ach year, members of technical colleges’ boards and foundations come together with college and political officials from around the state to take part in workshops and listening sessions to chart the course for the coming year.

This past November, the annual Leadership Conference was held in Savannah and was highlighted by the opening remarks from DTAE Commissioner Michael Vollmer, who had taken office only two months earlier. The commissioner’s presentation gave the audience a first glimpse of his agenda for the agency, which includes a focus on quality and “telling our story.”

The importance of the technical colleges “telling our story” was echoed by Georgia’s Senate President Pro-Tem Eric Johnson of Savannah, who told the enthusiastic audience at the annual Legislative Forum of the importance of “creat[ing] a vision that’s understandable to the legislature.” Johnson added, “Bring us along with where you are going…I think we can all work together for the future of Georgia if we’ve got a common vision.”

The Leadership Conference is attended by the Technical College Foundation Association, which is made up of members of local college foundations, and the Technical College Directors Association, which is made up of more than 300 members of the local boards of directors of the technical colleges. The workshops are devoted to exploring ways to improve community relations and finding additional ways in which Georgia’s Technical College System can better serve the people of Georgia.