He was a member of the Republican Party and served in the Georgia State Senate representing the 18th district, which includes portions of Bibb, Houston, Monroe, Jones, and Crawford counties.
Senator Zell Miller as well as books by 2011 presidential candidates Rick Perry and Herman Cain.
in his final term, Staton also served on the Rules, Appropriations, Finance, Higher Education, Banking, and Reapportionment committees.
[4] During his legislative career, Staton worked in the areas of health care and higher education.
And in 2012, Georgia Bio recognized Staton as their legislator of the year at awards ceremonies held in Atlanta on January 26.
He served as a member of the Promotions and Tenure Committee and as an editor for the institutional self-study for renewal of accreditation (1990—1991).
He taught courses for the Roberts Department of Religion in the College of Liberal Arts and undertook special administrative assignments as directed by the President or Provost of the University.
He worked with the Board of Regent's economic development office to identify expansion opportunities with the private sector, government, and USG supporters.
[12] During the interim year, Staton led efforts to balance the 2016—2017 budget by reducing expenditures by $4.4 million.
He developed a $2 million marketing, branding, and imaging campaign aimed at increasing enrollment and established the VSU $1 Million Innovation Fund for proposals leading to an increase in enrollment, credit hour production, and improved graduation rates.
Initiatives at ECU included: launching a new branding and marketing campaign increasing awareness of the institution nationally and internationally; launching initiatives to increasing research activity by 50% over five years; launching initiatives to increase internationalization including doubling the number of students participating in study abroad over five years; doubling the enrollment of the Honors College beginning fall 2017; launching initiative to increase enrollment at the Brody School of Medicine by 50% over the next five years; launching a new university enterprise partnering with SAS focusing upon rural prosperity concentrating on healthcare, education, and economic development disparities in rural North Carolina; leading ECU's Strategic Plan Extension for 2017—2022: Capture Your Horizon; launching a $500 million capital campaign, the largest in the institution's history; and leading preparations for creating ECU's 13th college, the College of Public Health, in 2021.
[9] On Monday, March 18, 2019, Staton announced that he would step down as chancellor of East Carolina University, at the conclusion of the academic year.
[15] Staton's announcement followed the departures of System President Margaret Spellings and UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt several weeks earlier leading many in North Carolina to express concerns about the state of the UNC system and its Board of Governors.