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 15th consecutive year that the SGTC Board has been recognized.
All six members of the South Georgia Technical College Board of Directors have completed individual board member certification training and are fully certified board members. The six-member board is made up of community leaders representing the SGTC service area, which includes Sumter, Schley, Crisp, Macon, Marion, Webster and Taylor counties.
SGTC President Dr. John Watford and Barbara Watford are shown above with Michael Cunningham and SGTC Executive Assistant to the President Teresa O’Bryant, SGTC Board member Don Porter and his wife Tammy; Board Chairman Grant Buckley, Board member Michael Coley and his wife Linda; and SGTC Foundation member and TCFA Past President Mike Cheokas. Also shown are SGTC Vice President of Student Affairs Eulish Kinchens and Miya Kinchens, SGTC Director of Career Services Cynthia Carter and Director of Business and Industry Services Paul Farr. Not shown is SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Su Ann Bird.
The South Georgia Technical College Board of Directors are led by Chairman Grant Buckley of Crisp County, Michael Coley of Sumter County, Don Porter of Sumter County, Jake Everett of Webster County, Jamie Penoncello of Marion County, and Mattye Gordon of Taylor County.
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 Chairman Grant Buckley 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. The local Boards of Directors and the Foundation Boards are all members of TCDA and TCFA. Mike Cheokas of the SGTC Foundation Board of Trustees represented the SGTC Foundation
In addition to SGTC Board members Don Porter, Grant Buckley, Michael Coley and Jamie Penoncello attending the conference with SGTC President Dr. John Watford were SGTC Foundation Trustee Mike Cheokas and SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and SGTC Foundation Executive Director Su Ann Bird, SGTC Vice President of Student Affairs Eulish Kinchens, SGTC Executive Assistant to the President Teresa O’Bryant, SGTC Director of Career Services Cynthia Carter, and SGTC Business and Industry Director Paul Farr.
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 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.
The Technical College System of Georgia Foundation Association supports the Technical College System of Georgia through marketing, advocacy and fundraising to benefit college students, programs, and faculty. All TCSG college foundation members are automatically members of TCFA.