Dr. Lydia Watkins is the Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, as well as a Professor of Nursing. She has worked as a registered nurse since 1997, first in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, and then as a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurse Practitioner at Sparrow Health System in Lansing, MI. She was an adjunct instructor with the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine prior to joining the faculty at College of Coastal Georgia. Since joining the College, Dr. Watkins has served in other roles such as the BSN Program Coordinator, Interim Program Director of Radiologic Sciences, and Chair of Nursing and Health Sciences, prior to becoming the dean.

Dr. Watkins holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (research focus: Pediatric palliative care and hospice), a Master of Science in Nursing from The University of Alabama at Birmingham (research focus: Music therapy to reduce pain in pediatric oncology patients), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and an Associate of Science in Nursing from Samford University. She is also a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) through the National League for Nursing.

Her research areas of interest, including regional and national presentations/publications, centers around student success, best practices in teaching, and service-learning. She is active with the Georgia Center for Nursing Excellence (board member), Academic Advisory Committee on Nursing (treasurer), Golden Isles College and Career Academy (foundation board member), and Georgia Association of Deans and Directors.