07 LC 96
2150
Senate
Resolution 158
By:
Senators Harp of the 29th, Cowsert of the 46th, Wiles of the 37th, Staton of the
18th, Davenport of the 44th and others
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
and commending Michael Vollmer on the occasion of his retirement; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
as a Georgia public servant, Michael Vollmer had the unique opportunity to serve
five Governors and work directly for the last four; and
WHEREAS,
Governor Joe Frank Harris appointed Michael Vollmer to be the executive director
of the Commission on Drug Awareness and Prevention where he coordinated $46
million in federal funds for education about the dangers of drug use and for the
treatment of drug dependency; and
WHEREAS,
Governor Zell Miller appointed Michael Vollmer to be the first executive
director of the HOPE Scholarship Program, which today has assisted more than one
million Georgia students to further their postsecondary education; and
WHEREAS,
following Michael Vollmer's success in directing the implementation of the HOPE
Scholarship Program, Governor Miller appointed him to jump-start Georgia's
lottery funded pre-kindergarten program by naming him executive director of the
Office of School Readiness, where under his leadership it became the largest
state-wide pre-kindergarten program in the nation serving more than 60,000
children in 1,400 public and private preschools and was awarded Harvard
University's prestigious Innovation in Government Award; and
WHEREAS,
Governor Roy Barnes named Michael Vollmer to be the first executive director of
the Office of Education Accountability, embarking on the most comprehensive
education accountability system in the nation, measuring student achievement for
Georgia's 1.7 million students; and
WHEREAS,
Michael Vollmer enhanced his most notable career in education by serving as the
interim presidents at both Middle Georgia College and Clayton State University
and was named president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 2001;
and
WHEREAS,
in 2004 Governor Sonny Perdue chose Michael Vollmer to serve as commissioner of
the Department of Technical and Adult Education, where he provided a steady hand
and outstanding leadership for the presidents, faculty, and staff of the 34
colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia and more than 145,000
technical college students; and
WHEREAS,
throughout his career as a dedicated servant to the people of Georgia, Michael
Vollmer has provided expert guidance on state policy decisions in education,
economic development, health care, and criminal justice; and his honesty,
tireless work ethic, and excellent reputation have crossed all party
lines.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in
recognizing Michael Vollmer on an outstanding career in state government,
commending him for his many generous contributions to the State of Georgia, and
wishing him an extraordinarily fulfilling retirement.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Michael Vollmer.