Georgia Piedmont Technical College has new president

The Technical College System of Georgia on Thursday selected a vice president of one of its colleges as the new president of Georgia Piedmont Technical College.

Tavarez Holston, vice pres- ident for academic affairs at Lanier Technical College since 2013, will be president of Georgia Piedmont Technical College. He starts Sept. 10.

The college, which has campuses in DeKalb, Newton and Rockdale counties, has been without a full-time president since late April after the departure of Jabari Simama.

The system began an ongoing review of the college’s finances after a state report in April found errors that may have cost as much as $2.7 mil- lion by officials in running programs and abiding by policies and procedures. Federal education officials in Febru- ary also found problems with the college’s finances and put it on “Heightened Cash Monitoring 2” status, which requires additional oversight of a college’s finances.

In May, the college eliminated 13 high-ranking positions, including its chief oper- ating officer, in an effort to improve its finances

TCSG Commissioner Matt Arthur cited Holston’s passion for technical education and his vision for the college in a statement laud- ing Holston’s appointment.

Holston said in a statement that he understands the obligation the college has to educate students who’ll be prepared to meet the business needs of the community. Its main campus is in DeKalb.

“I know that this college has a bright future ahead and we will ensure that every student who comes through our doors is provided with a world-class education where they can learn the skills for success in a career,” he said.

The interim president, D. Glen Cannon, will return to Gwinnett Technical College to serve as its president, TCSG officials said.

Tavarez Holston takes over on Sept. 10.