The board of the state’s technical college system officially approved its next system leader on Thursday, replacing outgoing Commissioner Ron Jackson, who plans to retire Jan. 31.
Gretchen Corbin takes over as the new chief of the Technical College System of Georgia on Jan. 12. Gov. Nathan Deal appointed her to the position — pending board approval — as part of a contingent of state government leadership changes announced last month after his re-election.
Corbin, who currently leads the state’s Department of Community Affairs and has worked previously as a deputy commissioner in the Department of Economic Development, will be the fourth leader of the tech college system, which serves more than 141,000 students in 23 colleges.
Jackson, 67, has led the system since 2006. His retirement was largely influenced by a heart attack and subsequent heart surgery 13 weeks ago.
Fighting back tears during his final address on Thursday, Jackson called his departure “bittersweet” as he ran down a list of changes the system has undergone during his tenure. Jackson had been in place for two years before the system’s name was changed from the Department of Technical and Adult Education. He also presided over a number of college mergers, a transition from quarters to semesters, and unprecedented growth during the recession as unemployed Georgians returned to school for retraining.
“I think we still have work to do on branding and getting high school students and their parents to understand that we are indeed colleges” and a higher education option, Jackson said, noting that the branding lesson extends beyond parents and students. “I look forward to the day that some lawmakers don’t come up to the (system’s) commissioner and say that there are some kids that don’t need to go to college, they just need to come to your schools.”
Also retiring from the system is longtime spokesman Mike Light, who leaves at the end of the year.
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