Tiffany Rowe-Thomas, Business Technology Instructor at the Augusta Campus, has been named the 2023 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year Award winner for Augusta Technical College. The announcement was made virtually by College President Jermaine Whirl on Monday, November 14, 2022.

Mrs. Rowe-Thomas is a proud alumna of Augusta Technical College where she completed the Associate of Applied Technology in Accounting. After completing the associate degree, she completed a Bachelor of Business Administration (Brenau University), a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Management (Troy University) and a Master of Science in Management with an emphasis in Human Resource Management (Troy University).

Over her career with the college, she has served the college in numerous roles including administrative secretary, adjunct faculty, and has served since 2008 as a full-time instructor. She is a member of the faculty advisory council.

"Augusta Tech congratulates Mrs. Rowe-Thomas for being selected our 2022- 2023 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year," stated College President Dr. Jermaine Whirl. "Her story is an exemplar of the power of technical education. Having earned her G.E.D. and associate degree at Augusta Tech propelled her to go on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Now she’s an instructor at her alma mater giving back and being an example to current students that they can obtain the same level of success. She’s a true testament that technical education changes lives."

Mrs. Rowe-Thomas will represent Augusta Technical College at the regional competition on March 7, 2023, and if selected as a regional finalist, will participate in state competition in April 2023.

Mrs. Rowe-Thomas has been nominated numerous times for instructor of the year, and she is excited to represent the college and share her story: “Having a strong foundation makes the journey through life a little easier along the way,” and Augusta Tech has helped provide a strong foundation for many of Mrs. Rowe-Thomas’ students.

The state winner will carry the title of Technical College System of Georgia’s Instructor of the Year and serve as the state’s ambassador for technical education. The winner exemplifies excellence and a commitment to the mission of the Technical College System of Georgia and makes many public appearances throughout the year, including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, the governor and the TCSG Leadership Conference, to name a few. A $1,000 grand prize is also presented to the deserving award winner.

The Rick Perkins Award (RPA) for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields. Formerly known as the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence, the award was renamed in honor and memory of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Georgia Technical College.