Lanier Tech President Mike Moye will leave his post of eight years this month to become president of Central Georgia Technical College in Macon.

The Technical College System of Georgia’s state board unanimously approved Commissioner Ron Jackson’s selection of Moye at a 1 p.m. Thursday board meeting held in Atlanta.

Russell Vandiver, Lanier Tech’s vice president of economic development, will become interim president.

Moye will replace Flora Tydings, interim president at Central Georgia Tech, effective Feb. 15.

He accepted the position amid a round of handshakes and congratulations from board members.

“Gainesville and Hall County have been a wonderful place to live and work,” Moye said. “I truly have mixed feelings about going to the Macon area. I’m excited to go to Macon, but I really hate to leave behind such good friends and great colleagues at the college.”

At the time of the announcement, Moye still had not officially notified Lanier Tech staff of his departure but word had begun to spread.

“The grapevine is very healthy,” he said.

As president of Central Georgia Tech, Moye will lead the second-largest technical college in the state. Nearly 10,000 students enrolled in the college last year.

“Dr. Moye knows technical education and its importance in developing careers and attracting business,” Jackson said. “He’s built Lanier Technical College into a showcase for technical training and innovation through lots of hard work, and I know that he will do the same for Central Georgia Technical College.”

Under Moye’s leadership, Lanier Tech saw marked growth of 66 percent. It expanded its two campuses to five, including 18 instructional sites with more than 175 employees. Moye also oversaw the opening of Lanier Tech’s Georgia Center for Innovation in

Manufacturing, which provides training in industries using automated manufacturing and robots.

Anticipating a positive vote Thursday, Moye already has set to work on plans for growth for Central Tech.

“I’ve looked at the numbers and looked at what we’re doing, and (the college) is doing a good job,” he said. “I think there is a lot more we can do in terms of offering customized training for the industry base in Georgia. We’re taking what is already a very quality school to perhaps the next level.”

His skill in building colleges both academically and economically were traits Jackson said qualified Moye for the position.

“He has been through a lot of transitions and changes within the technical college system. He knows how to manage a college,” Jackson said after Thursday’s meeting. “That’s what we need in Macon.”

Moye has been active in the Hall County community, serving on the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce board of directors and as a member of the Gainesville Rotary Club.

On what he will miss most after leaving, Moye said, “the people.”

Vandiver, who has worked for Lanier Tech for more than three decades, will step in immediately following Moye’s departure. In addition to his work as vice president of economic development, Vandiver also serves as the director of the college’s Center for Innovation in Manufacturing.

No deadline has been set to select Moye’s permanent replacement.