For the majority of its existence, the Newton College and Career Academy (NCCA) has been led by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and principal Chad Walker.
NCCA’s motto is, “Giving direction to the future.” Walker’s primary responsibility in helping accomplish that is forming partnerships with local industries.
But interacting with the students ranks as Walker’s favorite thing about his job.
“It’s seeing the kids make the connection of why they are doing something,” Walker said. “Then, they come back later in life or after graduation saying, ‘You were right. I am using this and now I see why I had to do this.’ That’s the coolest part.”
Walker grew up in Rockdale County since he was in the third grade. He graduated from Heritage High School and was a student-teacher at Salem High School, where he also first taught full-time.
Walker became Rockdale Career Academy’s assistant principal before he was hired into his current capacity in August 2014.
Twenty two years ago, Walker married his wife — they met at a trivia night at Mellow Mushroom in Conyers — and moved to Oxford. At that point, Walker said all he did outside of Newton was work.
Walker is grateful for being a full member of the local community for almost a decade now.
“It’s a small town feel with everything you need at your fingertips,” Walker said. “You know everybody, but it’s big enough where you can do anything that you need to do.”
Outside of being an educator, Walker enjoys supporting his four kids in their endeavors. He also likes to golf when he has the chance and travel, especially to Disney as he was once a Disney travel agent.
Walker is also an active member of the Covington First United Methodist Church.
In 1998, Walker graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of Georgia (UGA), in a city Walker deemed, “God’s country.” He has a master’s and educational specialist in curriculum and instruction from Piedmont College as well as an add on in leadership from UGA.
Walker is certified to teach math, health and physical education and vocational subjects, too.
Serving as NCCA’s principal for a near decade is a role Walker takes seriously.
“The career academy can’t be a stand alone building. Kids need to see their future,” Walker said. “Whether it’s a field trip to Meta or Holder Construction, we have all of those people coming in and out of our building as guest speakers. We try to give them as much exposure to the workforce and we bring those folks in.”
NCCA was recently recognized by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). In early October, TCSG awarded NCCA 2023 College and Career Academy of the Year honors.
Though Walker is at the helm, he credited much of NCCA’s triumphs — past and present — to NCCA’s “secret sauce.”
“The success of the Newton College and Career Academy is the people. I’m just blessed to work with amazing staff,” Walker said. “They are what makes Newton College and Career Academy an amazing place. They are the secret sauce.”
