Savannah Technical College Foundation announced leadership changes and welcomed new members to its board of trustees at its annual meeting recently. Gary Sanchez will serve as chaiman, and Brynn Grant will serve as vice-chair. After serving as board chairman for three years, Sam McCachern will remain a member of the executive committee as past-chair. The Foundation welcomed three new board members: Loretta Cockrum, Patrick Connell, and Mary Morrison.

• Gary Sanchez, regional director external affairs for AT&T, works closely with community leaders and policy makers to help meet the company’s objective of bringing the best new technology to consumers. He is responsible for managing AT&T’s extensive philanthropic and community engagement efforts in Southeast Georgia. He has an MBA from the Stetson School of Business and Economics at Mercer University (2000) and a bachelor of science in business from the University of Idaho (1989). He is also a board member for the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement of Georgia’s Savannah District.
• Brynn Grant is chief operating officer at the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) and vice president of World Trade Center Savannah. Brynn is a graduate of Leadership Savannah, Leadership Southeast Georgia and Leadership Georgia. She is vice chair of the Leadership Southeast Georgia board. She has been named one of the Top Ten Working Women by AWWIN, the Community Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Chamber of Savannah and a Woman of Distinction by the Girls Scouts of Historic Georgia. With a commitment to education, she currently serves on the Georgia Southern University College of Business Advisory Board, GSU College of Science and Mathematics Advisory Board, and the Georgia Tech Professional Education Advisory Board in Savannah. She also serves on the Georgia advisory board of the U.S. Global Leadership Council. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism.
• Sam McCachern is registered as a Professional Engineer in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.  His 30+ years of experience includes site assessment, rezoning, preliminary engineering, permit applications, engineering design, contract documents and specifications, construction administration for a wide variety of projects.  He earned a BS in civil engineering from North Carolina State University and is Level II – Erosion and Sedimentation Control Program Certified.
• Loretta Cockrum, chief executive officer/founder of Foram, founded the real estate management company in Atlanta in 1978 with the mission to manage and develop real estate investment portfolios for families who have a multi-generational wealth preservation strategy. Foram moved its headquarters to Miami in 1986 and has just relocated its base of operations to Savannah, Georgia. In 2013, Cockrum was named by Real Estate Forum magazine as one of the 25 most influential female real estate executives in the United States. She currently serves on the Board of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, Board of the World Trade Center Savannah, Advisory Board of Sea Island Bank (a division of Synovus Bank) and Advisory Board of Miami Finance Forum as well as Advisory Board of The Graduate School of Real Estate Development at University of Miami.
• Partick Connell, a partner with Boyd & Jenerette, P.A., has successfully litigated a wide range of cases and has significant experience representing clients in the tourism and hospitality industry. He was recently named General Counsel for the Tourism Leadership Council. He is an active supporter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, having served as Co-chair of the Leadership Committee for Savannah LLS’s Man and Woman of the Year campaigns for 2015 and 2016. He has a bachelor of landscape architecture from the University of Georgia (2001), and J.D., cum laude, from the College of Law at Georgia State University (2006).
• Mary Morrison is a long-time friend of Savannah Technical College, who, along with her late husband Howard, was an early supporter of the Historic Preservation Program, including hosting a kiln-firing for Savannah Grey Brick at Lebanon Plantation and establishing the series of weekend workshops that teach traditional craft skills to the public. She is an officer of the Mary Lane Morrison Foundation, a grant-making foundation based in Savannah, and she is actively involved with numerous community groups and organizations.  

Founded in 1984, the Savannah Technical College Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that exists to raise and disburse funds to support the College’s efforts to enhance learning, workforce training and economic development in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties. The SCT Foundation earned the designation of Technical College Foundation Association (TCFA) 2018 Role Model Foundation Board Certification for the third consecutive year in 2018.

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#2006 | August 27, 2019
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Savannah Technical College students won four national medals with SkillsUSA in 2019. Students won gold medals in two competitions: mobile electronics installation and mechatronics. Jonathan Nary, an Automotive Technology student, won gold for mobile electronics installation. STC’s mechatronics team with Industrial Maintenance Systems students Victor De La Cruz and Anthony Smith won gold, as well. Mechanical Drafting graduate Xuan Huynh won silver in the technical drafting competition. The national competition was held during the 55^th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Ky.

