This year’s Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) Student and Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction (RPA Instructor of the Year) for Albany Technical College have been announced and are preparing to compete at the regional level in February. 

The GOAL student and RPA Instructor of the Year for the college were selected late last year through a competitive presentation and interview process. Faculty nominees vie for the title of college winner in front of a panel of five judges. Students nominated for GOAL Student of the Year compete in two rounds. In the first round, all nominated students compete in front of five internal judges. Four finalists are selected to compete in Round Two, with a judging panel from the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Talent, Education & Leadership (TEL) committee. For this year’s competition, there were seven nominees in the Instructor of the Year category and nine nominees in the Student of the Year category.    

Zavian Simpson, a student at Albany Tech in Electronics Technology, was selected as the 2024 college GOAL winner. Simpson is a decorated veteran who overcame multiple obstacles to excel in his academic and personal life. He is a leader in the classroom and the community. 

Timothy Nelson, a Business Management instructor, was selected as the 2024 college Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. Nelson was described by his nominator as an instructor who goes above and beyond the call of duty to assist students - not only those in his program but all ATC students and prospective students in need of help. 

Simpson and Nelson will be competing in the southern region of the competition on February 27 at the Tifton campus of Southern Regional Technical College. Three semifinalists will be chosen from each of the three regions to compete at the state level on May 1 in Atlanta.  

Local program sponsors for GOAL and RPA include the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the Albany Tech Foundation.