The Southwest Technology Center Board of Education announced Dale Latham to be the next Superintendent. Latham, currently employed by Southwest Technology Center as Campus Director, will assume the reigns of the District on July 1, following the retirement of current Superintendent Bill Weldon. Additionally, Rodger Kerr has been promoted to the position of Campus Director of School Operations as of July 1. Latham has also been chosen to represent Altus at the National Security Forum at Maxwell Air Force Base May 7-11. He was chosen out of 120 civilian leaders across the United State and is the 3rd representative attending from Altus. SWTC Board of Education President, Dottie Bobo said, “I am extremely proud of Dale for being selected for the National Security Forum, it is quite an accomplishment and I am confident he will represent Altus well.” No stranger to the Southwest Technology Center District, Latham graduated Olustee High School in 1981. Upon high school graduation he attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University where he graduated Cum Laude with a B.S., Education degree in 1985. Latham then returned to Olustee Public Schools in 1993 as the junior high/ high school social studies instructor and coached various sports. In 2002, he joined the Altus Public Schools faculty as the social studies instructor at Altus Junior High where he coached basketball, softball and soccer. In July of 2003, Latham joined the Southwest Technology Center staff as the Bid Assistance Coordinator where he provided marketing, contractual and technical assistance to businesses in southwest Oklahoma. At that time he assisted 58 companies with various local, state and federal contracting opportunities, providing a wide variety of services and specialized conferences to help market their goods and/or services. In July of 2004, Latham was promoted to the Director of Student Services/Assistant Campus Director where he was responsible for the development, coordination, supervision, monitoring and performance of all activities and services relative to the general student population and partner schools. Additionally, as Director of Student Services, Latham was a key player in the alliance made between Southwest Technology Center and Western Oklahoma State College where students attending the technology center could earn college credit for certain coursework completed while in a technical training program. After completing his Master of Education degree in 2005 with a major in administration, Latham re-joined the Altus Public Schools faculty in August of 2006 where he assumed the Assistant Principal position at Altus High School. While at Altus High School he was responsible for assisting the principal for overall administration of the school; from monitoring students to coordinating with department heads concerning issues such as budget needs, curriculum issues and all other academic related tasks. With 10 years of successful teaching and coaching experience in addition to 7 years of secondary education administration experience, Latham was welcomed back to Southwest Technology Center in July 2011 as Campus Director, a role he will relinquish to Rodger Kerr. Kerr, the current director of business and industry services, assumed his present position January 13, 2003. Also no stranger to the district, Kerr was born in Altus, graduated from Navajo High School in 1984, earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics from Oklahoma State University in 1988 and a master’s degree in business administration from Baker College of Michigan in 2003. He received his Oklahoma certification for business and industry services training in June, 1996. Prior to returning to Altus in 1991 to coordinate business and industry services at Southwest Technology Center, he worked for the Department of Agriculture as the director of the linked deposit program. Kerr also has farming interest in southwest Oklahoma. He served as president of the advisory board for the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Produce Center at OSU. Having served as president of the Altus Kiwanis Club, he has also been a member of the Southwest Oklahoma Work Force Investment Board and is the immediate past chairman of the Altus Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Program Class V and a graduate of Leadership Altus VI. Kerr’s Current initiative working on Growing Opportunities in Southwest Oklahoma (GOSWO) aims to raise the standard of living throughout the community. “Southwest Technology Center is in a growing stage,” said current SWTC superintendent, Bill Weldon. “I am very pleased with the SWTC Board of Education’s decision to appoint Dale as the superintendent. Rodger has played an inaugural role in economic development for southwest Oklahoma. With his experience in the business and industry department, he understands the needs of business and industry in our communities. We are excited to apply his expertise in the full time programs, so we can continue to meet those needs.”