ATLANTA (May 22, 2014) | Sen. Cecil Staton ( R- Macon) announced today that he has submitted to Governor Nathan Deal a letter of resignation from the State Senate effective midnight, May 31, 2014. Staton’s resignation is prompted by his accepting the position of Vice Chancellor for Extended Education with the University System of Georgia effective June 1.
Staton was elected to serve the 18th Senate District in 2004, which represents Crawford, Monroe, Peach and Upson Counties and portions of Bibb and Houston Counties. Prior to the 2011 redistricting, the district also included Jones County. He won re-election in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
“It has truly been one of greatest honors of my life to serve the people of the 18th Senate District,” said Sen. Staton. “Public service is a high calling, and one I have never taken lightly. I am incredibly thankful for the continued support of my constituents who have entrusted me to represent them under the Gold Dome. I am excited, however, about a new opportunity for service that returns me to my first love—higher education.”
Staton, a graduate of Furman University, holds a doctor of philosophy degree from The University of Oxford in England. Prior to his political involvement, Staton was a college and university faculty member and administrator for nearly 15 years. He served for more than eleven years as an associate professor and associate provost at Mercer University in Macon. Mercer bestowed university honors upon Staton during their 2014 commencement exercises, awarding him the doctor of humanities degree in recognition of his years of public service and devotion to higher education.
During his senate tenure, Sen. Staton served as vice-chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus and as Majority Whip, a position he held for four of his ten years in the Senate. The Majority Whip is the third ranking leadership position in the Senate. Sen. Staton served as a member of the Appropriations, Banking and Financial Institutions, Higher Education and the Reapportionment and Redistricting committees. Additionally, he served as a member on the Rules, Assignments and the Regulated Industries committees. Previously he served as Vice-Chairman of the Transportation Committee and Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee. For two terms he served as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, appropriating nearly 2 billion dollars, or 11% of the state’s budget, annually for higher education across Georgia.
“During his time in the State Senate, Senator Staton has been a tireless advocate and influential voice for his constituents in the 18th District. He led the charge on critical issues like protecting the integrity of the ballot box with his historic Voter ID legislation, saved lives by fighting to strengthen Georgia’s trauma care network, and raised the bar at our public universities with his leadership on higher education issues. All of us will miss his thoughtful and deliberative approach to public policy and his diligent work as the Senate Majority Whip. While Nita and I will miss him and Catherine being a part of the Senate, we wish them the very best in his new work for the University System,” said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
Since being elected to public office in 2004, Sen. Staton has gained recognition statewide as a champion for improving Georgia’s economic climate, providing leadership and funding for Georgia’s Higher Education programs and working to strengthen Georgia’s extensive health care network.
For Immediate Release:
May 22, 2014
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Director
Shawna Mercer, Sr. Communications Specialist
shawna.mercer@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028