Mobile Electronics Installation – Jonathan Nary (Gold)

The SkillsUSA mobile electronics installation competition evaluates each contestant’s preparation for employment and recognizes outstanding students for excellence and professionalism in the field of mobile electronics installation. It includes a written test based on the Mobile Electronics Certified Professional Basic Installation Technician exam produced by the Consumer Electronics Association. There is also a professional interview and five hands-on applications that include taking electrical measurements, installing consumer electronic equipment in a mobile environment, soldering, working with relay circuits and troubleshooting electronic circuitry.

Nary also won silver in the national mobile electronics competition last year and completed an associate degree in Automotive Technology at Savannah Tech this summer. He is a member of South Effingham High School’s first graduating class in 1997, where he took automotive classes and earned a technical seal on his high school diploma. He has worked at Extreme Audio as a mobile installer since 2000. He is known as the “alarm guy,” who also installs radios, subs, speakers, heated seats, cruise controls, wheels and tires.

Mechatronics Team (Victor De La Cruz and Anthony Smith – Gold)

The SkillsUSA mechatronics contest requires contestants to understand complex systems that integrate various elements in the mechanical, fluid power, and controls domain, combined with the ability to work in a team environment with people of different areas of expertise. Mechatronic specialists must have well-developed skills in pneumatic technology, electrical and electronics systems, mechanical systems and general automation techniques and practices, including systematic troubleshooting methods. The national competition consists of three events designed to measure the skills required in the modern automated manufacturing environment. Contestants assemble, adjust and test an automated machine system, troubleshoot and repair a faulty machine system and take a comprehensive written test.

Both mechatronics team members, De La Cruz and Anthony Smith, are working as apprentices at JCB. De La Cruz works in design and engineering and is a Woodville Tompkins Technical and Career High School graduate. Smith works in the planning department and is a New Hampstead High School graduate.

By winning gold in the national competition, the STC Mechatronics team has been invited to compete in the World competition in Shanghai 2021. Students are already making plans to prepare for the world competition, which will include 30 tasks on eight to ten trainers during several days.

Technical Drafting (Xuan Huynh – Silver)

The SkillsUSA technical drafting contest evaluates contestant’s preparation for employment and recognizes outstanding students for excellence and professionalism in the field of technical drafting. The contest focuses on the solution of industry-developed problems by applying appropriate technical drafting skills and tools including computer-aided drafting (CAD). The contestants are required to create part and assembly drawings of a mechanical product. The number of drawings (5-10) varies depending on the product. Contestants’ drawings are judged relative to pre-established criteria for each drawing in the drawing portfolio. The total contest points include points from the written exam and drawings.

For the national technical drafting competition, Huynh created an assembly and detail drawings that included interior and exterior views of a hot glue gun. Students were given eight hours to complete the tasks, which he completed in seven.

Huynh earned an associate degree in Mechanical Drafting in Spring 2019. He moved from Vietnam to the U.S. in 2016, and took ESL and GED classes at Savannah Tech. After earning his GED, he began the Mechanical Drafting program. He enjoys drawing on a computer and excels in mechanical drafting software including, AutoCAD, Inventor, Solidworks, and CATIA.

To qualify for the national team, STC competitors won gold in six categories on the state level earlier this year:

• Mechatronics: Victor De La Cruz and Anthony Smith (Industrial Maintenance Systems);
• Carpentry: Taylor McMasters (Construction Management);
• Cosmetology: Dalel Gonzalez (Cosmetology);
• Nail Care: Whitney Turnquest (Cosmetology);
• Mobile Electronics Installation: Jonathan Nary (Automotive Technology);
• Technical Drafting: Xuan Huynh (Mechanical Drafting)

About SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that annually serves more than 320,000 high school, college and postsecondary students–and their instructors–in technical, skilled and service-occupation instructional programs. SkillsUSA is a national, nonprofit student organization that has developed more than 10 million workers through active partnerships between employers and educators. Hundreds of American industries have turned to SkillsUSA as the source for employees who exemplify “Champions at Work” in both skills and attitudes. SkillsUSA’s mission is to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. At the heart of this mission are SkillsUSA’s core values: integrity, responsibility, citizenship, service and respect.

