West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) has named TaTanisha Jackson, a mathematics department chair and instructor as the 2023 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year Award (RPA) winner.

“West Georgia Technical College is proud to have TaTanisha as our 2023 Rick Perkins Award winner,” said Dr. Julie Post, President of West Georgia Technical College. “She is a talented, student-centric instructor that truly brings out the best in her students. We are so proud of her amazing accomplishments and are so grateful that she is a wonderful asset to WGTC in so many ways.”

The announcement was made on November 29 at WGTC’s Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership and RPA Banquet, an annual event that celebrates the finalists for both awards.

Jackson, nominated by WGTC’s Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Brian Barkley, was selected out of a field which included four other WGTC instructors – Commercial Truck Driving Instructor Joe Holvey, Early Childhood Care and Education instructor Joyce Freeman, Registered Nursing instructor Melissa Lawrimore, and Cosmetology instructor Schurita Pearson.

“Ms. Jackson is an excellent instructor, well recognized by both her peers and her students,” Barkley said. “She has a strong desire to share her knowledge and passion about both the academic and the overall well-being of her students. She consistently represents WGTC in a professional and student-centered manner.”

Jackson started her career with WGTC in 2014 as an adjunct employee before being hired on full-time in 2018. In 2020, she was named chair of the mathematics department. This year is the second year in a row that she has been nominated for the Rick Perkins Award.

“Many students do not want to pursue a college degree in the traditional 4-year way but want to learn a trade that will allow them to live a comfortable life and provide for their families instead,” said Jackson. “I decided to use my knowledge and love for math to teach at a technical college to help those students strive. Now that I’ve been chosen to be an ambassador for technical education, I get to show others what technical education really means to our students and my drive to help them succeed.”

Jackson will compete against winners from other Georgia technical colleges at the regional competition on March 7, 2023, and if selected as a regional finalist, will participate in the state competition in April 2023.

The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Education honors technical education’s 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. 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 Georgia Technical College.