GMC News
Georgia Military College welcomes first Junior College Athletics Leadership Engagement Series speaker
Georgia Military College welcomes first Junior College Athletics Leadership Engagement Series speaker
Georgia Military College (GMC) is proud to announce that its first-ever Junior College Athletics Leadership Engagement Series (JCA LES) was held on Wednesday, August 10, 2022. This leadership development program is based off our established Leadership Engagement Series that our Corps of Cadet members get to experience. Monthly, on our Main Campus in Milledgeville, Georgia, a diverse group of student-athletes gather to hear from a special guest speaker that will deliver messages of hope and opportunity, inspiring our student-athletes.
“Georgia Military College is dedicated to the students we serve and that includes enhancing their leadership skills whenever possible, which is why we are all so fired up to kick-off our JCA LES for our collegiate-level athletes,” said Colonel Nelson Kraft, USA (Ret.), Senior Vice President and Main Campus Executive Director at Georgia Military College.
The inaugural speaker was Major Fred Watson from the Atlanta Police Department. He spoke to GMC’s Junior College football team about his experiences as a collegiate football player at Morris Brown College in Atlanta.
Major Watson has special ties to GMC, as his police partner at the Atlanta Police Department, Mark Anthony Cross, was killed in action in 2005 while serving. Cross was attending GMC when he died. Major Watson spoke about this experience with our football players and talked about his time as a student-athlete and what these testing times taught him about life. He spoke about how the same perseverance and drive taught on the football field can be used post-college whether on another football field, in a law enforcement/public safety role, or any other career path they choose.
“We really want to thank Major Watson for taking the time out of his busy schedule to meet with our football team,” said GMC Junior College Athletic Director and Head Football Coach, Rob Manchester. “His uplifting words not only got the players hyped up for the upcoming football season but also excited for a possible future career in Law Enforcement. We enjoyed having Major Watson instill his wisdom on our young men and know they all benefited greatly from meeting him.”
