Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership
The Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) was established in 1972 to highlight Georgia’s technical education programs and recognize exceptional students across the state. South Georgia Technical College has proudly produced three State GOAL winners:
- Royce Ann Martin, Aviation Maintenance Technology – SGTC’s first state winner in 1981
- Johnny Dodson, Industrial Systems – State winner in 1996
- Ashley Rogers, Marketing – State winner in 2016
Each of these individuals credits GOAL with playing a significant role in their personal growth and career success.
Since its inception, GOAL has annually recognized outstanding students from Georgia’s technical colleges and divisions for academic excellence and personal achievement. Keyara Williams, an Early Childhood Care and Education student, was named SGTC’s 2026 GOAL winner and selected to represent the college at the State Competition.
Keyara Williams
Early Childhood Care and Education
SGTC 2026 GOAL Winner
Overall GOAL Nomination Process
Each SGTC program instructor may nominate up to two exceptional students. From this pool of nominees, a Screening and Selection Committee conducts interviews and selects one student to be named the college’s GOAL winner.
College GOAL winners then advance to regional competition. Three students are selected from each region—Southern, Central, and Northern—resulting in nine state semi-finalists. These semi-finalists compete at the state level in Atlanta, where they participate in another round of interviews before a panel of judges.
From this distinguished group, one student is chosen as the State GOAL Winner and serves as Georgia’s ambassador for technical education.
The administration of the GOAL program involves a detailed process with specific timelines, procedures, and official documentation requirements.
For more information about the GOAL program—including its purpose, process, and participation requirements—please contact Joshua Curtin, GOAL Coordinator, at 229-931-2713 or joshua.curtin@southgatech.edu.
State Goal Winners
Johnny Dodson, 1996 State GOAL Winner
Johnny Dodson, Director of Economic Development/Advanced Manufacturing at Southern Crescent Technical College; South Georgia Tech's 1996 State Goal Winner;
Dodson continued his education at Valdosta State University and has nearly 20 years of experience as an Industrial Systems Technology instructor with a rich background in industrial manufacturing, maintenance, and electrical systems. His experience also includes nearly 2 years as a Training Manager (Cooper Tires) and one year as a Training Specialist (Allen’s Foods). He has also works with business and industry in designing, developing, and implementing successful Economic Development training systems.
He credits much of his success to his experience in GOAL at South Georgia Technical College.
Ashley Rogers, 2016 State GOAL Winner
Ashley Rogers, Property Manager at Communities Property Management; Graduate of Middle Georgia State University.
Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Gretchen Corbin, Ashley Rodgers, Governor Nathan Deal and SGTC President John Watford.