A True Roman - Dr. Craig McDaniel

A TRUE ROMAN Dr. Craig McDaniel

Some say to be a true Roman, one has to be born ‘under the shadow of the clock,’ metaphorically speaking. Dr. Craig McDaniel is a striking example of that birthright.

He attended Rome schools, graduating from West Rome High School in 1971. He worked at Plant Hammond and Georgia Kraft before attending Carson-Newman College in Jefferson, Tennessee, and received his BS in business management. He earned a Master’s degree from Georgia State University and his Doctorate from the University of Georgia in 2005.

Craig worked for a small manufacturing company while enrolled at Carson Newman. After graduating in 1976, he moved briefly to Martin, Tennessee, to explore a startup business in sports filming. When that path ended, he returned to Rome and began working with the Georgia Department of Labor in a position that required him to be on the campus of Coosa Valley Tech on a frequent basis. When a short-term job at the school became available, he took it. That short term job ended up lasting thirty-four years. He served as president of the college, now Georgia Northwestern Technical College from 1998 to 2013. The State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia named him President Emeritus after his retirement.

In his last year in higher education, Dr. McDaniel served as Assistant Commissioner of the International Center for TCSG. This opportunity came about when GNTC and two other Georgia technical colleges formed a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal University. A skills shortage of workers for Saudi Aramco, the oil and gas conglomerate, led officials from King Faisal University to technical colleges located in Rome, Athens, and Atlanta. The colleges’ reputation of being able to listen and respond to the needs of business and industry resulted in other calls from Dubai, Kenya, China, Ireland, and other countries. After a year of international travel and seeing some successes in expanding the reach of the Technical College System of Georgia, Craig retired from higher education in June of 2014.

A call from Toles Temple and Wright Real Estate later in 2014 presented him with a new opportunity with real estate sales. Challenging himself to $2.5 million in listings his first year, he surpassed his goal and reached $25 million, mostly in commercial business. Utilizing his contacts from the college, he has become a successful agent in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Chattooga and Bartow counties.

Craig has been sought for his leadership qualities and has often been called upon to serve on many boards and committees of importance to our community. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce and as Chair of the Rome Floyd Development Authority in 2003. He was President of the Rome Rotary Club in 2009-2010.

Craig served on the Board of Directors of Redmond Regional Medical Center from 1999 to 2017 and chaired the board for three years. He also chaired the Rome Floyd Citizens for Better Education SPLOST committee in 2001, chosen to be the chair of the Rome Floyd 20/20 Steering Committee in 2008. As a former member of United Way, he chaired the successful 2013 campaign. Craig is a graduate of Leadership Rome, a recipient of the Virginia D. Hamilton Special Achievement Award, the Wesley F. Johnson Award of Merit, and a 2008 recipient of the Heart of the Community Award.

He was approached in 2015 to run as a candidate for Rome City Commission. After deliberation, he agreed to do so, receiving the most votes cast for a candidate. In 2021 Dr. Craig McDaniel was named Mayor of Rome, a designation of confidence bestowed by his fellow commissioners and applauded by the many people aware of his capabilities and integrity.

He believes that although we have some problems to overcome, they are not insurmountable. He believes Rome has strong potential for business and growth and ready to seize good opportunities.

“Ours is a destination location to put down roots, both business-wise and personally. Our quality of life is attractive, and seniors are happy to retire here. And, after college, it’s good to see young adults are finding their way back. I have visited or worked within 36 states and visited eight countries. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

TM