EDUCATION LORETTE HOOVER
T
rade skills are crucial
Glynn County is a long way from Germany. Just ask Altamaha Technical College President Lorette Hoover. She was born in Germany in an Army family that moved frequently around Europe and the Middle East during her youth. Eventually, Hoover’s family ended up in Columbus, where she got her first taste of the American lifestyle. She was 21 years old then and had grown up with a different educational experience than others her age. Neither of her parents was college educated and her German mother, she found out later, had not finished high school. When they came to the states, Hoover said her mother decided it was time to get a GED. It was through Hoover’s experiences helping her mother earn her certificate that she was introduced to technical colleges and found her calling. “I really enjoyed seeing regular people like me get their GEDs and learning to keep our industries running,” Hoover said. After volunteering with a GED pro-
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EDUCATION MILLARD ALLEN
edication lifts schools
Glynn County Board of Education member Millard Allen saw a chance to make a difference, and he’s been doing just that in the almost seven years he has been on the board. Allen wanted to change the outlook of a board that had been contentious prior to his election in 2006. “You can disagree with people without being disagreeable,” Allen said. It is a philosophy he developed when working in the computer and technology sector with companies like Honeywell and Texas Instruments. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he entered the world of private business upon his retirement from the Navy. He says the sense of teamwork and cooperation he brought with him to the board helped, when combined with other board members who felt the same as he did. He is happy with what they have
been able to accomplish. “I think we have made some progress,” Allen said. That includes progress in the classroom, he added. “Our product is the education of children,” Allen said. Since joining the board, Allen has been proud to see graduation rates rise and several key standardized test scores increase. Having no children or grandchildren of his own who were ever enrolled in Glynn County schools, Allen’s efforts to guide the school system have stemmed from his yearning to better the community he has called home since 1988. He says having a quality infrastructure for education is the best way he knows to make Glynn County a better place. A complete set of educational offerings, from prekindergarten through the college level, will support economic development, Allen said. – Michael Hall
12 The Brunswick News / Saturday, March 23, 2013
gram in Columbus, she got a job as a secretary at the local technical school and began working her way up the ladder. She simultaneously worked to earn a bachelor’s degree in business. During that time she developed the philosophy that has guided her career. “Everyone has a right to a great job and a great career,” Hoover said. Employers also have the right to hire well-trained employees who are ready to fill all positions, not just the white-collar jobs. “So many Americans, especially kids in high school, don’t realize how good the skilled jobs are,” Hoover said. She hopes she can instill in the students at Altamaha Tech an attitude she gleaned from Germans. Hoover said skilled trades people in Germany are revered for their ability and are held in high regard as pillars of the community. By elevating the status and profile of those jobs in Southeast Georgia, Hoover hopes students will have a positive economic and social impact on their communities. – Michael Hall