ALBANY, GEORGIA - Albany Technical College will hold the annual awards ceremony and reception for nominees selected for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), Rick Perkins Award (Instructor of the Year) and the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) for the upcoming calendar year on Monday, November 25, 2019 at 6 p.m. in the in the Kirkland Conference Center on the Albany Tech campus.
The 12 nominees for GOAL include: Jeanette Bradley (Health Information Management Technology); Kevin Brown (Automotive Collision Repair); Barrington Bryan (Professional Firefighter);
Darrius Childs (Early Childhood Care and Education); Courtney Dixon (Culinary Arts); Laura Goddard (Business Logistics Management); Rachel Harris (Business Technology); Delysia McAllister (Marketing Management); Dreshaun Newberry (Dental Assisting); Bertha Oxford (Dental Assisting); Christina Peak (Accounting); and Rondell Williams (Radiologic Technology).
The final four GOAL nominees will be announced at Monday evening’s event. These four will be interviewed in January by an Albany Area Chamber of Commerce panel and one will be selected to compete at the State GOAL competition to be held in April in Atlanta. The state winner is the official spokesperson for technical education in Georgia for 2020. The Albany Tech winner will also have an opportunity to compete at the Regional Competition for GOAL, which will be held for the Technical College System of Georgia southern region in March at Southern Regional Tech’s Tifton campus.
The Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year nominees include Joe Bellacomo (Design and Media Production Technology); Nathan Childs (Commercial Truck Driving); Dr. Gary Frage (Business Logistics); Craig Grace (Paramedicine); Melissa Hall (Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism Management); Carol Harrell (General Core); Cassandra Henderson (Computer Programming Networking Specialist);
Arniecesha Price (Cosmetology); Stephanie Wilkerson (Early Childhood Care and Education);
and Melissa Williams (Nursing).
The Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) nominees include Wahab Fagbohan (Dougherty County); John Odom (Dougherty County); Brianna Reece (Terrell County); Sherry Scaff (Randolph County); and Kacey Ware (Calhoun County).
All nominees will be honored at Monday evenings reception and the final Perkins and EAGLE winners will be presented. The final GOAL winner will be presented at a later date in January by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce at a monthly Rotary Club meeting.
About Albany Technical College
A public postsecondary institution of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), Albany Technical College provides technical education and training support for the evolving workforce needs of Southwest Georgia through traditional and online classroom settings. Albany Tech is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS/COC). For more information about Albany Tech, go to www.albanytech.edu or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlbanyTech or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbanyTech. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel by visiting www.youtube.com/albanytech1 .
About the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL)
First launched in 1971, the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) focuses on student excellence in technical education by focusing on academic excellence and personal achievement. A panel of judges selects one student, the state GOAL Winner, to serve as an ambassador of technical education in Georgia. GOAL winners represent the “new image” of Georgia’s technical colleges. Students must recognize technical education’s critical impact on Georgia’s overall economic health, have a strong work ethic, a dedicated sense of loyalty, and a healthy enthusiasm for promoting technical education in Georgia. GOAL winners are the best possible advertisement for technical education. They prove every day that the best technical education consists of more than manipulative skills. Technical education prepares us for the world of work. GOAL students are an indication of what technical education at its best can achieve and of the caliber of individuals who are choosing Georgia’s technical colleges. The winning GOAL student for the state of Georgia serves as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia and makes many public appearances throughout the year including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, Governor and TCSG’s Student Fall Leadership Conference, to name a few.
About the Rick Perkins Award
The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors technical education’s most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize and honor technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields. The recipient of this distinguished award is recognized as Georgia’s Technical College System’s Instructor of the Year. Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the Rick Perkins Award was renamed in memory and honor of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Central Technical College, who received the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence prior to his untimely death. The Rick Perkins Award winner serves as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia. He or she will make many public appearances throughout the year including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, the Governor, and the Georgia Technical College System Leadership Conference, to name a few.
About EAGLE Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education
The Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Program celebrates adult learners in pursuit of excellence. The program recognizes and honors students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in statewide adult education classes. The concept of EAGLE is one designed to create a greater awareness of educational opportunities that are available in local communities across the state and to foster involvement in lifelong learning pursuits.