COVINGTON, Ga. – Newton County School Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey was named 2020 Georgia Superintendent of the Year on Friday, Nov. 6, after being nominated for three consecutive years.

Moving forward, Fuhrey will represent Georgia in the national Superintendent of the Year award program.

“I was honored to have been selected as a finalist for Superintendent of the Year, but to have been named Georgia’s Superintendent of the Year is absolutely incredible,” Fuhrey said. “I am so proud of the work of our Newton County School System Board of Education, administration, teachers and staff. We are all working hard to ensure we achieve our vision that all students will be well-rounded and prepared for the future!”

Shakila Henderson-Baker, chairwoman of the Newton County Board of Education, was "tremendously proud but definitely not surprised" of Fuhrey's accomplishment.

“We are so proud of the work that she does and how that work is being celebrated among her peers," she said. "I, along with our other board members, have attended numerous workshops and conferences with Mrs. Fuhrey and it has not escaped our notice that superintendents from both rural and urban districts in Georgia seek her out for advice because they recognize the quality of her work, her genuine concern for student success in the community and her innovative practices to educate students. 

"The Georgia Superintendent of the Year award calls for someone who is innovative, professional and studious in their leadership, with a strong dedication to leading a public school system and that perfectly describes Samantha Fuhrey. On behalf of the entire Newton County Board of Education, I congratulate Mrs. Fuhrey on a job well done.”

Baker shared the moment Fuhrey found out she won the title of Superintendent of the Year via Twitter.

Fuhrey, who is in her seventh year as superintendent of Newton County Schools, was the first female school superintendent in county history, according to a news release. She has received six contract extensions from the school board.

In 2016, Fuhrey was awarded the GSSA President's Award. She also recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Marywood University in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. 

Previously, Fuhrey served as the deputy superintendent for the school system's curriculum and instruction. She has also served as the school system's executive director for secondary education, director of secondary education and director of professional learning.

From 2005-08, Fuhrey was the principal at Indian Creek Middle School in Newton County, where she previously served as assistant principal from 2001-05. She worked in the DeKalb County School System as an assistant principal and an English teacher before becoming employed in Newton County.

Gov. Brian Kemp congratulated Fuhrey on her new title via Twitter on Friday afternoon.