1. 6 Dalton Magazine ◆ MARCH/APRIL 2016
PhotobyMattHamilton
Margaret Venable was named
interim Dalton State College
president in January 2015 and
in September 2015 she
permanently took over the top
job at the college.

2. Dalton Magazine ◆ MARCH/APRIL 2016 7
M
argaret Venable
has no trouble
naming the person
who’s had the
most positive
impact on her
career as an educa-
tor.That mentor
would be Judy
Johnston, the
department chair when Venable taught at
what was then DeKalb College, now
Georgia Perimeter College, in the Atlanta
area.
In the years since Venable worked with
Johnston, the recently named president of
Dalton State College has never forgotten
how well her mentor treated people and
handled tough situations.The lessons
Venable learned from Johnston have
served her well, especially in the months
since Venable was named interim DSC
president in January 2015 and in
September when she permanently took
over the top job at the college.
“Her office turned out to be right next to
mine and the walls were thin,”Venable
recalls.”I heard her thoughtful conversa-
tions with people. And there were times
that she was having to say,‘Look, you’re not
doing a good job.’But she didn’t say it like
that. She said it in such a way like,‘I’d like to
help you figure this out.What can we do?’I
really saw her strength at that.They left
there feeling invigorated that‘OK, I have a
plan for solving my problem. And my
department chair is helping me solve this
Story by Jeff Rancudo
women@work

3. 8 Dalton Magazine ◆ MARCH/APRIL 2016 2015
problem.’That really made a huge
impression on me.”
It’s hard to imagine Venable not
making a great impression on
everyone, when you consider her
ease with people, open-minded
approach, willingness to listen and
pleasant personality. Having grown
up in the small town of Carlisle, Ky.,
an hour northeast of Lexington,
Venable was the second oldest of
four daughters. Both parents were
school teachers.Venable came to
Georgia after high school to attend
Agnes Scott College, where she
earned a bachelor of arts in chem-
istry. Later, she earned a master of
science degree in inorganic chem-
istry from Georgia Institute of
Technology and a doctorate of sci-
ence education degree from
Georgia State University.
None of Venable’s hard work and
team spirit to help Dalton State suc-
ceed has been lost on her faculty
and staff at the almost 50-year-old
Dalton campus, said David Elrod,
director of institutional advance-
ment at DSC.
“She had no prior connection to
Dalton State when she came here.
But she very quickly embraced this
as her own,”said Elrod.“Our faculty,
our students, our college and our
future as her own. She’s very quickly
been a part of this.”
Venable sees plenty of challenges
as DSC’s new president. As the first
woman president at Dalton State,
one might think Venable is travel-
ing new territory as a woman in a
“man’s world.”But she’s actually
faced diversity issues her entire
adult life and thrived throughout.
“I guess I forget because I’ve
been a woman all of my life. But
certainly, at many points along the
way of my career, I have been con-
scious of the fact that,‘OK, I’m a
woman.’That’s makes my career
path different,”said Venable.“Earlier
on, I became interested in gender
equity issues. But during my doctor-
al dissertation, I expanded it to
study all sorts of diversity issues.
And I realized that it’s just a diversi-
ty issue.We don’t understand peo-
ple that are different from us.We
have a tendency — it’s just human
nature — to assume people are just
like us. And so we don’t understand
people that are different. And that
could be a different gender, a differ-
ent race, a different sexual orienta-
tion. Any number of things. And, so,
I’ve spent probably a career study-
ing this and being aware of it, and
yet I forget myself. So when people
say,‘First female president,’I say,
‘Hum, I guess I am, yeah.’”
As a woman blazing a path in
Georgia higher education,Venable
treats people with fairness and gen-
tleness while accomplishing goals.
“I think I’ve developed that
appreciation for diversity on the
broadest sense, because of that. I’m
not only a woman going up the
career ladder. But I’m a chemist.
And not a lot of women were
chemists. I went to Georgia Tech.
Let me just say, there were not a lot
of women in my classes,”Venable
added.
Above, Dalton State College president Margaret Venable
discusses paperwork with administrative assistant Elizabeth
Chadwick. Right, Venable gives a soccer ball signed by the
Roadrunner soccer team to Ken White at Lakeshore Park.
Photos by Matt Hamilton
women@work

