Toccoa Resident Among NGTC Rick Perkins Award Nominees

A Toccoa resident is among the group of North Georgia Technical College instructors nominated for this year’s Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Welding instructor Jason Smith is one of seven instructors nominated from the school.

They are all in the competition for the Rick Perkins Award handed out by the Technical College System of Georgia each year.

Other nominees from the area include Criminal Justice Technology Instructor and Program Coordinator Pamela Segars of Clarkesville and Medical Assisting Instructor and Program Director on the Clarkesville campus Stacie Bohannon of Carnesville.

The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction 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.

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.

North Georgia Technical College Vice President for Academic Affairs Kathie Ivester said that the school is proud of each of the instructors that has been nominated and the excellence in teaching that they represent.

Ivester went on to say that the commitment and passion the instructors have for their students is amazing and they all exemplify an outstanding level of professionalism and enthusiasm for technical education.