Georgia Piedmont Tech College president being removed amid financial investigation

Technical College System of Georgia officials are investigating the finances of Georgia Piedmont Technical College after federal and state officials found problems serious enough that the system is removing its president.

Jabari Simama’s last day as the college’s president will be May 11, system spokesman Mark D’Alessio told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday. Four other administrators have been put on paid administrative leave, D’Alessio said.

Ivan H. Allen, the president of Central Georgia Technical College, is leading a team that is conducting an assessment of the situation at Georgia Piedmont Tech, which has campuses in DeKalb, Morgan, Newton and Rockdale counties and about 3,200 students.

“We’re trying to understand how far this goes,” D’Alessio said.

The U.S. Department of Education put the college on heightened cash monitoring status in March, D’Alessio said, a designation that requires additional oversight of a college’s finances. Additional state audits revealed other unspecified issues with the college, the spokesman said.

The Technical College System of Georgia has not implemented a plan yet to determine how they will find a new president for the college. 

Simama was hired in September 2012. His career has included stints as an Atlanta City Council member and chief of staff to former DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis.