Eric Stoker is the new chief executive officer of the Gilmer College and Career Academy.
Stoker, 51, was approved by the Gilmer Board of Education May 16 and began his tenure as the GCCA’s CEO last Monday, July 8. He is a 24-year educator, and 23 of those years have been spent in Career Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE).
“We are really happy to have Mr. Stoker here,” said superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley. “We went through a long collaborative process with business community members and internal and external stakeholders to select a great candidate. There were a lot of good candidates to choose from. We have a unique business community, and we feel like Mr. Stoker will fit in with them. He seems to be an outstanding educator, and we’re looking forward to seeing all the great things he’s going to help us accomplish.”
Stoker and wife Melissa will celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary in the coming months. They have two children, Savannah (29) and Hudson (21), and a granddaughter, Margret.
Stoker’s dad’s military service took the family to Europe for a bit before they returned to Warner Robins. The Stokers then made their way to Macon where he graduated high school.
While he does not have extensive knowledge of the area, he is ready to try his hand at mountain living.
“When I started the interview process, me and my wife came up here just to see if we could see ourselves living here,” Stoker said last Wednesday.
“We’re not really mountain people. We’ve always been beach people, but we’re going to be empty nesters and said, ‘You know what, let’s just go see.’ I’m excited to be in Gilmer. Everyone has been very helpful, and they’ve welcomed me with open arms.”
Melissa is employed by the University of Georgia and was given the option to work at its Ellijay extension office. She also has aunts, uncles and cousins nearby.
“Everything lined up perfectly for us to be able to do this,” Stoker said.
Stoker arrives from Barrow County where he spent one year as a middle school assistant principal, which marked his lone year outside of a high school environment. He was a CTAE engineering teacher the previous 23 years in Gwinnett County where he was also a science, technology, engineering and mathematics coordinator. The first three years of his teaching career took place in DeKalb County.
Career academies started to spring up in Georgia around 20 years ago. The GCCA is part of Gilmer High School, and through CTAE classes, students receive specialized instruction in areas such as public safety, early-childhood education, food and nutrition, construction and automotive.
“CTAE is where my heart is. I love it, and I love to see kids learning,” Stoker said. “I want to see them get ready for when they leave high school whether they go to college or a tech school or go straight into the job force. It’s our job as CTAE teaches to prepare them for the workforce.
“When I was doing my research, it seemed like the community is a big backer of this program, which is a real big deal.”
Dual enrollment courses and work-based learning are two more aspects of the GCCA. Through the state’s Accelerated Career Pathways, qualified students can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and a college associate degree, technical diploma or technical certificates of credit in a specific career field.
Former CEO Carly Foley spearheaded the effort to secure the GCCA’s incoming $3.1 million dollar grant. Stoker said he plans to meet with Ridley in the coming weeks to discuss the grant, though most of it will be spent on renovations as the district relocates all of the GCCA’s programs from the Larry Walker Education Center to the GHS campus.
“Most of that grant is going to be spent on capital improvements,” Ridley said. “We’ve already received $100,000 of the $3.1 million. When you receive the grant, you have a lot of flexibility about how you can spend it, but it’s mainly intended for capital improvements. For us, that’s a great thing because in our efforts to move everything ‘Gilmer High School’ to one location. That is going to help us with some renovations over the next couple years.”
Stoker is in favor of one location for all programs and believes it will bolster participation.
“When it comes to CTAE, you’re dependent on getting kids interested and signing up for your program. I’m a big proponent of teachers getting out in the hallways and recruiting,” he said.
With only a few days on the job, Stoker plans to get the lay of the land in the weeks ahead of the new year. He has met with GHS counselors and assistant principals and reached out to some teachers as well.
“I can’t wait for the teachers to get back so we can get started,” he said. I’d like to meet all my teachers individually first and then meet as a group to go over my expectations and see what they’re looking for. I’m not looking at this like, ‘I’m your boss.’ I want this to be a partnership and support them and get them what they need so they’re successful, and their program’s successful.
“In the first few months, I plan to be in classrooms to see what these kids and teachers are doing. That’s what I love about CTAE. It’s something different every day.”