South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) Cosmetology Instructor Dorothea Lusane McKenzie was selected as the 2026 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year during a recent breakfast ceremony in the John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center on the college’s Americus campus. SGTC President Dr. John Watford presented the award.
In addition to McKenzie, seven other instructors were nominated and named finalists for the award. The other instructors’ competing for the honor included: Crisp County Center Accounting Instructor Tammy Hamilton, Crisp County Center Business Technology Instructor Nicole Turner, Certified Nursing Instructor Janice Wiseman, Heavy Equipment Dealer’s Service Technology Instructor Donald Rountree, Computer Information Systems Instructor Veronda Cladd, Automotive Technology Instructor Brandon Dean, and Air Conditioning Instructor Johnny Griffin.
After brief remarks from the 2025 Instructor of the Year, Marketing Instructor Mary Cross, each of the eight nominees for the 2026 award were introduced by their respective academic deans. Dr. David Finley introduced Dorothea McKenzie saying, “she knows her students and she knows her program. She begins every day with the phrase, ‘this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice in it.’”
And she does rejoice in making every day a great day for her students. She is passionate about her program and her students. She encourages them to become better people while teaching them the technical skills needed to join the workforce or start their own businesses as a cosmetologist.
This is McKenzie’s second time being named as the SGTC Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. She received the honor in 2020 during COVID and was named as one of the nine finalists for the Technical College System of Georgia State Instructor of the Year competition, which was held virtually. This year, she will represent SGTC in the regional and state competition in Atlanta.
Before announcing McKenzie as the winner, President Watford thanked all the instructors for their dedication to providing outstanding education to SGTC students. “We have just completed a very successful 2025 year and that is due to the outstanding work of our faculty. Our instructors have an obvious skill set for their program areas and they work hard to help make their students successful.” Dorothea McKenzie embodies each of those characteristics added Watford after naming her as the overall winner.
In her acceptance speech, McKenzie thanked God. “First of all, all the honor goes to God,” said McKenzie. “I am from Sunset Park here in Americus and in the 80’s it was very hard to get out of there. But my high school guidance counselor asked me what my passion was, and I said, ‘hair.’” That declaration led her to South Georgia Tech and the rest is history.
“I would like to thank Dr. Watford and all of the faculty and staff for playing a big part in my receiving this Instructor of the Year award,” said Dorothea McKenzie. “And I would like to thank my sister, Mary Cross, the 2025 winner. Iron sharpens iron. My sister is one of my biggest supporters and I appreciate her support. I also hope to make each of you proud of me. I love what I do and I love my students.”
For being honored as the 2026 Instructor of the Year, McKenzie received monetary stipends from Synovus Bank, presented by Emory Parker and from the late SGTC President Emeritus Sparky Reeves’ wife, Allene Reeves.
The Rick Perkins Award 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.
As the winner at SGTC, McKenzie will compete with other Instructor of the Year nominees at the regional level, where three finalists will be chosen to represent the region in Atlanta in April. The state winner will make many public appearances throughout the year, including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, the governor and the TCSG Leadership Conference, to name a few, and will receive a $1000 grand prize.
In addition to competing for the statewide Rick Perkins Award, McKenzie will also deliver the commencement address at SGTC’s graduation ceremony in December 2026 as part of the Instructor of the Year honors.