Casie Bridges, a Business Administrative Technology instructor at Central Georgia Technical College’s Milledgeville campus, has been named the College’s Instructor of the Year for 2016. She received the local Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction during the fall semester awards day ceremony and will now move on to the region and state competitions.

“Casie distinguishes herself both in and outside the classroom as a dedicated educator and strong student advocate by taking a personal interest in the success of each student,” said Dr. Amy Holloway, vice president for Academic Affairs. “She models the right balance of high expectations with a compassionate demeanor, which has earned the respect of her students and her peers alike. She is well-deserving of this honor and will serve as a strong ambassador for the College and technical education as CGTC’s 2016 Instructor of the Year.”

After being announced as the winner, Bridges received monetary awards recognizing her achievement from the CGTC Foundation, HEA Federal Credit Union, and MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union.

Bridges began her career at CGTC in 2011. After previously working in several business administrative positions, she said she’s found her true passion in teaching.

“After college, I worked at multiple jobs in the business world, but never found personal fulfillment,” Bridges explained. “I’d always associated teaching with making a difference in someone’s life, so I returned to school to obtain a masters and began teaching with CGTC. It was then I realized this is the career I’d been searching for.”
Bridges holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Business Management and Masters of Art in Teaching in Business Education from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. She noted that many of her students have also experience an unfulfilled life and have returned to college to become employable in an increasingly demanding job market.

“Not only do they need instruction in the skills required for them to be successful in their field, but they also need a teacher and a role model who cares about them and their future,” she said. “Getting to know each one of my students personally during their time in my class is extremely gratifying and motivates me each day. Being nominated and selected as the winner for this award is truly a strong validation of my career choice.”

Bridges will now move on to the Central Region Rick Perkins Award competition to be held at Central Georgia Technical College’s Warner Robins campus in March. Three top candidates will be chosen from the Central Region, as well as the North and South region, to interview at the state Rick Perkins Award competition. Bridges, along with 22 other Rick Perkins award winners from technical colleges across Georgia will attend the state conference in Atlanta in April where nine region finalists will be announced. The announcement of the state winner will be made at the Rick Perkins Award Banquet Wednesday, April 20.

Bridges, who was nominated for this honor by her peers, was selected as the winner from a group of five finalists. A panel of community leaders interviewed the each finalist to determine the College’s winner. Other finalists for the award were Dr. Morris Clarington, program chair for Health Sciences Core; Linda Smith, Early Childhood Care and Education instructor; Kimberly Hicks-Grable, Adult Education instructor; and Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, Electronics Technology program chair.

She is married to Shane Bridges and they reside in Milledgeville.