Beth C. McLaughlin announces retirement

After more than 22 years of working within the Houston County School District, Community & School Affairs Director Beth C. McLaughlin has decided to retire at the close of the 2020-2021 school year. While becoming a team member in the education system was not a goal that she set early in life, McLaughlin said that it was certainly in her destiny.

One of six children born to her parents, McLaughlin is a bona fide military brat, having made her entrance into the world at Loring AFB, Maine, a station located just a few miles from the U.S./Canadian border.

“My husband jokes that I have a very southern accent to have been born so far up north,” McLaughlin shared.

Following their stint in Maine, the family shifted to both Kentucky and Florida before finally settling in Bonaire when her dad got stationed at Robins Air Force Base.

“My two younger sisters were born on Robins Air Force Base,” she said, adding, “Back in the day, the base had a hospital.”

The timing of her family’s move to Houston County afforded McLaughlin the opportunity to grow up attending the schools of our district including Bonaire Elementary, Bert Rumble Jr. High, Warner Robins Jr. High and Warner Robins High. After graduation, McLaughlin went on to further her education.

“I have earned three degrees,” she told us. “An associate in Science from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Georgia and Master of Business Administration from Georgia College & State University. ”

In addition McLaughlin attended the University of Maryland in Germany and was two classes shy of earning a bachelor’s in computer science when she decided to become a stay-at-home mom. 

“I’m a third- or fourth-generation educator,” she mentioned. “My dad’s family tree has many educators.”

The field of marketing is where McLaughlin first worked, but upon marrying a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, she became a civilian employee at Fort Jackson, SC—and then in Nuremberg, Germany, For Sill, OK and Quantico, VA. It was only when she and her husband made the decision to move back to Bonaire to be closer to family that McLaughlin got her first taste of working in the educational arena.

“I was hired at Middle Georgia Technical College for three roles – to teach the Marketing Management program, manage the college bookstore and to market the college to increase enrollment,” she recalled. “As the sole marketing instructor, I taught three different classes each quarter, ranging from Business Law to Visual Merchandising. My last year there, I became a Certified Customer Service trainer and also taught customer service.  When I’d worked there for six and a half years, a friend called to say, ‘I have the perfect job for you!’”

It was then that McLaughlin was informed about the open role of Director of Community and School Affairs with the Houston County Board of Education. She interviewed, was hired and began working on January 4, 1999.

Over the last 22 and a half years, there have been many parts of her job that she’s enjoyed, but McLaughlin said that her favorite has been the time spent in our schools.

“I’ve loved supporting our teachers and administrators and assisting our parents, students and business partners. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of what I call my “work family” across the entire district. A joyful part of my job,” she added, “is having the opportunity to make a positive difference. As the head cheerleader, I’ve felt blessed to lift up people and shout their accomplishments from the rooftops. As the public information and open records officer, I’ve been able to help the public with whatever information was sought. As the military liaison, I could relate to our military families, having ties to the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps as a military child, military spouse, wife of a veteran and civilian employee. My most favorite district initiative is the addition in 2008 of the Sharks adapted wheelchair sports program. What a blessing to offer our students with physical disabilities the opportunity to play sports and to win and win BIG! They have won numerous state championships.”

COVID-19 launched an attack on the world in 2020, and just as with almost every other public, private, and governmental entity, it heavily impacted the school system. Despite that, Houston County Schools received many accolades and won numerous awards because of the performance of its students and staff. McLaughlin didn’t try to hide her satisfaction in how the school system fared.

“I’m proud of the leadership provided by our board, superintendent, other district administrators and our principals. Dr. Scott did a wonderful job leading us in an environment fraught with uncertainty and rapidly changing information,” she raved. ”He made very tough decisions, to include opening school on Aug. 6, 2020, and giving parents an option of in-person or virtual learning.”

McLaughlin readily admitted that they weren’t in the struggle alone as they worked closely with outstanding community partners, specifically Houston County Health Department and Houston Healthcare. She said that supportive parents, students and employees helped keep Houston County’s school families safe by following established safety protocols. 

“The biggest shout out, though,” she pointed out, “goes to our amazing teachers, who give everything they have to ensure their students receive a high-quality education, even during a pandemic.” 

In a career that has exceeded 22 years, it is of no great surprise that McLaughlin has worked on many initiatives. One that stands out majorly for her happened recently as the school district celebrated its 150th anniversary. Other outstanding initiatives for her include the Teacher Hall of fame, special events such as Opening Session, recognition programs to include Teacher& Employee of the Year, and video projects to tell their stories. 

“One of my favorite videos is, “My Home, My Houston,” which is shared on our “Land the Job You Love” webpage,” McLaughlin said. ”We created this video to show why our school district was named Georgia’s Best Employer in 2020.”

Her job, though immensely rewarding, is one fit only for one who is dedicated, focused and willing to put in the work. For anyone—perhaps a recent high school or college graduate—who may feel a desire to follow her path, McLaughlin, in part, shared these words of wisdom: “Soak up all you can in your field of interest! Study hard to excel in your major, participate in your student organizations and find a mentor to shadow and help you progress. Get involved in student organizations such as DECA, FCCLA, FFA and FBLA. Find a professional in your field of choice and ask them to critique your resume and to send you job leads.  Create a webpage to promote your qualifications and online portfolio.  Commit to lifelong learning and constantly seek out new and improved methods.  Stay positive!  A job search is a numbers game, so keep trying until you find your dream job!”

To those that she has worked alongside for nearly 23 years, McLaughlin had these heartfelt expressions: To our board members and superintendents – I’m estimating I attended about 555 board meetings during my tenure, so we’ve spent a lot of time together. I’ve been in the most board meetings with our current chairman, Fred Wilson. Mr. Wilson is the only person still serving who was on the board when I began working for the district on Jan. 4, 1999.  It’s been a wonderful career and I appreciate the board approving my position! I’d like to thank all of our board members and superintendents for their work to do what’s best for the students. They represent the BEST of the Best, and I thank them for all that they do keep our district moving forward.”

Further, she stated, “Our executive cabinet has had many serious discussions and decisions over the years, but also a lot of laughs. Without a doubt, our school district will continue to achieve our mission and vision with Dr. Scott and his leadership team in the lead.  The members of exec cabinet and my community relations team, Jana Byrd and Kimberly Wetzel, are at the heart of my work family, and I will miss each and every one. Working with all of them has been a pure joy and a blessing.

 ”Each of our central office administrators has a HUGE job and represents the best in their field.  To all of my colleagues, current and past, I’ve enjoyed the professional camaraderie and the work we’ve accomplished.”

McLaughlin continued with, “To our awesome principals – a most favorite part of my job has been visiting schools for activities and to support the admin team, teachers and students.  I’ve loved publicizing their successes and helping however possible.  They are all amazing and I thank them for everything they do! 

“We live in a great community and are fortunate to have elected officials and business leaders who are our true partners,” she conclued. “It’s been a pleasure to support our community through serving on various committees, Chamber Boards and the AFA.  I’ve especially enjoyed assisting our military families. As an Air Force brat and wife of an Army veteran, Robins Air Force Base and our military families are near and dear to my heart.  I’ve really enjoyed working with the base leadership over many years and especially the School Liaison Officer, Renee Daughtry, for her love and passion for our military children and all children!”

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