Dr. Heidi Popham, president of Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC), has been selected to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
SACSCOC is the accrediting body for degree-granting higher education institutions in the southern states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. Its mission is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions; the organization’s core values are integrity, continuous quality improvement, peer review/self-regulation, accountability, student learning and transparency.
Dr. Popham was elected to serve as part of Georgia’s SACSCOC delegation during the 2025 SACSCOC Annual Meeting, held Dec. 6-9 in Nashville, Tennessee. Her 3-year term will begin Jan. 1, 2026.
“I am honored to have been elected to serve as a Trustee and am eager to support the Commission’s continued work in ensuring quality, integrity and accountability across our member institutions,” said Dr. Popham.
The SACSCOC College Delegate Assembly includes one voting representative, the chief executive officer, from each accredited institution and elects 77 members to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees guides the organization’s work and implements the accreditation process.
GNTC earned reaffirmation of the college’s SACSCOC accreditation in 2023, reflecting GNTC’s commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvements in teaching.
Dr. Popham, who was named GNTC’s president in 2019, began her educational career at GNTC in 1995 as executive assistant to the president. In 2007, she became the director of Institutional Effectiveness and was soon promoted to vice president of Institutional Effectiveness in 2009. In the latter role, she coordinated the development of GNTC’s strategic plan, program goals, objectives and standards. Dr. Popham also served as GNTC’s accreditation liaison.
In 2016, Dr. Popham was promoted to executive vice president of GNTC. As executive vice president, Dr. Popham was responsible for Academic Affairs, Adult Education, Institutional Effectiveness, Student Affairs and Student Success.
She serves on various boards and advisory committees, which include several of the northwest Georgia region’s College and Career Academies.
Dr. Popham earned a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Covenant College located in Lookout Mountain, a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and a doctoral degree from the University of Georgia.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma or a certificate in aviation, business, health, industrial or public service career paths. This past year, 13,775 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. GNTC has an annual credit enrollment of 8,836 students and an additional enrollment of 4,939 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training and Georgia Quick Start.
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