Commissioner Gretchen Corbin announced that Dr. Mark Ivester will be the new president of North Georgia Technical College. The state board of the Technical College System of Georgia voted during its monthly meeting today to accept Commissioner Corbin’s recommendation of Mr. Ivester to the position.
 
Board member Dinah Wayne of Flowery Branch made the motion to accept Corbin’s recommendation of Dr. Ivester and the full board voted unanimously to approve his selection. Dr. Ivester will assume his duties as president on August 1, 2016.
 
“Mark Ivester has displayed outstanding leadership during his time at North Georgia Tech; he knows the college inside and out and he is the right person to continue its excellent record of service to the students and the community,” said Commissioner Corbin. “He has deep ties with business and industry in the region and understands how technical college students can fulfill workforce development needs.”
 
Dr. Ivester has served as Vice President for Economic Development at NGTC since 2008. He has served on the college’s executive team for 17 years, including as Vice President of Administrative Services and as Acting President. He has served as an adjunct instructor and since 2011, he has been responsible for all Adult Education activities at the college as well as the commercial truck driving and electrical lineman programs.
 
Prior to joining North Georgia Tech in 1998, Dr. Ivester held leadership positions in private industry, including Southcorp Packaging, Gilbert and Bennett Manufacturing, and Diamond Rug and Carpet Mills. He holds accounting degrees from Young Harris College and West Georgia College, an M.B.A. from Brenau University and an E.D.D. from the University of Georgia.
 
Dr. Ivester’s community service includes establishing a regional Economic Development Council in 2013 to bring together local school superintendents and industrial leaders to lead the effort on major workforce development activities in northeast Georgia. He has participated in workforce development committees for both the Stephens County and Habersham County Chambers of Commerce. He serves on the local WIA board with the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission, is a member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, and serves as president of the Clarkesville Rotary Club. Dr. Ivester resides in Toccoa with his wife Eleanor and has four adult children.
 
“It is a privilege to be a part of an organization that changes lives and supports the communities in Northeast Georgia through education and workforce development,” said Dr. Ivester. “I look forward to working with our great faculty and staff to continue the success of our students and our college.”
 
Ivester will be the sixth president of North Georgia Technical College, which was founded in 1944 and is the oldest technical college in the state. He succeeds president Gail Thaxton, who will retire on July 31, 2016.