Atlanta — May 9, 2008

University System of Georgia Chief Operating Officer Rob Watts announced today that he has appointed Dr. Valerie A. Hepburn, currently assistant dean of the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health, as interim president of Coastal Georgia Community College (CGCC) in Brunswick, effective July 1, 2008. The announcement comes as CGCC President Dorothy L. Lord prepares to retire on June 30, 2008, after 17 years of service.

“We appreciate Dr. Lord’s leadership of the college, particularly with respect to Coastal Georgia Community College’s impressive enrollment growth and the role model provided by its well-regarded Coastal Georgia Minority Outreach Program,” Watts said.

“We are extremely fortunate to be able to call on Dr. Hepburn’s strong leadership skills during this transition,” Watts added. “Coastal Georgia Community College is undergoing a mission change from a two-year institution to a state college, and there is much work to be done as we strive to increase access to baccalaureate degree programs in southeast coastal Georgia via this campus.”

“I am delighted that we have secured the services of Dr. Hepburn, given her outstanding background and abilities,” said James A. Bishop, the member of the Board of Regents who represents the Congressional District in which CGCC is located. “I am very excited about the college’s new status as a four-year institution and the significant effects this transformation will have on our coastal community and throughout the region. Dr. Hepburn is an excellent choice for this very important position.”

Hepburn, who is also an adjunct professor at Georgia State University and the Medical College of Georgia, was named to her current position at UGA in 2007. She previously served as associate director of the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University from 2003 to 2007; director of the Division of Health Planning and director of planning and data management at the Georgia Department of Community Health from 2000 to 2003.

From 1990 to 2000, Hepburn served in leadership positions with the Georgia Department of Human Resources, including assistant commissioner and executive director of the Southwest Georgia Regional Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Board. During the 1980s, she also worked in the Office of the Secretary of State at the Georgia State Capitol, first as director of legislative relations and then as director of administration and government relations.

A consultant and advisor to the University System of Georgia’s Health Professions Education Task Force, Hepburn holds a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from UGA (2006), a master of public administration from Georgia State (1987) and a bachelor of arts in political science from Agnes Scott College (1983).

Plans regarding the search for a permanent presidential appointee at Coastal Georgia Community College will be announced at a later date.

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