Piedmont Technical College computer expert Greg Potts thrives at solving unexpected challenges

Greg Potts enjoys finding solutions to unexpected challenges.

“I like not necessarily knowing what I am going to do every day,” said Potts, director of IT Applications at Piedmont Technical College (PTC). “You come in with a plan, and sometimes that plan changes.”

Although he typically works behind the scenes, Potts’ technical expertise and collaborative leadership skills have helped position the college for long-term success in a rapidly evolving higher education environment. His team’s accomplishments include improvements to quickly update records for newly enrolled students and an “out-of-the-box” remedy for a glitch that kept key financial data from loading onto a vendor’s software.

“Over the last several years, Mr. Potts’ work has been integral to the success of Piedmont Technical College’s efforts to modernize the data systems that serve our students,” said PTC Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Josh Black in a letter nominating Potts for the college’s Innovator of the Year Award. “His contributions have been transformative, not only for Student Affairs but for every area of the institution that relies on accurate, unified and responsive data.”

In addition to receiving the innovation award in January, Potts took part in a presentation in April at Ellucian Live 2026, a premier higher education technology conference in Denver.

“Because his contributions extend beyond a single college, we invited Mr. Potts to co-present with our team at Ellucian Live,” said Lise S. FitzPatrick, director of Higher Education Services at Strata Decision Technology. “His work at PTC represents one of the strongest examples of how strategic thinking and technical skill can combine to elevate financial and operational capacity at the institutional level. Sharing this work with a national audience will benefit colleges across the country.”

Potts, who has a soft-spoken and unflappable demeanor, also was among the 11 graduates of PTC’s inaugural Leadership Academy.

His affinity for computers began in his boyhood.

“I’ve always been interested in computers,” he said. “I feel like the problem–solving aspect of it is really interesting to me.”

Potts grew up in northeastern Ohio. He and his wife met in fifth grade and started dating as sophomores in high school. When she and her parents came to South Carolina in 2017 to escape cold winters, Potts also moved to the Palmetto State.

Possessing a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Hiram College, which is a small liberal arts school in Ohio, Potts landed a job as a software developer at PTC.

“I felt blessed that it was out there and even available,” he said.

Looking back on a career spanning nearly a decade at the college, Potts said he’s proud that he has contributed to “the modernization of our technology.”

“That’s been my job here since I started, and it’s evolved over time,” he said, adding that the level of innovation at PTC is “amazing.”

Potts said he and his team seek to create solutions that work for PTC employees but also align with the college’s student-first, student-centric focus.

“If it doesn’t work for the student, it doesn’t work for Piedmont Tech,” he said.

One of Potts’ notable successes was enabling PTC’s enrollment program to update a database of new students every five minutes. Previously, these updates occurred on a nightly basis, which didn’t mesh with the college’s “instant admission” strategy.

“It just makes it more efficient – more timely,” he said.

Potts lives in Greenwood with his wife, who is a pharmacist, and their young daughter and son.

“Piedmont Tech has been great in helping me have opportunities to grow and to lead,” he said. “I want to continue growing as a leader.”