan, and Margie and Jake Everett of the SGTC Board of Directors.

SAVANNAH, GA – The South Georgia Technical College Board of Directors was recognized as a fully certified board at the Technical College Directors Association and the Technical College Foundation Association Leadership conference in Savannah recently.  This is the 12th consecutive year that the SGTC Board has been recognized.

     All eight members of the South Georgia Technical College Board of Directors have completed individual board member certification training and are fully certified board members.  The eight-member board is made up of community leaders representing the SGTC service area, which includes Sumter, Schley, Crisp, Macon, Marion, Webster and Taylor counties.

    The South Georgia Technical College Board of Directors are led by Chairman Don Porter of Lee County, who works with Georgia Power in Sumter County, Jimmy Davis of Macon County, Jake Everett of Webster County, Michael Coley of Sumter County, Richard McCorkle of Marion County, Janet Siders of Sumter County, Grant Buckley of Crisp County and Mattye Gordon of Taylor County. Janet Siders also serves as Past President of the Technical College Directors Association Board.

     Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier recognized the South Georgia Technical College board members who had all earned their TCDA board certification.  Commissioner Dozier also recognized South Georgia Tech President Dr. John Watford and presented the South Georgia Technical College Board of Directors with a framed certificate and plaque for the 100% certification at the annual conference.  SGTC Board members Jake Everett, Grant Buckley, Michael Coley and Janet Siders accepted the plaque with Dr. Watford. 

   In addition to the Technical College System of Georgia Leadership Conference for college officials and members of the local Technical College Directors Association, members of the Technical College Foundation Association Board also attended the meetings.  Janet Siders of the SGTC Board of Directors presided over the TCDA portion of the conference as Past President of the organization and Mike Cheokas, SGTC Foundation Trustee, presided over the TCFA portion as the new TCFA President.

   In addition to SGTC Board members Grant Buckley, Janet Siders, Michael Coley and Jake Everett attending the conference with SGTC President Dr. John Watford were SGTC Foundation Trustee Mike Cheokas and SGTC Foundation Executive Director Su Ann Bird, and SGTC Executive Assistant to the President Teresa O’Bryant.  SGTC Directors of Business and Industry Services Michelle McGowan and Paul Farr and SGTC Director of Career Services also attended for an Economic Development peer group meeting.

    The mission of the Technical College Directors’ Association of Georgia (TCDA) is to build the capability of the local boards of directors to effectively increase the real and perceived value of technical and adult education in Georgia. 

     The local Board of Directors of individual colleges were created by Georgia State Statute to assist the Technical College System of Georgia State Board in carrying out its mission.  The primary purpose of the local board and its members is to: 1.) advise on program direction via their personal subject matter expertise and awareness of area business needs for program decisions and priorities; 2.) serve as a check and balance for the development and implementation of college goals and objectives as well as operations policies and procedures; and 3.) advocate within the community and in the state legislature on issues of importance in support of the technical college system and Georgia’s workforce development efforts.

     Members of the local boards of the state-managed technical colleges in Georgia are automatically members of TCDA.  Members have the choice of completing requirements to become a Certified Board Member through workshops and activities offered by TCDA.  Workshops include information dealing with community advocacy, governance, budget and financial management, and other topics.