Governor Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced the winners of the fourth annual Georgia Recognizing Inspirational School Employees Award, which honors those who provide exemplary service in public education

Macon, GA – According to the statement, all schools and districts were invited to submit a nominee for the Georgia RISE Award.

Nomination forms were reviewed by a panel of judges composed of representatives from the Georgia Department of Education and numerous education organizations.

The highest-scoring applications were presented to Governor Kemp, who made the final selection of two nominees.

Mr. Bruce Ballard, the Construction and Facilities Director for the Griffin-Spalding County School System, and Mrs. Gina Whitaker, the Executive Administrative Assistant for the Baldwin County School District, are this year’s winners.

They have also been submitted as Georgia’s nominees for the national RISE Award, for which the governor of each state is invited to nominate up to two classified school employees.