Jackson announced his choice today during the board’s monthly meeting at the TCSG headquarters in Atlanta.
Board member Michael Sullivan of Lilburn, who serves as the representative from the state’s Seventh Congressional District, made the motion to approve the appointment of Cannon. The full board followed by unanimously approving the selection.
The position has been open since Sharon Bartels retired in May. Cannon’s first day on the job will be September 1.
Jackson told the board that Cannon is no stranger to the technical college system and has a long and well-proven track record as a highly effective leader and smart executive. “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Dr. Cannon for many years. He’s a talented administrator and dedicated educator who wants to help his students discover their potential and find success in the workforce. He’s been involved in every aspect of college operations during his career, and he’s the right choice to lead Gwinnett Technical College,” said Jackson.
Cannon thanked the TCSG leadership for the opportunity being given to him. “I am humbled and appreciative that Commissioner Jackson and the TCSG State Board have faith in my ability to lead an already great college into a very exciting future. I have a strong passion for technical and adult education, and I will ensure that Gwinnett Technical College continues to be a leader in the development of a skilled workforce for the businesses and industries throughout the region it serves,” said Cannon.
Cannon has been the president of Chattahoochee Valley Community College, which is part of the Alabama Community College System, since 2011. His previous experience includes 22 years working at Georgia’s technical colleges, mainly as the chief financial officer of those institutions.
He was the vice president of administrative services at DeKalb Technical College (now Georgia Piedmont Technical College) in Clarkston from 2007 to 2011. He served in the same position at Central Georgia Technical College in Macon from 1994 to 2007, and at Moultrie Technical College in Moultrie from 1993 to 1994. He was the director of accounting at Carroll Technical Institute (now West Georgia Technical College) in Waco from 1989 to 1993.
Cannon earned his Doctor of Education with a concentration in occupational studies from the University of Georgia. He received his Master of Business Administration from Mercer University and Bachelor of Business Administration from West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia).
About Gwinnett Technical College:
The college serves Gwinnett and North Fulton counties. In addition to the Lawrenceville campus, the college is building a new campus in Alpharetta near the intersection of Georgia 400 and Old Milton Parkway. When fully built out, the new campus could serve up to 10,000 students.
Last year, GTC enrolled 10,013 students in certificate, diploma and degree programs, making it the second-largest credit enrollment of the 23 TCSG colleges. The college serves thousands more students each year through a wide variety of continuing education programs. In addition, GTC provides classes in adult basic education, adult secondary education, English as a Second Language, and GED preparation. More than 6,000 adult learners took part in those programs in 2013.
For more about Gwinnett Technical College, go to www.gwinnetttech.edu
About the TCSG:
The 23 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 low tuition, outstanding instructors, hands-on learning and state-of-the-art equipment to gain the skills needed for today’s in-demand jobs.
In 2013, the TCSG colleges delivered 2.4 million credit hours of instruction to more than 151,000 students. The TCSG is online, too, serving 85,000 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.
The TCSG Office of Adult Education delivered programs to 72,000 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.
For more information about the TCSG and links to all of the TCSG colleges, go to www.tcsg.edu
