With significant talent on the faculty and staff, the College of Coastal Georgia did not have to look far for its newest deans and vice president. On July 1, Dr. Andrea Wallace, Dr. Lydia Watkins, and Mrs. Michelle Ham assumed new roles at the College as Dean of Arts and Sciences; Southeast Georgia Health System Distinguished Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences; and Vice President for Business Affairs respectively.
Wallace has been teaching chemistry at Coastal Georgia for 24 years in addition to her years of service as the department head for Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president for Academic Planning, Assessment, and Faculty Engagement and interim dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. Prior to coming to Coastal Georgia, Wallace held the position of chemistry lecturer at the University of Alabama and Shelton State Community College. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Clemson University. She did postdoctoral research at Colorado State University after completion of her graduate degrees.
Watkins came to the College seven years ago following a distinguished career in nursing and academia. Prior to joining the faculty of the College, she worked in the Hematology/Oncology Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, was a pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in hematology/oncology in Michigan, was an adjunct professor for the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University, and led the development of a tri-county pediatric palliative and hospice program. Prior to her promotion to Southeast Georgia Health System Distinguished Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, she served as Bachelor of Science in Nursing program coordinator and the chair of Nursing and Health Sciences. Watkins earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Science in Nursing degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Associate and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees from Samford University.
Ham was selected to lead the College’s Office of Business Affairs after serving as interim vice president for seven months. Business Affairs is a multi-faceted department at the College, encompassing everything from budgeting, to human resources to accounts payable and receivable, to plant services. Ham came to the College in 2010 and served as the College’s comptroller and assistant vice president for budget and finance. Before joining the staff of the College, she was Vice President and owner of Lockwood Marine, Inc. in Shellman Bluff, Ga. A certified public accountant, Ham holds a Master of Accounting degree from Georgia Southern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of Georgia. She has also participated in the Executive Leadership Institute at the University of Georgia.