Altamaha Tech welcomes Lorette Hoover
By Mariel Williams
STAFF WRITER
 New President Lorette Hoover spoke about her vision for Altamaha Technical College at a reception in her honor Tuesday.
Hoover was hired to replace Dr. Paul Scott, who retired last summer. Scott had led the college since it opened nearly 20 years ago.
Hoover came to ATC from Southwest Georgia Technical College in Thomasville. There, she had most recently served as acting president and interim president. She had also held several vice presidential positions.
Hoover was introduced to the audience by Dr. Freida Hill, assistant commissioner of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, and Clifford Davis Jr., chairman of the ATC Board of Directors.
Hill was president of Southwest Georgia Tech for part of Hoover’s time there. “The first thing I want to tell you about Lorette is she has a need to know,” Hill said. “She’s very intelligent.”
Hill said Hoover had done very well in all of her positions at Southwest, including being vice president of student and instructional services. “What Lorette did in student services, she took a group of people—and they were doing a good job—but she made them work in teams; she made sure they were cross-trained,” Hill said. “The enthusiasm and the morale in that department just shot to the ceiling very quickly.”
Davis spoke about Hoover’s qualifications and how she compared with the other candidates for the position. “We are counting on her to strive to enhance the learning experience for our students here at Altamaha Tech,” Davis said. “With Ms. Hoover’s leadership, we are confident that Altamaha Technical College will continue to be a leader in the forefront of the state.”
When Hoover took the podium herself, she spoke about her appreciation for the college and her plans for its future. “If any of you have ever had your dreams come true, it is a wonderful and humbling experience,” she said.
“Even though I’m your president, I see it as your vision. It’s your college—we’re all going to take this college where it needs to be to meet the needs of business and industry.”
Hoover acknowledged several of the community leaders present and thanked those who have helped her settle in. “Cliff, you have been so kind to me these last several weeks,” she said.
She also said she had been telling Dr. Scott he must have very big feet because she found his shoes so hard to fill. “I was at the shoe store yesterday, and my feet were a half-size larger, so it’s working!” she said.
“I’m so proud to be associated with so many of you.”
Hoover said ATC forms a very important part of the local economy by providing the training programs needed by local businesses. “We change lives on a daily basis, and it’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of that process,” she said.
Hoover said she has been visiting many local businesses in her first weeks here. “I look forward to touring more industries and businesses and learning about the services they need from us,” she said. “I have got so much more to learn and am so excited to do so.”
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