Governor Perdue Announces Commissioner of Department of Technical and Adult Education

Governor Sonny Perdue announced that the state board overseeing the Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE) has unanimously approved Ron Jackson as the new commissioner of the department. The vote came during the board’s monthly meeting in Augusta. Jackson has served as the interim commissioner of DTAE since the retirement of former commissioner Mike Vollmer in November 2006. Jackson joined the agency in 2004 as its deputy commissioner.

“Ron Jackson brings with him several years of leadership experience within state government,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “His dedication to Georgia’s education system will continue to provide our citizens excellent lifelong adult education and training.”

Carl Swearingen, the chairman of the DTAE board, praised Jackson’s appointment. “Ron has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and careful management of DTAE over the past year,” said Swearingen. “Our entire board agrees that our colleges, the students, faculty and staff, and all of the agency’s programs are going to be well-served by Ron as the new commissioner.”

Jackson served as the deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) from 2002 to 2004. Previously, he was OPB’s director of strategic planning, research and evaluation. He worked for three governors during his tenure at the Office of Planning and Budget and was closely involved with Georgia’s results-based budgeting and the development of the state’s web-based financial management system. Jackson also advised the Education Reform Study Commission.

The Department of Technical and Adult Education manages the 33 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia and also administers Quick Start, the state’s internationally-known workforce development program that provides free customized training to new, expanding and existing businesses. In addition, the agency is responsible for providing the adult literacy programs to more than 84,000 Georgians annually.

Almost 141,000 students enrolled in Georgia’s technical colleges in 2007 and 27,000 graduated with either technical certificates of credit, diplomas or associate degrees. Of those graduates, 98.7% are either employed or continuing their education.
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