Faculty and staff at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) have nominated five of their peer instructors for the Rick Perkins Award of Excellence in Technical Instruction competition.

The Rick Perkins Award honors the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.

Listed are the nominees for the 2022 award, including (from left to right) instructors name and program.

• Anne Clay, Adult Education lead teacher and site manager for Polk County
• Brittany Cochran, assistant dean of Sciences of General Education/Biology
• Donna Estes, program director and instructor of Heath Information Management Technology
• Crista Resch, director of Ultrasound programs and instructor of Vascular Sonography
• Kimberly Temple, clinical coordinator and instructor of Respiratory Care

“We are fortunate at Georgia Northwestern Technical College to have instructors who care so much about the students and the learning process,” said Beverly Padgett, GNTC Rick Perkins coordinator. “These nominees continuously go beyond what is expected of them to not only meet but to surpass the needs of their students.”

Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the award was renamed in honor and memory 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 Technical College System of Georgia provides oversight for the Rick Perkins Award programs through the system’s office, the college presidents’ Academic Affairs Committee and the state planning committee.

A screening committee of administrators at GNTC reviewed each of the nominated instructors and conducted personal interviews with the nominees. From the screening committee interviews, a winner will be chosen to represent the college as GNTC’s 2022 Rick Perkins winner and move on to the regional competition.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma or a certificate in aviation, business, health, industrial or public service career paths. This past year, 11,820 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. GNTC has an annual credit enrollment of 8,591 students and an additional enrollment of 3,229 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training and Georgia Quick Start. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.