His father was a civil engineer, responsible for building bridges across the Mississippi River.

Now, John Parton builds bridges of his own – between West Georgia Technical College and an integrated system of planning, assessment and evaluation.

WGTC recently hired Parton as Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness. Parton has more than two decades of experience in higher education.

A native Texan – evidenced by the “Don’t mess with Texas” coffee mug on his desk – Parton said he’s enjoyed his time with WGTC so far, and he’s looking forward to new challenges and opportunities in 2017.

“I’m fascinated by the complexity of our college as an organization, and I find the opportunity to direct IE efforts in an organization our size, scope and quality to be very appealing,” Parton said. “I’ve already been impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of everyone I’ve encountered so far throughout the college’s five campuses, and I’m most impressed by the college’s efforts to engage with the communities the campuses and sites can be found in.”

Parton previously held positions at Chattahoochee Technical College and Berry College, both for nearly a decade. He was executive director of institutional effectiveness at Chattahoochee Tech, and served as director of undergraduate programs for the Campbell School of Business at Berry College.

A graduate of Morehead State University and Eastern Kentucky University, Parton holds degrees in political science and public administration.

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness initiates and coordinates the evaluation of college effectiveness toward fulfilling the mission of West Georgia Technical College through a collaborative, continuous, and comprehensive system of assessment, research, and planning activities. Planning and evaluation processes at West Georgia Technical College reflect the College’s commitment to the systematic assessment of outcomes and the use of results for continuous improvement of programs and services.

"John Parton possesses the ideal skill set to lead this function of the college," WGTC President Steve G. Daniel said. "He has extensive experience in the principles of accreditation and student success metrics, and great knowledge of the technical college system.  Likewise, his passion for all things involved in institutional effectiveness is unparalleled."

Parton said he’s looking forward to “digging into” the challenges of 2017.

“The face of higher education is changing so quickly,” Parton said. “It’s really a moving target when it comes to compliance and accreditation, as reporting requirements keep being added to our workload, but it’s rewarding work because I know the work I’m doing is help the college improve every single day. WGTC is a good fit for me and my background, and it’s a good time to be a part of West Georgia Tech.”

Parton has three teenaged children and lives in Cartersville, where he has resided since 1998.