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#2005 | August 15, 2019
Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu

SAVANNAH – Savannah Technical College Foundation has received a gift of $300,000 from Maura Sovchen and her sons Christopher and Alexander to name the Maura and David Sovchen Demonstration Kitchen at the Savannah Culinary Institute, 7 West Bay Street.

“We are deeply appreciative of this support,” said College President Dr. Kathy Love. “David was a long-time advocate for our culinary arts expansion and it was his intention to play a lead volunteer role in our fundraising efforts. I am so grateful that Maura and their sons have chosen to create this kind of enduring legacy for their family.”

The Maura and David Sovchen Demonstration Kitchen, located on the second floor, will provide space for master classes, continuing education and community-based instruction for the general public. It will feature commercial kitchen equipment and individual work stations for class participation. The 1500-sq ft space will accommodate up to 25 participants. Area hotels will be able to offer packages to their guests and local organizations will be able to arrange specialized group culinary experiences, in keeping with the hottest national trends in the hospitality industry.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be part of the new Savannah Culinary Institute at 7 West Bay Street,” said Maura Sovchen.  “David was a committed board member for Savannah Technical College. He loved to cook and was an avid supporter of the culinary program. He felt that it was very beneficial for Savannah’s thriving vibrant culinary scene and tourism and hospitality industries. David always advocated the importance of giving back and we cannot think of a better way to honor him while making a lasting impact on the community for years to come. We hope that the new demonstration kitchen will inspire others in the way David inspired us.”

David Sovchen passed away in January of this year at the age of 72. He built a very successful career in the hospitality industry. In 1985, he joined Wendy’s International as a respected member of the senior management team, where he met Maura. Together, they ultimately acquired the local franchise and turned the Savannah Wendy’s International market into one of the most reputable and successful franchises in the Wendy’s family. The Sovchens made Savannah their home.  In addition to serving as a member of the Local Board of Directors for Savannah Technical College, David was active with the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, the Savannah Book Festival, Salvation Army and the Boy Scouts of America. Maura is active in a number of community organizations including Hospice Savannah and the Savannah Book Festival. 

In addition to the Sovchen Demonstration Kitchen, the Savannah Culinary Institute downtown location (four floors; 14,456 sq ft) will include a student-run restaurant and bakery, full teaching and restaurant kitchens and three classroom/lab spaces, more than doubling the available instructional space for Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts. Senior, second-year students will take classes and work in the bakery and restaurant. Entry-level, first-year students will continue to take courses in the teaching kitchen and classrooms at the College’s campus on White Bluff Road.

For more information visit: www.savannahtech.edu/SavannahCulinaryInstitute .

Founded in 1984, the Savannah Technical College Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that exists to raise and disburse funds to support the College’s efforts to enhance learning, workforce training and economic development in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties.        

#2004 | August 9, 2019

Savannah Technical College has added a free GED®-prep session on Tuesdays – Thursdays from 9 a.m. until noon beginning August 20 at the Empowerment Center (4704 Augusta Road, Garden City, GA 31408). There is a mandatory orientation from 9 a.m. until noon on August 7-8.

Students are asked to bring a government-issued ID to register. Those under age 18 are required to bring withdrawal paperwork and have a parent/guardian present. For more information about these GED®-Prep classes visit http://bit.ly/2JMUSMy.

Savannah Tech’s Adult Education Program serves those who need to improve their basic literacy and math skills, improve their oral and written English, practice for the GED® test to attain a high school equivalency degree and prepare for college. Instructors also, help students with science and social studies test preparation for GED® testing.

The College teaches adult education classes in the morning, afternoon, evening and online. They are offered in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties with multiple locations in each community. Adult education classes for GED®-prep are currently free for all U.S. citizens.

To register for free GED® classes, call 912.443.5446 or visit www.savannahtech.edu/FreeGEDClasses. For GED® testing information, go to www.ged.com to sign up to take the test or go to www.savannahtech.edu/testingcenter to learn more about our testing locations.