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December 3, 2015 – When the Association for Career and
Technical Education named the recipients of its Excellence Awards
November 19, three of the seven honorees were Georgia educators.
The awards promote excellence in
career and technical education, recognizing individuals who have made
extraordinary contributions to career and technical education, programs that
exemplify the highest standards and organizations that conduct activities to
promote and expand career and technical education programs.
“Georgia is truly a land of leaders,
and these awards exemplify that,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods
said. “These national leaders are creating relevant, innovative experiences in
career, technical, and agricultural education for Georgia’s students – this is
incredibly important work. I offer my congratulations to these great Georgia
educators on this much-deserved recognition.”
Dr. Cassandra Miller-Washington,
career, technical and agricultural education (CTAE) director for the Bibb
County Schools, received ACTE’S 2016 Administrator of the Year award, which
honors administrators, program specialists/coordinators, and other personnel
who have made significant contributions toward innovative, unique and effective
career and technical education programs.
Dr. Miller-Washington received her
doctoral degree in educational leadership in 2010. In her current role as Bibb
County’s CTAE director, she collaborates with industry and community
stakeholders during a monthly advisory group luncheon with other CTAE personnel
in order to provide direction for their programs. Over the past two years, she
has worked diligently to modernize and restructure the curriculum at William S.
Hutchings College and Career Academy, and has secured a partnership with
Central Georgia Technical College to obtain a $3.11 million grant to create an
industry-aligned facility.
Learn more about Dr. Miller-Washington
here.
Dr. Sheryl Neely, a professional
school counselor at Frederick Douglass High School in the Atlanta Public
Schools, received ACTE’s 2016 Career Guidance award, which recognizes guidance
counselors and career development professionals who have made significant
contributions to advocate, educate and communicate the value of career and
technical education as a viable career option to a variety of audiences in
their communities.
As a high school counselor for the
Atlanta Public Schools, Neely promotes lifelong learning and encourages
students to work toward achieving diverse goals, competencies and specialized
skills. She has helped secure over $5 million in scholarships and has
cultivated a number of CTAE programs and award opportunities for her students,
who have a strong track record of success. An alumni of the University of
Maryland, she received her doctorate from Walden University and her counseling
degree from the University of West Alabama.
Learn more about Dr. Neely here.
Cindy Quinlan, the work-based learning
coordinator, marketing teacher and co-DECA adviser at Brookwood High School in
Gwinnett County, received ACTE’s 2016 Teacher of the Year award, which
recognizes the finest career and technical education teachers at the middle and
secondary level who have demonstrated innovation in the classroom, commitment
to their students, and dedication to the improvement of career and technical
education in their institutions and communities.
Since Quinlan took over the marketing
program at Brookwood in 2008, program enrollment and DECA membership doubled,
the program was awarded industry certification, and numerous students went on
to win state DECA competitions. The school’s student-run store, Bronco
Stampede, quadrupled its sales.
Learn more about Quinlan here.
“Dr. Cassandra Washington, Cindy
Quinlan, and Dr. Sheryl Neely embody the very essence of high-quality CTAE
professionals,” said Matthew Gambill, Executive Director of the Georgia Association
for Career & Technical Education. “They are all leaders within our state
and within the CTAE community. Having the opportunity to witness the ACTE
Awards ceremony in New Orleans and see them recognized was one of the greatest
honors of my professional career. I am so proud that Georgia has the distinct
honor to count them amongst our ranks.”
Learn more about the ACTE Excellence
Awards here and
more about Georgia’s CTAE programs here.
