Home / News and Information / February 2006 / Longtime representative Byrd moves into BPC alumni directorship

Longtime representative Byrd moves into BPC alumni directorship

Roger Byrd is certainly no stranger to Brewton-Parker College, first as a student and then most recently as a trustee since 2002.

However, when the former longtime Georgia state representative was given the chance to become Brewton-Parker's director of Alumni Relations, Byrd said it was an opportunity that he said he at least had to seek.

“Being an alumnus, I have always appreciated Brewton-Parker and the quality of its education and high academic standards,” said Byrd, who attended the college from 1976-77 and joined the staff on Jan. 26.

“It has been an influencing force on my life and in the area, and serving on the Board of Trustees, I was able to see up close the growth and opportunities for the future it offers. I became intrigued about the alumni position and just asked God if it was His will and to remove any obstacles if it was. I have never felt more at home than I do here.”

Byrd, who is originally from Hazlehurst but now resides in Baxley, is the second member of Brewton-Parker’s Board of Trustees to make the transition from the college’s governing body to its staff in less than one year. In June 2005, Dr. Charles Strickland resigned from his board appointment to become executive assistant to the president for Church Relations.

“I want to be a team player and part of the overall mission and witness of Brewton-Parker,” Byrd said. “I think a great alumni constituency is out there that we also can involve in that work. I think the college has great potential in the next 10 years and I think the alumni must be part of that progress.”

Byrd was first elected to the Georgia House in 1980 to represent what was then District 138. From 1982-92, his representing body was known as District 153, then from 1992-2002 it was labeled District 170.

Byrd’s representing area always included Appling, Jeff Davis and Wayne counties but included others, including Toombs, in the three redistricting processes in which he was involved.

Byrd stepped aside from the Georgia Assembly after opting not to run for re-election in 2002 and focused on R Byrd and Associates, a consulting firm he founded in 1981.

Byrd returned to Atlanta in 2003 in another capacity, as chief of staff and House Messenger to then House Speaker Terry Coleman, and in 2005 he joined two state boards, the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority and Medical Center of Georgia Authority that is associated with the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

“Having been in the political world for 22 years, it just seemed this was the right place for me and my family at this point in our lives,” said Byrd, who with his wife, April, have one daughter, Olivia, 10.

Byrd’s other higher education career included two years at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton from 1972-74 and later he continued his studies at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, where he majored in business.

“I am delighted to have Roger with us to head our alumni office,” said Dr. Curtis Beaird, Brewton-Parker’s director of Development and acting chief advancement officer. “His wealth of experience will greatly benefit Brewton-Parker College.”

-BPC-