4. “And, so, yeah, I’ve been aware a lot of
times that I was sort of the odd duck
out. It makes me a little more empathet-
ic and a little more aware of the differ-
ences between people and the value
that different perspectives bring to the
table. I like to think — others could tell
you whether I’m successful or not —
that I am more inclusive of different per-
spectives because of that. Now, some-
times leaders like that can be criticized,
because we don’t come out as,‘This is it.
By golly, everybody’s gonna get on
board.We’re gonna do it this way.’I really
like to hear what other people think. I
like people to push back and say,‘I have
a different opinion on that.’And I think
that comes from being a female, having
gone through experiences where I was
the underrepresented perspective. Just
being aware there can be other dissent-
ing voices that have a valid perspective.”
Up has definitely been the direction
Dalton State has headed ever since
opening for classes in 1967. But in the
passing years, the needs have changed
greatly in this region and DSC is growing
to meet those demands,Venable said.
With more than 5,000 students served
now by DSC, the campus has grown
immensely in recent years with the addi-
tion of student housing, more programs,
new classroom space, a renovated Bandy
Gym and the restart of men’s and
women’s athletics with several squads
already earning national titles. On-cam-
pus college life will continue to expand
with the opening of the new 360-bed
Mashburn Hall in fall 2016 and another
similar building possibly adjacent to it in
coming years.The Health Services build-
ing has met growing student needs with
great new facilities and DSC is now offer-
ing more four-year degrees than two-
year degrees.
The ultimate goal for Venable: Dalton
State College will become what the pres-
ident called“a first-choice destination
college.”
“Over the years, many of our students
came here because they had no choice.
They needed something local.They
needed something affordable.They
came to Dalton State,”said Venable.
“More and more, though, we’re seeing
students choose Dalton State because
they are excited about Dalton State.They
may or may not still need the local and
affordable pieces. But they are actually
choosing Dalton State because it’s a
great place to be. So that’s what I mean
by first choice. I want us to be a first
choice, not a last resort.”
“On the destination college piece of it,
I don’t want students to come to here
saying,‘Well, I’ll take a few classes, then I
will transfer to a real college or universi-
ty,”said Venable.“No, I want students to
come to Dalton State with a plan of
graduating from Dalton State. Not a
stepping stone. But a destination institu-
tion.”
Mason Satterfield, a DSC senior from
Cohutta majoring in early childhood
education, has enjoyed seeing the cam-
pus transform into a more traditional
college scene.
“She’s brought a big boost to student
life for sure,”said Satterfield of the presi-
dent.“Even driving around Dalton you
see more of the college. Overall, Dalton
State has picked up its game in the last
couple of years. It’s just getting better
and better.”
Above, Venable, right, listens to Jodi Johnson, vice
president for enrollment and student services, during
her first staff meeting at Dalton State College.

5. 10 Dalton Magazine ◆ MARCH/APRIL 2016
Other improvements,challenges and
future plans for DSC Venable mentioned
include:
• Offering more scholarships:“One of
the reasons we might need additional
scholarships is to make sure we’re attract-
ing those high-achieving students,”said
Venable.“There are very talented students
that come to Dalton State College.We
want to attract more of those students.”
• Keep the students’at Dalton State:
“And then after they get here,we want to
make
sure we
have
some-
thing
that
keeps
their
interest
so they
don’t feel
like they
have to
transfer
somewhere
else after they
get started here”
said the presi-
dent.“So maybe we
need an honors program.We
need to make sure that students who
come here get what they need to get a
rich college education so that they don’t
feel a need to transfer somewhere else.”
• Refresh some of the campus spaces:
Improvements are underway in enlarging
the student center with space for expan-
sion on the same property.
• Provide academic programs that meet
the needs of our region.One new degree
program being planned for DSC is supply
channel logistics to would fit perfectly for
graduates to be employed at the new
inland port coming to Murray County.
• Memorial Hall could also be expand-
ed.If DSC gains funding in this year’s
Georgia legislative session to match with
private donor support,the growing
School of Business housed in Memorial
Hall could grow to“prepare our students
for real-world jobs,”said Venable.
Jodi Johnson,Dalton State College’s
vice president for enrollment and student
services,appreciates Venable’s team-
building style.
“We are undertaking a new three-year
strategic plan under Dr.Venable’s leader-
ship,”Johnson said.“I’ve been very fortu-
nate.She’s the third president I’ve worked
for at this institution.I’ve been here
almost 16 years.While they’ve each
brought their own individual touch to the
institution,they’ve each one left the insti-
tution a better place than it was prior to
their arrival.I see Dr.Venable moving us
those next steps.Under (former presi-
dent) Dr.(John) Schwenn,we solidified a
lot of programs as a four-year institution,
increasing our number of academic pro-
grams,adding residence life,bringing ath-
letics back.And so,Dr.Venable has the
vision and she’s helping us develop the
plan to take us into that destination,four-
year institution.I really value that she’s an
excellent listener.And not just to me.
Faculty,staff,students.She hasn’t come in
and tried to turn the world upside down.”
But it sure looks and feels like Venable
is playing a huge part in making the
Dalton State College world an attractive
destination of living and learning for
many years to come.
We don’t understand people that are different from
us. We have a tendency — it’s just human nature – to
assume people are just like us. And so we don’t under-
stand people that are different. And that could be a
different gender, a different race, a different sexual
orientation. Any number of things. And, so, I’ve spent
probably a career studying this and being aware of it,
and yet I forget myself. So when people say, ‘First
female president,’ I say, ‘Hum, I guess I am, yeah.’
Dalton State College president
Margaret Venable