Bruce joins Dougherty School System staff

ALBANY — LaKisha Bryant Bruce’s name has been well-known in community service circles for a while now. Some of her work with local organizations has achieved national recognition.

Now, though, Bruce is taking on a new challenge. She became the director of community relations for the Dougherty County School System on Sept. 1. Because Bruce spent her nonprofit career in Albany, she said that’s part of what she finds exciting about working with the school system.

“I’m excited to be back to serving children,” she said. “In my professional career, I’ve worked with the corporate side, I’ve worked in the nonprofit side where girls were my outcome, children were my outcome. Working on the United Way nonprofit side, our programs served the community. In this role, I’m able to take my 20-plus years of experience in the areas of public relations, corporate communications, nonprofit management and serve the students of the Dougherty County School System.

“For me, that’s big because I’m a product of this school system. To still be able to stay in my community, stay at home, but to impact the lives of the kids that are walking through some of the same halls that I walked through as a student — that’s the exciting piece to me.”

Bruce said she’s primarily responsible for public information, media relations, the system’s Partners in Excellence program and award recognition programs (such as Teacher of the Year) in her new position. Bruce said one of the projects she’s looking forward to is the upcoming wrap-around service center at 722 Corn Ave., where students will be able to receive health care, behavioral help and more at the former Lincoln Complex.

“Part of my role with the community relations piece is making sure we’re immersed in the community to serve the entire family,” Bruce said. “We’re working with our students every single day, and we’re serving their needs in the classroom. However, there are additional needs that we still need to support them in and support their families so that we can serve the child and help them be at their best for success. The Lincoln Complex piece is going to be a great piece to be able to be work on and partner with some great organizations in the community.”

Bruce served as the CEO of United Way of Southwest Georgia for six years, the executive director of Girls Inc. of Albany for seven years, Albany Tomorrow Inc.’s downtown manager and communications director along with doing public affairs for MillerCoors.

While Bruce was at Girls Inc., she received a White House Champions of Change award for community service regarding drug abuse prevention. Under United Way, she was chosen to speak on Capitol Hill about her experiences with the nonprofit’s programs as a child in Albany and how impactful charitable organizations are.

“It’s kind of like God keeps placing me in these positions that where I’m working has an impact on me,” Bruce said. “That makes it a lot more meaningful.”

Asked what motivates her to pursue these projects, Bruce responded, “My faith, my love for my community and I know firsthand the value of education. And I know firsthand where education can take you and how many doors it can open. If it could happen for me and (be) the genesis of where I came from, then it’s open for everybody.

“My dad stressed, ‘You are going to college.’ He didn’t go. ‘You’re going to college. You’re going to get out of high school, you’re going to go to college, you’re going to go far.’ My parents made sure they were very involved in our educational process. I know that that’s the foundation, it’s the equalizer for any child that’s in our service area that we work with. That motivates me.”