Dr. Lynn Barber, Assistant Superintendent of Ware County Schools, has been named “sole finalist” to become the system’s next superintendent.
The Ware County Board of Education selected the lifelong county resident during its meeting September 10. Barber will replace Bert Smith, who announced his retirement in July effective December 1.
Smith was named superintendent in May 2019 after serving as principal at Ware County High School since 2015. Barber will assume the superintendent’s duties Monday December 2.
In addition to his role as assistant superintendent, Barber is Career, Technical and Agric ultural Education (CTAE) Director for the county. He assumed the role in 2017 and was named assistant superintendent in 2019.
Under Barber’s guidance, the $3.8 million Ag Center located at the high school was designed and built and has been used for a variety of events including livestock shows, banquets, meetings, etc. Forestry classes have their own school forest on campus, thanks to his vision.
Barber oversees the entire CTAE program and is responsible for developing each part.
“I’m proud of the connections we’ve formed, and this builds on the foundation laid before I became director, that connect us with our workforce partners,” Barber said. “We have close relationships with the Chamber of Commerce, WWDA, Coastal Pines, South Georgia State College, and our industry partners. All of us are working together to promote workforce development.
“We have set goals to increase the quality of our Career & Technical Student Organizations (CTSO). Across the board, we’ve seen membership increase in the majority of our groups as well as more students involved on the local, regional, and state level. Students are gaining strong leadership skills through active CTSO involvement.
“Mainly, I’m just proud of the staff we have in CTAE. We have a great group of teachers who are passionate about growing future leaders. They’re continually looking for ways to improve whether it’s growing their CTSOs, working on industry certifications, or just doing a great job teaching technical skills and employability “Our Work-Based Learning program is topnotch. Numerous students are getting real-world experience through their work-based experiences.”
Barber
Barber was raised in Manor, and graduated from Clinch County High School in 1992. He served as President of the Georgia FFA Association in 1991-1992.
He and his wife, Lori, were classmates but didn’t begin dating until 1993, a year before they married. They have two children, Courtney Renshaw, the Ag Ed teacher at Waycross Middle School, and Colleen, a student at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Renshaw’s husband, James, is the Ag Mechanics and Forestry teacher at WCHS. The Renshaws are expecting their first child next month which will initiate the Barbers into the ranks of grandparenthood.
Barber’s FFA affiliation led him to a career in agricultural education. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural education in 1996 and a Master’s in 1999.
Barber spent four years teaching agriculture in Wayne County before returning home in 2000 to teach for 10 years at Ware County School of Agricultural, Forestry, and Environmental Science. As the FFA advisor, Barber had many state-winning CDE teams and LDE individuals. State FFA Officers under his tutelage included Billy Howell, Renee Smith, Jared Wozny, and Kendal Hickox.
After he left the classroom, his daughter Courtney was also elected to state office.
When the Magnet School closed in 2010, Barber went to work for the Georgia Department of Education where he served as the South Region Agricultural Education Director. In 2015, he was recognized as the Outstanding State Staff Member, an annual award recognizing excellence in the Georgia Ag Ed State Staff.
In 2014, The Georgia Vocational Agricultural Teachers’ Association presented Barber the Teacher of Teachers Gold Award, recognizing him for having more than five former students become agriculture educators.
While serving as region director, he also agreed to serve as the Executive Secretary of the Georgia Young Farmer Association, providing executive leadership for the 5,000 member organization. The GYFA was created to serve young people who’ve graduated from high school and have an interest in the agriculture industry, the largest industry in Georgia.
In 2012, he received his Doctorate from Valdosta State University in adult and career education and received the Outstanding Adult & Career Education Doctoral Student Award in recognition of exemplary work as a doctoral student at Valdosta State.
In 2015, he came back to Ware County, teaching a variety of agriculture classes, leading the FFA chapter to numerous state winning teams and individuals, and advising a nationally recognized FFA program.
Barber raises cattle and heritage corn at his farm in Manor, Heritage Acres Farm. Barber has served as Pastor of Manor Methodist Church since 2019.
He is a member of the Waycross Exchange Club where he serves as Chairman of the Fair Association Committee, overseeing the agriculture events at the Fair. The three local FFA Chapters have upgraded some of the facilities used by the Fair under Barber’s guidance.
