Middle Georgia Technical College

Three Community Leaders Join MGTC Board of Directors

Three new board members were sworn in at the recent Middle Georgia Technical College Board of Directors meeting in August. Judge Jason Ashford, State Court Judge of Houston County, performed the swearing-in ceremony for Marsha Buzzell, Danny Carpenter, and Dr. Vernard Hodges.

Buzzell, who previously served on the MGTC Foundation Board of Trustees, is the Executive Director of the Warner Robins Convention and Visitors Bureau. She is a member of multiple local professional organizations, including the Warner Robins Chamber of commerce, the Historic Heartland Travel Association, the Military Affairs Committee, and the Warner Robins Planning and Zoning Appeals Board. Buzzell also serves as a board member of Sunmark Community Bank. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University and is a certified Tourism and Marketing professional as a graduate of the Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College. She is married to Wayne Buzzell and two stepsons and one granddaughter.

Dr. Vernard Hodges is the owner of Critter Fixers Veterinary Hospital in Bonaire and Byron. He is a graduate of Peach County High School and Fort Valley State University. He graduated from the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. Dr. Hodges is married to Belinda Stephens-Hodges, MD, and they have one son, Vernard, II.

Danny Carpenter also joins the Board of Directors at MGTC. Previously, he served as Superintendent of Houston County Schools, retiring from that position in 2007. Prior to becoming superintendent, he served as the Executive Director of Secondary Operations, the director of Alternative Programs, and as teacher, football coach, and athletic director at Northside High School. Carpenter earned his undergraduate degree, as well as an advance degree in Leadership from the University of Georgia. He is married to Shawn, who is the principal of David A. Perdue Elementary School. They have two sons, Brian and Jake, and a daughter, Katie, who is married to Brian Wilkerson. They also have one grandchild.

The Middle Georgia Technical College Board of Directors is made up of group of community and business leaders from each of the four counties in MGTC's service area, including Dooly, Houston, Peach, and Pulaski. This local board assists MGTC's governing board, the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia. In addition to reviewing and approving the local policies, procedures, and educational programs of the College, the local directors also serve as advocates for Middle Georgia Technical College.

Photo: New members of the MGTC Board of Directors are pictured with Houston County State Court Judge Jason Ashford and Dr. Ivan Allen, president of Middle Georgia Technical College. (l to r) Danny Carpenter, Marsha Buzzell, Dr. Ivan Allen, Dr. Vernard Hodges, and Judge Jason Ashford.