DTAE Commissioner Serves as Guest Speaker at ATC Graduation
 Eighty graduates received their degrees and diplomas during Altamaha Technical College’s semi-annual graduation ceremony held on June 14, 2007. Three members of the college’s faculty and staff who have served and continue to serve in the military served as the color guard during the ceremony. Presenting the colors were 1st Sergeant, U.S. Army retired, James R. Tankersley, Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy retired, Larry Thompson, and Master Sergeant Jessica Everingham, 224th JCSS, Brunswick, GA, Georgia Air National Guard. Director of Instruction, Walt Pinder led in singing the “Star Spangled Banner” and distinguished honor graduate, Rachael Mincey, gave the Students’ Point of View.
 The guest speaker for the evening was Ron Jackson, Interim Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. Jackson began his speech by telling the graduates that “It is a fast and remarkable world,” and he reminded them to “make sure you take the time to thank the people who packed your parachute.” He also delivered some encouraging words to the graduates saying, “Don’t be afraid to dream, to take risks, to soar.” Finally, in closing Jackson offered them some words to live by, saying, “Losers let life happen to them, winners make life happen.”
Jackson was asked to serve as the Interim Commissioner for DTAE in December of 2006. He joined the department two years before that as Deputy Commissioner. Jackson was the Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office Planning and Budget (OPB) form 2002-2004. He spent over ten years under three governors in OPB, having served as Director of Strategic Planning, Research and Evaluation for most of that time. In his capacity at OPB he worked on many projects across state government including the state and agency strategic planning, Program and Results Based Budgeting, the new web-based Financial Management System (the online budget development system), the Governor’s Legislative Tracking System, the Education Reform Study Commission, and a temporary assignment as the Executive Assistant to the Commander of the State Olympic Law Enforcement Command during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
He was the Director of Parole with the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles from July 1991 until January 1994 and served as the Director of Field Operations Division of the Board from February 1990 through July 1991.
Previously, from 1982 to 1990, he served on the Texas Parole Board as a Commissioner. Jackson has been active in the criminal justice field in some way since 1966, when he stared with the Texas Department of Corrections. He graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1971.
While supervising the editing and publishing of the Texas Journal of Corrections, he published several articles in professional journals and newsletters and co-authored the book Current Parole Practices: United States and Canada, which was published by the ACA in 1991.
Jackson has been active in numerous professional affiliations. From 1984 to 1990, he served in several offices of the Association of Paroling Authorities International, including being President from 1986 through 1988. He presently serves on the Board of Governors of the American Correctional Association and has served on many of that organization’s committees.
From 1992 to 1996, Jackson served as a Commissioner on the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections, the accrediting body for correctional facilities, agencies and programs. He also served on the National Committee on Community Corrections, a coalition of public officials, researchers and correctional professionals representing local, state, and federal interests.
During the ceremony, Clifford Davis, Local Board of Directors Chairman, and Karla Eubanks, Vice President of Student Services, presented the degrees and diplomas to the graduates. ATC President, Lorette Hoover, recognized honor graduates who had an overall GPA of at least 3.5, and President’s Scholastic Medal recipients, graduates who had an overall GPA of 4.0. In her remarks to the graduating class, Hoover said “Congratulations for the obstacles you’ve overcome to be here tonight.”
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