Former Gwinnett school superintendent appointed to telecom commission

Gwinnett County Schools superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks poses for a photo at his send-off at the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center in Suwanee, Georgia, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Rebecca Wright

Credit: Rebecca Wright

Gwinnett County Schools superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks poses for a photo at his send-off at the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center in Suwanee, Georgia, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed J. Alvin Wilbanks, the former longtime superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools, to the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission on Monday.

Wilbanks retired at the end of July, four months after the Gwinnett board of education narrowly voted to end his contract early amid political upheaval and concerns about educational equity in the school district. Per the terms of his contract, Wilbanks, 79, received a payout exceeding $530,000.

At the time of his retirement, Wilbanks was the nation’s longest-serving superintendent of a large school system, having led the Gwinnett district for 25 years. During that time, the Gwinnett school system won prestigious national awards.

Before he became superintendent, Wilbanks served as the founding president of Gwinnett Technical College, which opened in 1984.

He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Georgia and an education specialist degree from Georgia State University. He began his career in education as a technical education teacher in DeKalb County.

The Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education two years ago gave Wilbanks the organization’s first lifetime achievement award.