South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford was selected as one of Georgia’s 500 Most Influential Leaders for 2025 for the field of education by Georgia Trend Magazine. See the full article at: Top 500 Most Influential Leaders in Georgia.
Dr. Watford is in his ninth year as President of South Georgia Technical College which was recently named as the 8th top two-year college in the United States by EDsmart.org and also listed as the 16th Best Value Two-Year College in the U.S. Over 1,368 two-year colleges were evaluated.
Former Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Gretchen Corbin announced that Dr. John Watford was selected to serve as the college’s seventh President or Director since the institution was created in 1948 in March of 2016. He assumed his duties as President on April 1, 2016. Dr. Watford has been with the college for 35 years. He joined the college’s faculty in January of 1990 as a Computer Information System instructor. He also served as Director of Information Technology, Director of Instruction, Vice President of Operations for the Crisp County Center, and Vice President of Academic Affairs before being named as President.
“I have been at the college for 35 years,” said President Watford. “I just fell in love with the college. This is a great place to work and as much as it is a great place to work and great people to work with, the mission we accomplish, which is workforce education, that’s what makes it special and what keeps us coming back to work every day. We see people’s lives get changed at South Georgia Tech.”
South Georgia Technical College serves 3,000 students annually across its credit programs and an additional 1,500 to 2,000 students through its economic development and adult education programs, which include high school equivalency classes and industry partnerships. SGTC serves as the designated college/university partner for technical training for Caterpillar and John Deere in the southeast.
“Diesel training in one of our areas of excellence,” explained Dr. Watford. “We are the second-oldest technical college in Georgia. Diesel mechanics and aviation maintenance were two of the original programs offered in 1948 and they are both still strong programs today. We have a proud history and a very promising future not only in diesel technology but also in our other over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs.”
A native of Georgia, Dr. Watford began his professional career at Metalux Lighting (now Cooper Lighting) in Americus. He holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia as well as an M.S. in Business Administration and a B.S. in Math, both from Georgia Southwestern State University. Also, he holds a Specialist in Education degree from Columbus State University. Dr. Watford and his wife, Barbara, reside at Lake Blackshear. They have three grown children.
South Georgia Technical College is one of only two technical colleges in Georgia with on-campus housing. It has campuses in Americus and Crisp County and primarily serves seven counties: Sumter, Crisp, Schley, Macon, Marion, Taylor and Webster.
Current Technical College System of Georgia Greg Dozier and 14 other college presidents in the Technical College System of Georgia were highlighted among the top 500 influential Georgians in the Georgia Trend Magazine.
“Welcome to the 2025 Georgia 500,” said Ben Young Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of Georgia Trend. “Have a blast pouring through our selection of the greatest non-elected leaders in our state of 11.18 million people. We work hard each year to identify not just the most successful Georgians but the ones also making an impact in their communities.
“Georgia Trend magazine, celebrating our 40th anniversary this year, has a unique vantage point in selecting statewide leaders. In addition to our legacy and reputations, we have done the work that it takes to match our content to leaders and readers who span 159 counties and 537 cities.”