Tommie Beth Willis, president of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce, was recently named a Distinguished Alumna of Southern Regional Technical College by the SRTC Alumni Association.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Recently, the Southern Regional Technical College Foundation recognized the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award winners during the annual Dueling Pianos event in Moultrie.  Tommie Beth Willis was one of honorees that evening.

Born and raised in Colquitt County, Willis serves as the president of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce. She has overall responsibility for the operations of the chamber and is the primary marketing and public relations contact for programs and activities. She works closely with the City of Moultrie and Colquitt County administrative teams along with legislators in the interest of Colquitt County and its progress, according to a press release from SRTC.

Willis is a member of the Downtown Moultrie Association and the Southwest Georgia Tourism Association. She is also a member of Heritage Church and has served on the Board of Directors for Titus Ranch.

“I will never forget the day nearly thirty years ago when Mr. Al Knapp, the construction instructor at the former Moultrie Technical College, stopped by my table,” Willis said. “I was chatting with fellow students on our break, as I was known to do. He looked at me and said, ‘I want you to sign up to do something that will be right up your alley: Extemporaneous Speaking.’ I remember just giving him a funny look, because I had no idea what that meant. He said ‘Tommie Beth, I see you sitting here every day just talking away so you should NOT have any problem in a speaking competition!’”

Willis did join many student organizations while enrolled at MTC and went on to compete in Extemporaneous Speaking locally, regionally, and at the state level. She attended the VICA National Meeting in Tulsa, Okla., with other students from Moultrie and served as president of the local chapter of the National Technical Honor Society. During her time at MTC, Willis was nominated for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership, a top honor at both the college and state levels.  She also was an MTC Foundation scholarship recipient.

Willis’ passion for the Colquitt County community was evident from the very beginning, the SRTC press release said. She credits her achievements to her start at MTC.

“The former Moultrie Technical College had a huge impact on my life,” she said. “From the instructors and staff to the fellow students and the curriculum, I can trace many of the lessons that have helped me as an individual in my life from my time at MTC. I count that push from Mr. Knapp to get up and talk in front of others as one of the launching points in my career. I am thankful for the relationships and friendships that I developed during my time at the College, and I am proud to be an SRTC Alumni!”

“The SRTC Foundation is excited to celebrate the success of our alumni,” remarked Jenny Dell, SRTC Advancement Director.

“All of our graduates, and especially our 2019 Distinguished Alumni award winners, have worked hard to better themselves and make an impact in their fields,” Dell said. “I would like to personally thank our recipients for representing the college through their professional and community endeavors, and for their continuing support of SRTC beyond graduation.”

The SRTC Alumni Association is comprised of former students and graduates from SRTC, Moultrie Technical College, Southwest Georgia Technical College , and the former Bainbridge State College technical division. For more information on SRTC’s Alumni Association, joining the association free of charge, or nominating a distinguished alumnus, please visit http://southernregional.edu/alumni-association, or contact the Institutional Advancement Office at 229-225-3977.