Two Wiregrass employees were recently honored for their dedication, hard work and leadership skills by the faculty and staff of the college. Wiregrass employees annually nominate a staff member and a supervisor for their exemplary performance on the job.  The nominations are narrowed down by a committee and the finalists are interviewed by a panel of judges to decide who will be honored.

Jodie Corbett, human resource specialist, was awarded the second annual James A. Bridges Vanguard Award for the staff member of the year.  Jodie is described by her peers as being self-motivated with a strong work ethic, dependable and efficient.

The James A. Bridges Vanguard Award was created in honor of former Valdosta Technical college president, James A. Bridges. Bridges served the people of Valdosta and Lowndes County for 40 years, first as the vocational director of Valdosta High School and then as president at Valdosta Tech. During his tenure Bridges provided leadership as Valdosta Technical Institute became Valdosta Technical College. A strong believer in work ethics, he was the co-author of Georgia’s renowned work ethics curriculum. Thanks to his leadership work ethics is not only taught at every technical college in Georgia, but also at post-secondary institutions all over the world.

Charlotte Hesters, director of retention, was awarded the second annual Lewis I. Brinson, Sr. Leadership Award for the supervisor of the year. Those nominating Charlotte stated “she is looked up to by all of her peers not only at WGTC, but across the state.”  Charlotte is described as an employee with true passion for helping students succeed.

This award was named in honor of Lewis I. Brinson, Sr. for his visionary leadership, his unquestionable integrity, and his passion for technical education. Brinson was the founding director (president) of Ben Hill-Irwin Tech. The World War II veteran taught in the Ben Hill County School System for twenty years. During these 20 years he served as the vocational director at Fitzgerald High School. Based on his integrity and outstanding leadership qualities, in 1968, the Board of Directors of Ben Hill-Irwin Tech selected Mr. Brinson to serve as the first director of the school, a position he filled for the next 15 years, retiring in 1983. Brinson was responsible for overseeing the construction of what is now the 100 through 400 wings of the Charles Harris Learning Center as well as hiring the original faculty and staff of the college.