King-Cooper is saddened by the loss of Frank King, our mentor and friend,  on July 28, 2024 

Dr. John D. Lairsey spent 34 ½ years in the Charlton County School System serving as a teacher, principal at all school levels, an associate superintendent and concluded his time there as the superintendent for 9 ½ years.  In addition to his service in Charlton, he was an active member of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders and the Georgia School Superintendents Association.  He served the Okefenokee RESA as its chairman/vice chairman for 7 years.  At RESA, he helped create and teach a Growing Leaders program and provided professional learning to future school leaders.

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Dr. Lairsey has taught adjunct courses at Georgia Southern, Armstrong and Valdosta State University.  He is currently employed in the Leadership, Technology and Workforce Development of VSU where he works with students in the graduate school. He earned his Ed.D. from Valdosta State University.

Sandy Addis has 42 years of experience in public education in Georgia and South Carolina as a teacher, counselor, principal, and central office administrator and currently serves as a local school board member.  He has led successful superintendent searches for 15 Georgia school boards.  He has delivered over 50 training sessions to Georgia school boards on topics including leadership succession, accountability, planning, and program evaluation.  He has conducted central office organizational studies and has trained teachers and administrators in data utilization, counseling, leadership, strategic planning, and dropout prevention. Sandy served as Director of Pioneer Regional Educational Service Agency from 2004 to 2013. 

Sandy has led teams of educators in development of data systems, school improvement tools, and web-based systems for delivery of teacher and administrator training.  He has developed and led implementation of numerous summer and after-school programs and has managed and evaluated federal and state grant projects.  In 2012-13, Sandy chaired the Educator Ethics Task Force for the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and helped to develop ethics training resources that are used across Georgia.

In addition to his work with King-Cooper, Sandy serves as Director of the National Dropout Prevention Center where he consults with school districts, state departments, and federal agencies on improvement of high school graduation rates.

Sandy earned his B.A. from Furman University, his M.Ed. from Clemson University, and his Ed.D. from South Carolina State University.  He has taught graduate courses for Piedmont College, Clemson University, South Carolina State University, and the University of South Carolina Upstate.

Allen McCannon is a 1987 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Georgia.  In his educational career in public education, he has worked at every level (elementary, middle school, high school, and central office).  Dr. McCannon has been a teacher, coach, club sponsor, and principal at every level. In addition to his experience as a superintendent, he has served as Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations including finance and personnel and the Associate Superintendent where he was the chief academic officer for all instruction and curriculum.  His experience gives him credibility with board members, administrators, and teachers.

Dr. McCannon has twice been named as a finalist for Superintendent of the Year.  He has received the President’s Award from the Georgia School Superintendent’s Association and has been named Citizen of the Year twice for Madison County.  He served as the chair for the Charter System Foundation, Foothills Education Charter High School, and the Madison County Board of Health

Dr. Jack Parish has over 37 years of experience in K-12 and higher education.  Dr. Parish has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, human resources director, assistant superintendent, and superintendent.  During his eight years in higher education, Dr. Parish served as a faculty member in the Educational Leadership Department and as Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement in the University of Georgia’s College of Education. 

Dr. Parish has been involved in state educational organizations for many years.  He is a past-president of the Georgia School Superintendents Association (GSSA), and he has worked as the Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL).  He has also served as a member of the GAEL Board of Directors, the Georgia School Boards Association’s (GSBA) Superintendents’ Advisory Board, Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education Board of Directors, and on the steering committee of the Georgia Educational Leadership Faculty Association.

Mr. Wes Taylor has served 38 years in public education and is currently Executive Director of Coastal Plains RESA.  Preceding his move to CPRESA, he served as Superintendent of the Lowndes County School District in Valdosta, Georgia for ten years. Prior to serving as Superintendent, Mr. Taylor served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and 21 years as a high school principal.

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Mr. Taylor earned his Educational Specialist degree from Florida State University, his Master’s degree from Georgia Southwestern, and his Bachelor’s from the University of Georgia.

In 2011, Mr. Taylor was selected by the National Association of Secondary School Principals as the National High School Principal of the Year and was also named as the 2011 Georgia High School Principal of the Year.  He also received the “Professional Educator of the Year Award” and the “Outstanding Educator Award” from the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders.  In 2017, he was recognized by the Georgia School Superintendents Association with the prestigious “Bill Barr Leadership Award” .  Mr. Taylor was a finalist for the Georgia Superintendent of the Year award in 2018 and 2022.

King-Cooper is saddened by the loss of Henry Cooper on February 17, 2021.