October 16, 2014- Albany, GA- Albany Technical College will hold their annual fall National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) induction ceremony on Thursday, October 16, 2014, beginning at 6pm, in the Kirkland Conference Center.
NTHS is the acknowledged leader in the recognition of outstanding student achievement and technical education. The organization also offers scholarships every year to its members.
Keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Dr. Anthony O. Parker, President of Albany Tech. Serving as President since July 1995, Parker was the former Vice President of Student Services at Aiken Technical College in Aiken, South Carolina, and Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia, GA. In July of 2005, Parker also assumed the duties of interim assistant commission of Adult Literacy for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) in Atlanta, serving from July 1, 2005 through April 1, 2006.
Since his arrival, Albany Tech has completed a capital campaign, doubled enrollment, and taken responsibility for adult literacy. New facilities were constructed or renovated on the Dougherty County Campus, a campus was constructed in Early County, and a learning center was built in Randolph County.
Parker received a bachelor's degree in Accounting from South Carolina State University, a master of education degree in counseling and guidance from South Carolina State University, a specialist in education degree in Educational Administration from Augusta College and a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Parker graduated from the Institute of Educational Management at the Harvard University Graduate School. He graduated from the Executive Leadership Institute at the League for Innovation in the Community College and also served as a faculty member on four occasions.
Parker is a member of the Presidents' Council of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). In 2006, he was appointed by then Georgia's Governor, Sonny Perdue, to serve on the Career and Technical Education Advisory Commission. He was recently appointed to serve on Governor Nathan Deal's Education Funding Commission to examine how funding formulas for the University System and Technical College System should be changed in order to improve higher education outcomes in the state. Other awards and affiliations include: National Technical Honor Society Board; National GED Advisory Board; Center for Advance Logistics Management Advisory Board; Georgia Career and Technical Education Advisory Commission; Georgia Workforce Investment Board; Past Vice Chairman, Albany Area Chamber of Commerce; Past Chair, United Way of Southwest Georgia; Past Campaign Chair, United Way of Southwest Georgia; Board Member, Phoebe Putney Health Systems; Board Member, SB&T Bank; Board Member, Alliance for Progress of Southwest Georgia (BRAC Preparation Taskforce); Rotary Club of Albany, Georgia; Past President, 100 Black Men of America, Augusta Georgia Chapter; Graduated, Leadership Georgia; Program Chair, Leadership Georgia; Volunteer, Girls Inc.; JCOC Participant, Fall 2007; League for Innovation's John & Suanne Rouesche Excellence Award, 2014. He is married to the former Sandra Pinkney, who is the CTAE Director for Lee County School System. They have three children, Kimberly, Andrea and Richard Anthony.
Twenty Albany Tech students will be inducted at Thursday's ceremony. Students eligible for induction into the NTHS must be enrolled at Albany Tech; must have completed two consecutive quarters of coursework, a minimum of 24 credit hours; must have at least a 3.5 GPA overall and must have made no lower than a B on any course exam. Eligible students must also exemplify the personal qualities of an honor student: safety conscious; working well with others; dependable; trustworthy; responsible; honest; takes pride in work; exhibits good citizenship; and makes a neat and clean appearance. In addition, the student must be recommended by his/her advisor and must maintain the required grade average to remain a member of NTHS.
