The members of the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia have voted to install Joe Yarbrough of Dalton as their new chairman for the next two years. He will replace the board’s current chair, Lynn Cornett of Sandy Springs, whose term expires on Dec. 31.
The board also elected Shaw Blackmon, III, of Warner Robins to a second term as vice chairman.
The unanimous votes to elect Mr. Yarbrough and Mr. Blackmon were made during the board’s monthly meeting, which was held in Savannah on Nov. 6.
The State Board of the TCSG consists of 23 members who are appointed by the governor. They establish and oversee the standards, regulations and policies for the operation of the system of 24 technical colleges as well as Georgia’s adult education and GED programs.
Mr. Yarbrough, the senior vice president for advanced manufacturing engineering at Mohawk Industries, was appointed to the board as a member-at-large by Governor Nathan Deal in December 2012. He is currently the vice chairman of the External Affairs and Economic Development Committee and also serves on the board’s Adult Education Committee and Ad Hoc Committee for Career Academies.
Mr. Yarbrough had previously served on the board of directors of Georgia Northwestern Technical College in Rome. The college has additional campuses in Calhoun, Dalton, Rockmart and Rock Spring.
“I’m very grateful to my fellow members for the trust that they have placed in me to serve as their chairman,” said Mr. Yarbrough. “We have great leadership in the TCSG, a great board, and a great opportunity to do lots of outstanding work to support the development of Georgia’s workforce. I look forward to leading the TCSG board and doing all we can to fulfill the mission of our colleges to graduate a world-class workforce and open doors of opportunity for students throughout our state.”
Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Mr. Blackmon, the president and CEO of National Bank Products in Warner Robins, to the board as a member-at-large in 2008. He currently chairs the board’s External Affairs and Economic Development Committee and serves on the Governance, Compliance and Audit committees. He was a past chairman of the Appeals Committee.
“I’m most appreciative that my colleagues on the State Board of the TCSG have chosen me to serve a second term as their vice chairman. It will be my pleasure to work with incoming Chairman Joe Yarbrough and all of my board colleagues as we go about our duties in support of Commissioner Ron Jackson, the TCSG colleges and the technical and adult education programs that are changing the lives and building the careers of people throughout Georgia,” said Mr. Blackmon.
The 24 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia offer affordable education and excellent training in more than 600 certificate, diploma and two-year associate degree programs. Students of all ages take advantage of outstanding instructors and hands-on learning with state-of-the-art equipment to gain the skills needed for today’s in-demand jobs.
The TCSG colleges delivered 2.3 million credit hours of instruction to more than 151,000 students during the 2013 academic year. The TCSG is online, too, serving 80,000 students through the system’s Georgia Virtual Technical Connection. TCSG students enjoy the benefits of Georgia’s HOPE grant and scholarship and the federal Pell grant, which will pay for a significant portion of a TCSG education.
In addition, the TCSG Quick Start program, an important economic development incentive for Georgia, provided customized workforce training to almost 50,000 employees of new and expanding companies in the state.
The TCSG also works to help adult learners reach their potential. Last year, the TCSG Office of Adult Education delivered a variety of programs to 71,000 adult learners and almost 15,000 of those students earned their GED credential.
For more information about the TCSG and links to a technical college in your area, go to
https://tcsg.edu//"
www.tcsg.edu.