Wednesday, January 29, 2025–9:50 a.m.
-News Release-
Robert Branum, a Cybersecurity student from Ringgold, was named Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) 2025 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner, and Jennifer Dixon, assistant dean and instructor of Early Childhood Care and Education, has been named the college’s 2025 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year.
The winners were named during the Seven Hills Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Rome. The awards were sponsored and presented by the Rome Floyd Chamber, the Seven Hills Rotary Club of Rome and GNTC.
Noelia Sargento, a resident of Rossville, was also recognized during the banquet; Sargento received GNTC’s 2025 EAGLE (Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education) Award in October for superior achievement in Adult Education classes and programs. She will represent GNTC at the Dinah Culbreath Wayne EAGLE Leadership Institute state competition March 3-5 at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia.
“EAGLE is the first statewide program in the nation that recognizes and rewards excellence among students enrolled in our Adult Education programs,” said Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president.
Branum, GNTC’s GOAL winner, attends GNTC’s Catoosa County Campus in Ringgold. He was nominated by Dr. Dwight Watt, instructor of Computer Information Systems Technology at GNTC.
Branum attended GNTC in the 1990s and then pursued a career in culinary arts. In a career spanning nearly 20 years, he received a number of honors and awards, among them the North Coast Humanitarian Award in 2011, the Perilous Plunge Award for Community Service in 2010 and the Best of the North Coast Restaurant Award from 2002-16.
“At 40 years old, I found myself at a crossroads in life, not by choice but by necessity,” Branum said. “Years of pursuing my culinary passion—from being a line cook to owning a successful catering company and eventually becoming an executive chef—came to an abrupt halt when I became disabled. The impact on my physical health was profound, but the mental impact was even greater.”
“I struggled with feelings of worthlessness, depression and isolation from family and friends,” he said. “I felt I was failing as a husband and father. At the age 46, I found myself in my darkest moment, questioning the continuation of my life. My loving wife and children deserved better. I decided that instead of letting the limitations of my disability define me, I will redefine myself.”
Remembering his interest in computers as a young man, Branum picked up a GNTC course catalog and made an appointment with Dr. Watt to discuss a potential career in Cybersecurity. He said he realized that it wasn’t too late to pursue a new passion, and the decision to enroll at GNTC for the fall 2023 semester was life-changing.
“At first, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I’d been away from formal education for years, and the idea of learning new skills in a fast-paced tech environment seemed daunting, but as I immersed myself in the coursework, something in me started to shift.”
Branum characterizes his journey as one of change, challenges and the rediscovery of self-worth.
“Technical college is providing me a second chance,” he said. “Each new lesson and new concept reminds me it is never too late to change directions and to build something new. Technical college has helped me combat the depression that had held me back for so long. I am now focused on my progress and successes, instead of what I lost. With every step forward, I regain control over my life.”
“Change is never easy. It’s messy, it’s challenging and sometimes overwhelming,” Branum said. “Technical college has taught me that it’s never too late to pursue a new dream, passion or career. Age, disability or setbacks don’t have to be roadblocks; they can be stepping stones towards something more fulfilling than I ever thought possible.”
Branum said his goal is to further his education and hands-on experience to enable him to start his own information technology and cybersecurity business that will serve small, start-up businesses.
As the 2025 GOAL winner for GNTC, Branum will move to the regional competition. If chosen as a regional winner, he will compete at the state level against winners from the other regions of Georgia.
A panel of leaders from business, industry and government will choose the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) GOAL winner for 2025 and recipient of the GOAL medallion. The 2025 Student of the Year and state GOAL winner will serve as TCSG’s student ambassador during a number of system and college functions throughout the year.
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia will award a new automobile as the grand prize to the state GOAL winner.
The other GNTC GOAL finalists were Sara Gunnels, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Professions; Josue Lopez, Construction Management; and Nakesia Thomas, Social Work Assistant.
The Rick Perkins Award honors the TCSG’s most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and recognizes technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.
Dixon, a Calhoun resident who works at GNTC’s Gordon County Campus in Calhoun, has served as the assistant dean of Public Service programs at GNTC since 2022. She continues to serve as an instructor in Early Childhood Care and Education, a role she has held since 2018. Prior to that she worked six years as an adjunct instructor at GNTC in that field.
“As an educator in technical education, my goal is to equip my students with the practical skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today’s workforce while also learning how to dig deep when the going gets tough.”
From 1999-2008, she taught at Red Bud Elementary, as well as taught summer school and tutored for Gordon County Schools.
Dixon said she encourages students “never to allow circumstances to determine their self-worth, but to understand that it is their choices that determine their destiny” and to seek a “future that can be rewarding to not only themselves and their families, but also for our communities.”
Dixon earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 1999 at Kennesaw State University, a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2002 at Piedmont College and an educational specialist degree in Education Administration and Supervision in 2004 at Lincoln Memorial University.
Dixon is currently a member of Alpha Delta Kappa international honorary organization for women educators. Her community service activities include serving as a board member of the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center from 2009-14, ambassador for the Mary Kay Ash Foundation: Cancer Research and Domestic Violence Awareness from 2016-20, Bible class teacher at Northside Church of Christ from 2009-19 and member of the Northside Church of Christ from 1988-2024.
Dixon will represent the college as GNTC’s 2025 Rick Perkins winner and move on to the regional competition, vying for the opportunity to compete at the state level in the competition.
“Collectively, my grandparents, their children, and their grandchildren have devoted over 586 years to teaching and serving others, over 58 decades, almost six centuries. I am proud to stand here representing them and the love we share for education,” she said.
A panel of leaders from business, industry and government will choose one instructor to be TCSG’s 2025 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. The winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize.
The Rick Perkins Award winner serves as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia and will make many public appearances throughout the year, including addressing both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly.
The most recent state winners to represent GNTC were 2019 Rick Perkins Award winner Leyner Argueta, program director of Business Management, and 2013 Rick Perkins Award winner Troy Peco, former assistant dean of Industrial Technologies, program director and instructor of Automotive Technology.
GNTC’s 2024 Rick Perkins Award winner Deanna Hulsey, instructor of Cosmetology, and 2023 Rick Perkins Award winner Salvador Gonzalez, program director and instructor of Diesel Equipment Technology were first runners-up in the state competition.
The other GNTC 2025 Rick Perkins Award nominees were Sonya Alday, clinical coordinator and instructor of Emergency Medical Services (EMS); Kimberly Carr, instructor of Mathematics; Trevor Roberts, clinical coordinator of Ultrasound Programs and instructor of Adult Echocardiography; and Susan Wheat, program director and instructor of Radiologic Technology.
