VALDOSTA – A month into his new job as school superintendent, Dr. J. Shawn Haralson said he is confident in the direction of Lowndes County Schools.

“I am confident that together, as a One Lowndes Family, we will continue to move forward, challenging ourselves to continue setting the gold standard for excellence in education,” Haralson said in a statement released this week.

The Lowndes County Board of Education approved Haralson as the new school superintendent May 24. He officially began duties July 1.

Long-time Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Wes Taylor announced his retirement earlier this year. He spent 19 years with the LCS, including time as the Lowndes High School principal before being named superintendent in June 2012. He retired officially at the end of June. 

The county school board named Haralson as the sole candidate for superintendent during the May meeting.

Haralson has been an educator for 24 years and had served as Ben Hill County Schools superintendent for the past six years.

“During his time in Ben Hill County, he led the system to earn the title of 2021 Georgia Charter System of the Year and implemented a number of successful programs including college and career work-ready graduation and senior capstones,” LCS officials said in a past statement.

Haralson held a variety of leadership positions in Bulloch and Screven counties, including serving as principal of five different schools. He has a background in post-secondary education as an adjunct professor for Georgia Southern University and Valdosta State University.