Category Archives: Uncategorized

John Heard: A Report from the County Commissioner

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At the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on Sept. 30, Commissioner John Heard brought the group up to date on the work of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.     He reported that the Board is striving for more transparency and making solid plans for the future of Gwinnett County.  He summarized the economic situation in the County, reporting on a budget of around $23.7 billion.  The housing market seems to be heading back up.  The Neighborhood Stabilization Program has been one effort by the county to revitalize the economy.  They are hoping to improve staff retention after several years of decreasing budgets which did not include raises.  He worries that trained police and other staff are being drained from the County by higher pay in surrounding areas and hopes they can figure a way to give a 3 or 5% raise. As for Parks and Recreation, he noted that Rabbit Hill Park has opened with new trails and fields and Rhodes Jordan has new soccer facilities.  A new Fire Chief has been hired, and the County stands ready to build two fire station facilities as soon as funds permit.  Transportation projects underway include the work on 316, scheduled to be finished in March 2015, and the Hwy. 20 and Sugarhill project, which will extend all the way across the County within two years.  He passed out information on the SPLOST vote coming up in November.

 

Nobody’s Auto Service & Repair  ( Art Kleve ) received  a 2013 Golden Hammer Award  from Lawrenceville Tourism & Trade Association  for  —  Outstanding Commercial City Limit Project.   This was for renovations to the outside of his building and  signage.

Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) recently tapped J. Thomas Shepherd to serve as chief operating officer and executive vice president for the hospital system and president of Gwinnett Medical Center-Lawrenceville. He had been serving in the position on an interim basis since December 2012.


Shepherd

In this role, Shepherd will be responsible for the implementation of strategic initiatives as it relates to daily activities and ensuring a high level of quality and patient safety in an effort to maintain a strong sense of patient satisfaction. He maintains physician relations through regular communications, is also involved in physician recruitment and plays a key role in supporting the president and CEO in regards to board relations.

In addition, he is responsible for a number of key areas within the hospital system including marketing and strategic planning, business development and operations at both Duluth and Lawrenceville hospitals.

Phil Wolfe, president and CEO of Gwinnett Medical Center, says: “Shepherd’s deep knowledge of our system and previous leadership experience will be of great benefit to our organization as we successfully navigate the challenging times ahead.”

Shepherd first joined the hospital system in 1978, initially serving as a lab technician at Button Gwinnett Hospital. Other positions held include night administrator for Gwinnett Hospital System and administrator for Joan Glancy Memorial Hospital, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Planning and Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development. In addition, he served as CEO for Dodge County Hospital in Eastman, Ga.

Shepherd holds a master’s in business administration from Brenau College and a bachelor’s degree in management and biology also from Brenau College. He is board certified in healthcare management through the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Thomas and his wife Linda have called Gwinnett County home for years. He enjoys serving the area through involvement in a number of community organizations.

 

article by Gwinnett Forum

Stas Preczewski

University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby announced today that he has appointed Dr. Stas Preczewski, currently vice president for academic and student affairs at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), to serve as interim president at the Gwinnett institution.

Preczewski’s appointment, effective July 1, 2013, follows GGC President Dr. Daniel Kaufman’s recent appointment as the next president of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Preczewski has served in his current position since GGC’s founding in 2005. He was responsible for overseeing GGC’s process for initial regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which was achieved in 2009; and also helped GGC obtain initial Federal Financial Aid approval. He also supervised the hiring of over 500 faculty and academic staff.

“The System is full of exceptional leadership and we are fortunate to be able to call on Dr. Preczewski to lend his talents to this expanded role at Georgia Gwinnett College,” said Huckaby. “His presidential experience and his deep knowledge of Georgia Gwinnett make him the right person to serve in this critical interim capacity.”

Preczewski was interim president of Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, from July 2011 through June 2012, prior to the appointment of Dr. Steve Michael Dorman as the institution’s permanent president.

He earned a Ph.D. specializing in higher and adult education from the University of Missouri in 1997. Preczewski has a Master of Arts degree specializing in strategic planning from the United States Naval War College earned in 1998 and a Master of Science degree specializing in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of Massachusetts earned in 1987. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in agricultural engineering and economics in 1980.

Preczewski has received a number of recognitions and awards, including a fellowship from the American Council on Education, 2003-2004, which he spent at Wake Forest University. Preczewski has also presented a number of papers, authored and co-authored studies and held tenure as an associate professor at West Point.

stas_headshot

Harry Sullivan, We Miss You

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Harry Sullivan was a “snowbird” member for us at the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville. We always enjoyed seeing him at meetings and social gatherings during the times he was in our neck of the woods. We welcome his wife Kay to visit any time. She is just taking one day at a time, returning to visit the Georgia she loves in January 2010.
From Harry’s obituary:
Magnolia, Del. –
Friends of the late Harry M. Sullivan Jr., 66, of Magnolia, may call on the family for funeral services at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Whatcoat United Methodist Church, 16 N. Main St., Camden.
Mr. Sullivan died Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, in Harrisonburg, Va.
Born March 17, 1943, in Magnolia, he was the son of the late Harry M. Sullivan Sr. and Gladys I. Sullivan.
Mr. Sullivan was retired from the state of Delaware, where he worked as a financial officer. He loved traveling, playing bridge and was a devoted University of Delaware Football fan.
Mr. Sullivan was a member of the Whatcoat United Methodist Church of Camden and attended the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, Georgia. He was a past master of the Union Lodge No. 7, Dover and a 33rd Degree Mason.
He was a member of the St. Andrews Commandery, Trinity Commandery No. 3, Nur Temple, Supreme Council, Scottish Rite Research Society, Southern Valley of Lower Delaware, the Royal Order of Scotland, Research Lodge No. 2 AF&AM, Southern California Research Lodge, Delaware Conclave RCC, Grand College HRAKTP, Adoniram Council and Victory Chapter. Mr. Sullivan also was a member of the Camden-Wyoming Rotary, Friends of John Dickinson Mansion Inc., the Historical Society of Delaware, Rehoboth Beach Country Club and the Delaware Agriculture Museum and Village.
Mr. Sullivan is survived by his loving wife Kathleen “Kay” Sullivan; three daughters and two sons-in-law, Tracey Dickenson of Bear, Kim Simpson and David Teague of Sugar Hill, Ga., and Elizabeth Riley and Sean Tollefson of Seattle, Wash.; four grandchildren, Luke, Sam, Karis and Lexi; and a brother and sister-in-law, Wayne and Donna Sullivan of Harrington.
Interment will be in the Odd Fellows Cemetery, Camden.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Mr. Sullivan’s name may be made to the York Cross of Honour Medical Research Foundation Inc., P.O. Box 656, Beggs, OK 74421-0656; the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, 800 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville, GA 30046; or the Whatcoat United Methodist Church, 16 N. Main St., Camden, DE 19934.
Letters of condolences may be sent via www.pippinfuneralhome.com.