South Georgia State College (SGSC) is pleased to announce its annual commencement ceremonies honoring graduates from summer 2024, fall 2024 and spring 2025.
The Douglas Campus ceremony will be held Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 8:30 am on the Peterson Hall front lawn. The Waycross Campus ceremonies will be held Friday, May 16, 2025. The first ceremony will be at 8:30 am, and the second at 12:00 noon, both in the Waycross Campus Gymnasium.
A livestream of each event will be available for those unable to attend to share in the celebration. A link to the livestream will be found on www.sgsc.edu close to the date of the ceremonies.
Matt Seale will provide the commencement address at the program on the Douglas Campus. Seale is the CEO of the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Authority, a combined organization that also manages tourism and the Downtown Development Authority/Main Street for the City of Douglas, GA. Originally hailing from Hinesville, Georgia, Seale is a distinguished graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. After a brief stint in the Atlanta area post-graduation, he made the life-altering decision to relocate to South Georgia. He purchased a commercial building in downtown Ocilla, Georgia, and made it his home. His diverse business ownership experiences encompass investment services, retail, digital marketing, and food manufacturing.
Seale served as the Mayor of Ocilla from 2015 to 2021. As Mayor, he also assumed the roles of Chairman of the Ocilla-Irwin County Industrial Development Authority and Vice-Chair of the Irwin-Ben Hill Joint Development Authority, and was actively engaged with the Georgia Municipal Association, serving on the statewide Board of Directors and the Legislative Policy Council, among other boards and commissions.
In addition to his significant past contributions as Mayor and on various boards and committees, Seale currently serves on the Board of Directors of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and serves as the Speaker of the House’s representative to the Council of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission. His dedication to public service extends beyond the local level, as he has served in the United States Navy for over 22 years, including a tour in Iraq in 2007-2008. Seale continues to serve today in the Navy Reserve as a Naval Intelligence Officer, currently holding the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3.
Dr. Lynn Barber will provide the commencement address at the 8:30 am program on the Waycross Campus. Dr. Barber began his tenure as Superintendent of Ware County Schools in December 2024. Prior to his current role, he served as Assistant Superintendent and Director of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education. Dr. Barber’s career in education began as an agricultural education teacher, during which he spent more than 14 years as a classroom teacher and local FFA advisor. He later worked for five years as a program specialist for the Georgia Department of Education, leading program improvement initiatives across South Georgia and contributing to curriculum revision projects.
Dr. Barber earned an Ed.D. in Adult and Career Education and completed leadership certification at Valdosta State University. He also holds a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, both from the University of Georgia.
A strong proponent of lifelong learning, Dr. Barber is committed to helping every student find their unique pathway to success.
A Ware County native, Dr. Barber has been married to his wife, Lori, for 31 years. They have two daughters, Courtney and Colleen. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors on his farm in Manor, where he and his family raise cattle and maintain a garden.
Tina Stevens will provide the commencement address at the 12:00 noon program on the Waycross Campus. Ms. Stevens graduated from SGSC’s School of Nursing in May 2024 with her RN degree. She was an LPN for 16 years before enrolling at SGSC, practicing at area hospitals and local doctor’s offices.
Ms. Stevens left bedside nursing in 2018 to be home with her son. At that time, she worked for a local doctor in Alma and developed that practice’s Chronic Care Management Program. The program helped to manage patients who had more than one chronic illness in an effort to keep them healthy and at home. The program quickly grew in popularity with the patients and expanded to include four additional nurses.
Ms. Stevens returned to work full-time in September 2021 after her husband passed away from Covid-19 earlier that year. She worked with the Quality and Risk Management Department at Bacon County Hospital while attending SGSC. She co-led and assisted the Candida Auris Tracking Team (C.A.T. Team) to win first place in the Critical Access Hospital Patient Safety Award.
Ms. Stevens returned to bedside nursing after graduating from SGSC. She works currently at Bacon County Hospital as a staff nurse, mainly in the ER, but also wherever she is needed. She has served patients from newborns to the elderly, having held patients as they take their very first breath and held the hands of those who have taken their last breath.
In addition to her RN degree, Ms. Stevens has also received certifications in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS).
For questions about SGSC’s commencement ceremonies, please contact Ms. Ame Wilkerson at ame.wilkerson@sgsc.edu or Ms. Laura Dubberly at laura.dubberly@sgsc.edu. Please note West College Park Drive on the Douglas campus will be closed the morning of the ceremony.