Deborah Williams Jones tapped to be first Randolph County manager

CUTHBERT — After a lengthy career in education, Americus native Deborah Williams Jones is stepping into a career that she had contemplated for decades.

Jones was selected this week as the first county manager in Randolph County’s history to lead operations in the rural county whose county seat is Cuthbert.

Jones has a variety of experience she said she thinks will be valuable in the new position. Those include grant-writing and keeping track of money.

“I manage budgets all the time, and I feel that is a key factor,” she said.

Jones, currently the instructional coordinator for Albany Technical College, has almost 25 years of experience in academics, including as a professor, academic manager, vice president of South Georgia Technical College for academic affairs and vice president for student affairs at Georgia Southwestern University.

She has also served as distance education coordinator at South Georgia Technical College.

Although she has long worked in academia, Jones said she’s long had an inclination toward government service.

“When I was young I met a woman in Belk (Department Store),” Jones said. “She asked me to try it for one year, and I stayed.”

Prior to that she had worked for the city of Americus as a housing assistant, and part of her duties included writing grants to help provide safe, decent and affordable housing through community development block grants. She also has continued writing grants for organizations, including churches, and she serves on several boards.

Those include the Americus-Sumter County Hospital Authority and executive member of the Crisp Dooly Fuller Center Board of Directors.

“Believe it or not, I started wanting to do this a while ago,” she said of government. “I feel that I bring a lot to the table. I’ve been on the hospital authority board. I feel like they (Cuthbert) are trying to get their hospital back, and I think I can help with that.”

Jones and her husband, Eddie Jones, own Precision Automotive in Americus.

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