Mark Whitlock can't wait until August.

The Coweta County Board of Education and Carroll Technical College recently named Whitlock the CEO of the Central Educational Center, a charter school opening in August that will provide joint credit between the local high schools and Carroll Technical College.

Whitlock brings a multi-faceted background to this position, with experience as a vocational consultant and most recently as a vice president with Bank of America.

The Central Educational Center organizers were pleased to find someone with specific experience in these areas in order to provide leadership in education as well as the business-world aspect of the CEC.

Whitlock is a native of Coweta County, a Newnan High School graduate who holds degrees in business and education from Georgia State University and the University of Georgia.

“My first task,” Whitlock said, “is to understand and continue to develop the great collaboration among the local community, school system and Carroll Technical College that have made the CEC a reality.”

Whitlock has hit the ground running and said he expects 600 students enrolled in the school this fall, with as many as 1,500 students from around the county taking at least one class at the center.

The education center is something that will be closely watched by educators around the country.

“We can't find another like it anywhere,” he said.

In addition to offering high school courses and technical courses through Carroll Tech, the center will also serve as the county's night high school.

“This is a big plus for the county. Previously, night students have had to travel to other counties to complete their education,” he said.

Workers are busy at the center remaking it from an ordinary high school into a complete education center. Whitlock said work will start later this year on additional buildings at the center that will open in 2001.

He relishes the prospect of being an education pioneer and believes the center will be a model for programs around the county.

“It's really an exciting program and it shows a great deal of collaboration between the Board of Education, local business leaders and Carroll Tech,” he said.

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