Gwinnett Tech’s president, Sharon J. Bartels, has a high profile not only in Gwinnett County,
but throughout the state of Georgia as well. She has been named one of Georgia Trend’s 100 most powerful and influential Georgians and Gwinnett Magazine’s Woman of the year. In 2009, Bartels was honored by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce with the prestigious Citizen of the Year Award.
Bartels is responsible for leading one of Georgia’s largest technical colleges as it serves 12,000 students per quarter through its credit, continuing education and adult education programs. She joined Gwinnett Tech’s leadership team in 1986 as the school’s director of marketing and was promoted to executive director for institutional advancement in 1990. She was named Gwinnett Tech’s president in September 1996, after serving as interim president for six months.
Bartels created a vision that expanded the Gwinnett Tech campus from two buildings to nine buildings, with several off-site locations. The many accomplishments of Gwinnett Tech’s president include creating and implementing a comprehensive marketing program to enhance Gwinnett Tech’s image and community presence. In addition, Bartels played a vital role in gaining accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in record time, making Gwinnett Tech one of a handful of technical schools with this accreditation.
Another of Bartels’ achievements is the creation of the Gwinnett Tech Foundation. The Foundation’s first capital campaign funded approximately one-third of the cost for the George Busbee International Center for Workforce Development. The Busbee Center, a 70,000-square-foot advanced technology center with a 350-seat interactive auditorium and an array of computer labs and training options, opened in the fall of 2003.
In July 2006, Gwinnett Tech celebrated the opening of the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr., Early Education Center, the college’s latest live learning lab. The $7 million state-of-the-art facility serves as an interactive classroom and observation site for students enrolled in the college’s Early Childhood Care and Education program and provides the community with childcare and preschool instruction. The Center, already recognized for best practices by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, is supported by the donations and contributions of over 50 area businesses and corporations who share Gwinnett Tech’s commitment to education – for all ages.
In Fall 2009, Gwinnett Tech broke ground on its new Life Sciences Center, a 78,000-square-foot facility dedicated to the education and training of the region’s life science and healthcare professionals. The Center, the focal point of GTC’s Legacy of Lives campaign, opened for fall semester classes in August 2011 and will serve 3,000 annually. Gwinnett Tech, which serves the highest number of health science students in the state, now has more than 140,000-square-feet of classroom, lab and interactive learning space dedicated to health science education and offers more than a dozen bioscience and healthcare programs.
Bartels is also an active leader within the community. She served as the co-chair of the Gwinnett Chamber’s Partnership Gwinnett Initiative and was recognized by the Chamber with their Public Service Award in 2004. She served as chairman of the board for the Chamber for 2001 and has also served as vice chair for the Chamber’s economic development, education and regional issues committees. She is currently a member of the Chamber executive committee.
A long-time member of the Gwinnett Rotary Club, Bartels also served on the board of directors for the United Way of Gwinnett and chaired their 2004 campaign. In 2008, Bartels was named a Gwinnett United Way Women’s Legacy Award winner, honored in the legacy category. She has also served on the board of the Emory Board of Visitors and two statewide Early Learning Commissions.
She is also currently a board member of the Higher Education Research & Development Institute, Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, Georgia Gwinnett College, and the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.
A 1992 graduate of Leadership Gwinnett, Bartels is a 1998 graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute. Bartels earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia. She is a member of Roswell United Methodist Church.
The Success Lives Here Leadership Series highlights the success stories of some of Gwinnett’s most prominent leaders. The forums touch on their lives and how they got to where they are today, what has contributed to their success, what brought them to Gwinnett to build a career, what makes them different and among the most successful business men and women in the community, what drives their involvement in the Gwinnett community and what obstacles they have faced in their career.