AthensAchieves! names Chief Workforce Officer

Dr. Alvie Coes III, an experienced economic development professional and technical college administrator, has been named the first Chief Workforce Officer (CWO) for AthensAchieves! He will begin this role on February 3, 2025.

Developed under the leadership of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce with startup funding provided by the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County through the American Rescue Plan, AthensAchieves! will create opportunities for generational change in employment patterns and practices in the region. The mission of AthensAchieves! is to create and sustain the bold infrastructure that develops a pipeline of skilled workers and offers the quality jobs that our community desires for them. A coalition that represented the breadth, depth, and diversity of the Athens community worked for several months to create the proposal for AthensAchieves!

Coes was told about the position by a friend who thought he would be a good candidate. He read the position description and talked with Chamber President David Bradley and ACC Economic Development Director Ilka McConnell before deciding to apply. “I was impressed with the process and the range of participants from across the community who were involved in creating AthensAchieves!” he said. “A lot of times, workforce development programs are weighted toward what the employer needs, and that is important. But for this to work, the plan has to address the broadest community needs – what employers need, what prospective employees need, what the education system needs. Once I saw the full plan, I wanted to be a part of it!”

“We are delighted to welcome Alvie into this vitally important position,” said Bradley. “He is an excellent communicator with extraordinary experience in the workforce development arena. He is the ideal candidate who can hit the ground running and start making an immediate difference for everyone in our community.”

Coes is familiar with Athens-Clarke County, having served in multiple leadership positions at Athens Technical College, including Academic Dean and Director of Business and Industry Services. Coes currently serves as Vice President of Economic Development for Georgia Piedmont Technical College in Clarkston, where his responsibilities include leading training programs for workforce and industry partners; assisting community business leaders in expansion of existing businesses and recruitment of new businesses; and developing short-term training to address workforce needs. He has also served as an academic dean at Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood, SC.

He holds degrees in business and workforce development from Georgia Southern University and a doctorate in workforce education from the University of Georgia. Coes holds the rank of Captain in the US Air Force Reserves, where his role is to ensure the health and fitness of the 94^th Airlift Wing stationed at Dobbins Air Force Base.
The responsibilities of the CWO include:

• Developing a Board of Advisors comprised of key decision makers from the community’s employers

• Establishing objective criteria to measure the progress of the AthensAchieves! plan
• Focusing on the implementation of the 2024 Workforce Development Strategic Plan
• Creating a vertically integrated Job Portal
• Expanding funding sources
• Working directly with local education institutions to assure alignment of purpose