News
Dalton State Hosts ACE Fellow
09/20/17
A high quality education at an affordable rate is one reason Dr. Brian Lucas chose to spend his professional fellowship at Dalton State College.
Lucas, a communications coordinator at Florida A&M University, is participating in the American Council on Education Fellows Program. He is also managing editor of the university’s online newsletter.
“I am extremely grateful to President Margaret Venable and everyone at Dalton State College for graciously hosting me on campus as an ACE Fellow,” said Lucas, who holds a doctorate in management from Colorado Technical University. “Dalton State’s history of providing students with a high quality education at a low cost, combined with its longstanding commitment toward the enhancement of the Northwest Georgia region were among the many reasons I selected DSC. I look forward to learning a great deal about leadership and higher education in general during my fellowship experience and meeting more members of the Dalton State College family along the way.”
Lucas has a background in communications and the military, which included a stint in Iraq as a public affairs and media relations officer.
Venable also participated in the fellowship prior to being named president at Dalton State.
“My year as an ACE Fellow was a pivotal point in my career,” said Venable, who participated from 2008-2009. “There is no professional development experience in higher education that compares to the ACE Fellows program. As a result of my Fellows experience, I had a renewed passion for serving students through higher education administration. It was during my Fellows experience I began to dream of becoming a college president someday.”
Because of Venable’s experience in the program, she wanted to help develop leaders for higher education by hosting an ACE Fellow.
“Brian is an excellent match for Dalton State for a variety of reasons,” she said. “He comes to us from an institution that can offer a fresh perspective on the issues at Dalton State, and he is bright, articulate, and eager to learn. Brian could have chosen any number of institutions from across the nation. I am honored he chose to spend a semester of his special ACE Fellows year with us at Dalton State.”
Lucas is married to Samantha Lucas, a retired lieutenant colonel. And they have three children, Christopher, Jonathan, and Sophia.