Savannah Technical College Selects Hartley-Cowden as Dean of Adult Education

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Wednesday, November 20th, 2024

Savannah Technical College has recently selected Heather Hartley-Cowden, Ph.D. as Dean of Adult Education. Dr. Hartley-Cowden will manage adult education programs for individuals and employers throughout the College’s four-county service area (Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty counties). Her other responsibilities include:

  • Administering instructional services for adult education students;
  • Promoting the adult education program to public and private organizations;
  • Preparing the specifications and managing the program budget;
  • Overseeing administration of assessment and student placement tests for adult education students;
  • Creating and maintaining a high-performance environment characterized by positive leadership and a strong team orientation
“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Hartley’s expertise and leadership in Adult Education guiding this vital program for our community,” said STC Vice President of Economic Development Tal Loos. “Her experience positions our Adult Education program for new levels of success and impact in the years ahead.”
 
She has more than 20 years working in the education field. Her approach to teaching and learning includes a holistic framework that tailors programs to meet the learning community’s curriculum, instruction, and assessment needs. As an educational leader, Dr. Hartley-Cowden focuses on crafting services to identify and support the needs of the whole learner: evaluating academic readiness and skill mastery; screening and monitoring MTSS progress; screening and implementing SEL programs.
 
Dr. Hartley-Cowden holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Educational Psychology from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, N.C.; a Master of Arts degree in English Education from Piedmont University in Demorest, Ga.; and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Business Administration from Northcentral University in San Diego, Calif.
 
In her previous leadership roles, Dr. Hartley-Cowden has served as the academic program coordinator and student services administrator at Dublin City Schools; the assessment program coordinator at the Georgia Center for Assessment, part of the College of Education at the University of Georgia; and the director of assessment at WorldRight Learning Group.
 
Savannah Tech’s Adult Education Program offers high school equivalency (HiSET/GED/Career Plus High School Diploma) preparation and testing, adult literacy programs, English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, civics education, family literacy programs, and workforce training.
 
Free GED® prep 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. STC 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 test or go to www.savannahtech.edu/testingcenter to learn more about our testing locations.