Sherry Lowery
Local Sharon "Sherry" Lowery, an Early Childhood Care and Education Instructor, was named the 2015 Instructor of the Year at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. As Instructor of the Year, she receives the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Education.
The Rick Perkins Award selection criteria include teaching experience, innovative learning techniques, leadership, community involvement, and a strong commitment to the TCSG technical education mission. The finalists for both GOAL and the RPA awards are interviewed by a panel of judges representing business, civic, industry and higher education in Georgia.
Sherry Lowery has begun her 11th year as a member of the faculty at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. As an Early Childhood Care and Education Instructor, she has come in contact with literally hundreds of students, teachers and administrators in Newton, Rockdale and Morgan Counties.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she also holds a State-Approved Child Care Trainer certificate, as well as the designation of Professional Development Specialist with the National Council for Professional Recognition. Within the college, she serves in many capacities, such as: Faculty Liaison on the Achieving the Dream Team and as a member of the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee.
In the community, Ms. Lowery is a member of Rockdale Career Academy's (RCA) Board of Directors; the Board of Directors for Peachtree Academy Private Schools; Chair of the Family and Consumer Sciences Advisory Board for Newton County Schools; and Chair of the ECCE Advisory Board for RCA's Early Childhood Education Pathway. Sherry Lowery earned her B.S. in Education from Ohio's Bowling Green State University, and her Masters in Early Childhood Education from University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
In her little spare time, she serves in several leadership positions within her church; co-captain for a Relay-for-Life team; and has been a wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia for the past 16 years.
Stephanie Jackson
Stephanie Jackson, a Paralegal Studies student attending Georgia Piedmont Technical College, has been selected as the college's 2015 GOAL Award Winner.
The Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), is a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). It honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state's technical college students. GOAL winners are selected at each of the state's 23 technical colleges, as well as one Board of Regents college with a technical education division.
Stephanie Jackson is a member of the college's Paralegal Studies Advisory Committee and the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. She will be inducted this semester into the GPTC's Chapter of Lambda Epsilon Chi (LEX), which is the Paralegal Honor Society of the American Association for Paralegal Education.
The self-employed writer has authored numerous articles for several print and online publications. Enjoying giving back to her community, Ms. Jackson has served as a Team Mom on the Academic Team at Trickum Middle School, the Chair of the Business Partners Committee at Arcado Elementary School and an event coordinator for many United Cerebral Palsy events. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and playing board games with her son.
Stephanie Jackson and Sherry Lowery will now join their counterparts statewide as they proceed to their respective Regional judging competitions. The North Region competition is scheduled March 3. The Regional finalists will then compete in the State competitions. The State winners will be announced April 22.
"We are very pleased to have Stephanie Jackson and Sharon Lowery as our award recipients," said Dr. Jabari Simama, president of Georgia Piedmont Technical College. "We wish them the best; and we know these two outstanding individuals will represent us well in our regional and state competitions."
