Sexual Assault Center of NWGA welcomes two to Board of Directors

Media release: The Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia is pleased to announce the addition of Det. Lee Carter of the Berry Police Department and Dr. Renva Watterson, interim president of Georgia Highlands College, to its Board of Directors.

"We are thrilled to welcome Lee and Renva to the team," said Tannika King, president of the Board of Directors. "They have been great advocates of the work our staff and volunteers do in this community and, most importantly, they are passionate about our cause. We look forward to partnering with them to further the mission of the Sexual Assault Center in Rome and its surrounding areas."

A graduate of Floyd College, Carter has served as a patrol officer with the Berry College Police Department since 2011. He also has previous experience as a detective with the Rome City Police Department.

"Partnering with local schools and institutions of higher education is critical in our effort to promote community awareness," King said. "Lee has shown great interest in helping us ramp up our efforts at both Berry College and in the community at large, and we are excited about the possibilities. Additionally, his background in law enforcement provides an important perspective on many issues facing the SAC."

Carter said he looks forward to working with a team of people who care about this cause.

"As a police officer, husband, father and brother, I have a strong desire to keep our community safe and to serve the victims of sexual assault," he said.

Watterson assumed the position of interim president in May, after serving as vice president for academic and student affairs and division chairperson for humanities at GHC since 2006. She earned tenure as professor of communication in 2008. Previously, she was dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Shorter College and held a number of administrative, departmental and faculty positions at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark. She also taught speech communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

"When Renva was named interim president, the SAC reached out to her to see how we might grow our partnership with Georgia Highlands to increase awareness at their Floyd and Bartow campuses as well as recruit additional volunteers for the Center," King said. "Georgia Highlands has always been a wonderful community partner, but we felt like there was more potential there. She was so enthusiastic and immediately put together a great team of people at GHC to get the ball rolling. Our organization looks forward to being a beneficiary of her leadership and passion."

Watterson is a graduate of Shorter College with a B.A. in Speech Education and Theatre. She went on to earn her M.A. in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication and Ed. D. in Higher Education/Communication Studies from the University of Arkansas.

"The prevalence of sexual assault is a matter of continued grave concern, and the focused education by our SAC is critical to stemming the tide of this terrible issue and to healing for those who have been victimized," Watterson said. "It is an honor to be asked to serve for such a cause."

Other members of the SAC Board of Directors are Jay Matthews, past president; Janice Davis, treasurer; Beverly Smith, assistant treasurer; Stephanie Owens, secretary; Dr. James Vick, medical director; Laura L. Adams, Kevin Allen, Frank Beachum, Dr. Susan Claxton, Patricia Crumley, Martha Jacobs, Dr. Dan Pate, Det. Randy Turner, John Uldrick and Alice Williams.

The Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia -- which serves Bartow, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon and Polk counties -- seeks to facilitate healing for victims of sexual assault and their families through on-going crisis intervention services; to promote community awareness of the Center's services; to educate our students and community about the nature of sexual assault; and to foster strong partnerships with all agencies involved in dealing with sexual assault. For more information, visit www.sacnwga.com or call 706-292-9024.