President's Cabinet

The President's Cabinet meets on a regular basis to discuss campus issues, decisions being considered, policies and procedures, and items of importance to the campus. Members of the President's Cabinet are individually and collectively very important to the South Georgia team.

Dr. Virginia M. Carson, Interim President

Dr. Virginia Carson began her responsibilities as Interim President of South Georgia College in March 2008. Prior to this appointment Dr. Virginia Carson served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Georgia Highlands College (GHC) in Rome since 2001.

She served as Dean for Academic Services for Georgia Perimeter College’s (GPC) Clarkston, GA, campus from 2000 to 2001. During the 1999-2000 academic year she completed a fellowship with the American Council on Education at Northern Virginia Community College. Dr. Carson previously chaired the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering, also on GPC’s Clarkston campus, where she was Professor of Mathematics.

Dr. Carson is 2008-2009 President of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP). She represented Georgia on the Executive Council of the SACS Commission on Colleges and chaired the Georgia SACS Commissioners in 2007-8 and was elected to be a Commissioner from 2005-2008. She had a Fulbright for International Education in Germany in 2004. She was Editor of The AMATYC Review, the semi-annual refereed mathematics journal of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), from 1998 to 2003.

She is a Rotarian and has served in numerous community organizations including those connected with health and criminal justice.

Dr. Carson holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and an M.Ed. and Ph.D. from Georgia State University, all in mathematics education.

Dr. Carl McDonald, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs

Ms. Wanda Lloyd, Vice President for Business Affairs

Ms. Lloyd has more than thirty years of experience/expertise in business management, university procedures, and state regulations. Ms. Lloyd received her Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in Accounting from Georgia Southern University and holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Valdosta State University.

Prior to accepting her position at South Georgia College, Ms. Lloyd has served in various capacities in the Business Office at Georgia Southern University until 1989 when she joined the staff of South Georgia College. She currently serves on the University System Chief Business Officers Advisory Council and holds memberships in several professional organizations including NACUBO, SACUBO, and NACAS.

Dr. James A. Cottingham, Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Jim Cottingham is a senior level college administrator with more than twenty-five years of experience at South Georgia College. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, he is professor of education and psychology. Dr. Cottingham holds an Associate of Arts degree from South Georgia College, a Bachelor of Arts from Appalachian State University, a Masters from Teachers College of Columbia University, and an Ed.D. in higher education from the University of Georgia.

He has chaired the Regents Administrative Committee on Student Affairs and has served on the University System Academic Advisory Committees for Psychology and Teacher Education. Other positions Dr. Cottingham has held include Interim Director of Student Support Services and Counselor/Assistant Director of the Upward Bound/Special Services Program. Prior to returning to South Georgia College he served as Counselor/Coordinator for the Upward Bound Program at Appalachian State University.

Dr. Cottingham is an active member in the Douglas, Georgia, community as a member of the Douglas Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Coffee Alliance for the Arts. He has served on the city council and on the regional library board. Having completed two terms on the board of directors for Coffee Regional Medical Center, he now serves on the board of CRMC Ventures, Inc.

Ms. Valerie Webster, Director of Strategic Planning and Research

Ms. Webster has nine years of experience as a college administrator responsible for several divisions at South Georgia College. In addition, she has more than twenty years of experience in higher education as a professor of computer information systems and programming, and fifteen years of experience in community economic development initiatives. Ms. Webster holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University.

Prior to accepting her position as Director of Strategic Research and Planning, Ms. Webster was the Director of Continuing Education and Public Service, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Business and Social Sciences, and formerly, an Instructor for the Division of Business and Social Sciences.

Ms. Webster actively worked in the community on the Coffee Alliance for the Arts, Coffee Regional Hospital, CRH Health Services Board, Daughters of the American Revolution, the Douglas Rotary Club, and Rotarian of the Year in 1999.

Mr. Wesley Brown, Chief Information Officer

Mr. Brown has twenty-nine years of experience in the field of instructional and computer technology. He holds an Associate of Science Degree in Education, from South Georgia College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical, Trade, and Industrial Education, and a Masters in Education in Instructional Technology from Valdosta State University.

Prior to accepting his position as Chief Information Officer with South Georgia College, he was an adjunct professor at East Central Technical Institute and former Instructional Technology Coordinator at Citizens Christian Academy.

Additionally, in his position as Chief Information Officer, Mr. Brown provides strategic and tactical planning, development, evaluation, and coordination of the instructional and information technology systems for the college network and manages the computer operations of the student information system, including local area networks and wide-area networks. He also maintains a position as a professor of computer technology at the college.

Prior to his career as an educator, Mr. Brown served in the United States Navy for more than fourteen years in the field of Aviation Electronics.