County Commission | The Magazine August 2018 | Page 38

of our university. My time as a
commissioner enabled me to build a
valuable network of contacts, which
placed me in good stead to serve as a
catalyst for community and workforce
development initiatives in UWA’s
market area.
Q : What is UWA’s role in
helping rural West Alabama
to prosper?
UWA has met the educational
needs of generations of students from
throughout rural Alabama and beyond
for nearly 185 years. These students
have celebrated great success in
virtually every career and every walk
of life. We believe that offering top-
quality education and training can
be achieved only if the educational
opportunities we provide align with
the needs of our communities and
business and industry, both existing
and prospective. With this in mind,
we are continually developing
partnerships and initiatives that equip
our students with the knowledge and
skills that ensure their success. We
work diligently to develop educational
opportunities that will allow students to
thrive and have prosperous careers,
and we place a strong emphasis
on developing a workforce that will
support existing industries and also
recruit additional employers that will
boost rural West Alabama’s economy.
We are committed to continued
innovation, collaboration, and
transformation that will empower
our communities to keep pace
with changing technology and
new challenges.
As Sumter County’s largest
employer, with 579 employees,
we serve as the economic engine
for West Alabama, having a $121
million economic impact statewide.
Many of our programs, from degrees
to certificates, have 100 percent
job placement of students prior to
graduation, which is an excellent
indicator that we are providing our
students with the knowledge, skills
and ability to meet employers’ needs.
Q : Anything else to add?
I greatly value my years as a
county commissioner, where I learned
much, made great connections and
friendships, and hopefully made a
positive difference in the lives of those
I was fortunate enough to serve. I
have tremendous respect for and
enjoyed working with the excellent
leadership team of ACCA. I also
greatly value the often thankless
work of county commissioners and
county employees, who tirelessly and
selflessly, as UWA’s motto says, “Do
Something That Matters.” n
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