Dr. Ginger Mathis (center) associate vice president of Academic Affairs at GNTC, was honored as a graduate of the Executive Leadership Academy by TSCG Commissioner Ron Jackson (left) during a recent ceremony in Savannah. Also pictured is TCSG Deputy Commissioner Dr. Josephine Reed-Taylor (right).
A group of technical college executives from throughout Georgia have been honored as graduates of the Technical College System of Georgia’s Executive Leadership Academy.
Dr. Ginger Mathis, associate vice president of Academic Affairs and manager of the Whitfield Murray Campus at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, was among the 27 academy graduates who were congratulated by TSCG Commissioner Ron Jackson during a recent ceremony in Savannah.
“The TCSG Executive Leadership Academy is entirely focused on developing the next great leaders for Georgia’s technical colleges,” said Commissioner Ron Jackson.
“The academy’s programs provide our rising executives with unique opportunities to increase their knowledge of the TCSG while also obtaining valuable leadership experience.”
Participation in the academy is highly selective and by invitation only. Dr. Mathis was nominated to attend the academy by Pete McDonald, president of GNTC, and then approved by the Executive Leadership Academy’s board of directors.
“GNTC is very pleased that Dr. Ginger Mathis has completed the TCSG Executive Leadership Academy and the Technical College System of Georgia is dedicated to the development of our staff to provide excellent leadership for the colleges,” said Mr. McDonald. “The ELA program is conducted annually over a period of months and includes training in the areas of academic excellence, student affairs, administrative operations, economic development, and adult education.”
The academy is designed to acquaint participants with the leadership and managerial responsibilities of TCSG executives. While the program is specifically geared to the policies and procedures of the TCSG, the curriculum is sufficiently broad in scope to have application to public two-year colleges in any state and includes topics ranging from ethics and operations to institutional effectiveness, accreditation, strategic planning, legal issues, and much more.
“The Executive Leadership Academy was a great professional growth experience for me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent GNTC,” said Dr. Mathis. “I gained a broader, more holistic view of the TCSG and the positive impact that we are having in workforce and economic development across the state”
Dr. Mathis has a doctoral degree in Higher Education from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in Computer Science from Southern Polytechnic State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from the University of South Alabama.
Dr. Mathis has served as GNTC’s coordinator of Curriculum and Staff Development. She also has served as the assistant dean for Business and Information Technology and the department chair of Computer Information Systems at Northwestern Technical College.
“The perspectives and insights shared by educational and industrial leaders at ELA were extremely valuable,” said Dr. Mathis. “One of the greatest benefits was developing a new network of colleagues from across the system that I now consider to be friends and professional resources."
The TCSG Office of Adult Education delivered programs to 71,000 adult learners in 2013, including GED preparation and testing services that enabled almost 16,000 men and women to earn their GED credential.
The TCSG Quick Start program provided customized workforce training to almost 58,000 employees of new and expanding companies in Georgia.