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Cynthia Dorsey Edwards is promoted to the position of Vice President of Institutional Advancement for DeKalb Technical College effective July 1, 2009. Edwards succeeds Helen Mathis who retired June 30th. Edwards’ role includes serving as Executive Director for the DeKalb Technical College Foundation.
In announcing Edwards’ appointment, Dr. Robin Hoffman, President of DeKalb Technical College says, “Cynthia’s positive attitude and high level of energy and effectiveness in our large, fast-paced technical college environment will ensure continued success in our institutional advancement efforts.” Edwards joins a team of administrators at DeKalb Tech that will guide the institution as it tackles challenging times. Edwards says, “I am honored to serve in this new capacity at DeKalb Tech. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Hoffman and other members of her cabinet, along with our DeKalb Tech administrators, faculty and staff to build and strengthen strategic alliances to achieve our goals and to further positively impact the communities that we serve.”
As Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Edwards will serve as an advocate for the college to build and maintain positive and mutually beneficial relationships with the public and to increase support for the college’s mission and goals. Also included in this appointment are the responsibilities for directing the development, implementation, and maintenance of a comprehensive internal and external resource development plan for DeKalb Tech. Edwards will oversee the management and supervision of marketing and public relations for the college and the Foundation.
During the 2008-2009 school year, Edwards served as the Chairperson for DeKalb Technical College Foundation’s Internal Fundraising Campaign. Her efforts resulted in a significant increase in participation, with more than 80% of employees becoming contributors to the Foundation.
Edwards is very familiar with DeKalb Tech and its operation. She has worked at DeKalb Tech for more than 14 years. For thirteen of those years, she served as Director of the Office of Career & Job Search Services. In this position, she worked with DeKalb Tech students and graduates to secure employment. Under her leadership, more than 98% of DeKalb Tech graduates secured employment; approximately 85% in their fields of study or related fields. In this position, she also wrote proposals and secured School-to-Work or Stay-in-School grant funds in excess of $800,000. Edwards served as the Project Manager for implementing the collaborative plans related to these grants between local middle/high schools and DeKalb Tech.
Prior to joining DeKalb Tech, Edwards acquired 18 years of experience in marketing, sales, and service with the Bell System. During her tenure, she worked for Southwestern Bell, AT&T, Illinois Bell and Ameritech. While working in sales and market management positions, she earned the President’s Club award for 3 years. For several years, as an entrepreneur with her own consulting firm, Edwards worked with Fortune 500 companies, emerging businesses, community-based organizations and non-profits in the areas of marketing, organizational development, training, fundraising, and event planning.
Edwards has received many awards and honors. In 2008, she received the Individual Award for Community Service in Governor Sonny Perdue’s Public Employee Recognition Program. In DeKalb Technical College’s 2008 Public Employee Recognition Program, Edwards received awards in two categories: Leadership and Community Service. In the same year, she was also awarded the Bill Hawes Lifetime Achievement Award from the DeKalb Technical College Foundation. Among her other awards are a Volunteer Award for assisting in coordinating the Youth Leadership Summit hosted by the 100 Black Men of DeKalb in 2006; the Women of Respect Award, presented by Judge Johnny Panos in 2005; and a Profiles in Prominence Award from the Atlanta Women in Business, 2003 She has been listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American High Schools; American Colleges and Universities; American Women; in the Midwest; and more.
Edwards has been a dynamic force not only at DeKalb Tech, but in the community as well. Currently, Edwards serves as a member of the DeKalb Workforce Investment Board and Co-Chairs its Youth Council. She also serves as Chair of the DeKalb/Rockdale Department of Labor Employer Committee. She is a former Board Chair of the Scottdale Child Development & Family Resource Center and a former Board member of the Georgia Association for Colleges and Employers. Edwards is Founder of Time Out for Us, a mentoring/support organization for women of all ages. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Voices of Faith Ministries.
Edwards is a native Texan and earned a Bachelors degree from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in Denton, Texas. She is married to Dr. Lonnie J. Edwards Sr. They have two adult children, Lonnie Jr. and Lynda.
DeKalb Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, promotes a student-centered environment for lifelong learning and development, encompassing academic and technical education for employment in a global community. The college has eight centers of learning in DeKalb, Newton, Rockdale, and Morgan counties providing adult education and state-of-the-art technical education and training. Established in 1961, DeKalb Technical College currently has more than 4,000 students enrolled in diploma or degree programs and more than 9,000 in adult education classes. Academic Technical programs at DeKalb Tech cover more than 100 different occupations. For more information, visit our website at www.dekalbtech.edu.
