Below is a complete list of Georgia Library Association Award Winners. A list of Award Winners through 2003 can also be found as Appendix 4 of the GLA Handbook.

Nix-Jones Award

  • 1969 Sara Hightower, Pepperell Schools, Lindale
  • 1971 Virginia McJenkin, (retired) Atlanta
  • 1973 Louise Trotti, Decatur-DeKalb Regional Library, Decatur
  • 1975 Edith Foster, West Georgia Regional Library, Carrollton
  • 1977 David E. Estes, Emory University, Atlanta
  • 1979 Hallie Beechum Brooks, (retired) Atlanta University, Atlanta
  • 1981 A. Ray Rowland, Augusta College, Augusta
  • 1983 Mary Louise Rheay, Cobb County Public Library, Marietta
  • 1985 Margaret Kerr, Emory University, Atlanta
  • 1987 Barbara Loar, Dekalb-Rockdale-Newton Regional Library, Decatur
  • 1989 A. Venable Lawson, Emory University, Atlanta
  • 1991 Charles E. Beard, State University of West Georgia, Carrollton
  • 1993 Robert J. Richardson, Young Harris College, Young Harris
  • 1995 David Searcy, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, Atlanta
  • 1996 Ralph E. Russell, Georgia State University, Atlanta
  • 1997 Merryll Penson, University of Georgia, Athens
  • 1998 William G. Potter, University of Georgia, Athens
  • 2001 Gordon Baker, Henry County Schools, McDonough
  • 2002 JoEllen Ostendorf, Troup-Harris-Coweta Regional Library, Lagrange
  • 2003 George Gaumond, Valdosta State University, Valdosta
  • 2005 William (Bill) Nelson, Augusta State University, Augusta
  • 2007 David Singleton, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta
  • 2008 Robert E. Fox, Jr. , Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
  • 2011 Ann Hamilton, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro
  • 2014 Jay Turner, Georgia Public Library Service
  • 2015 Roni Tewksbury, West Georgia Regional Library
  • 2016 Linda Golian-Lui, Kennesaw State University
  • 2017 Julie Walker, State Librarian, Georgia Public Library Service
  • 2018 Yadira Payne, Woodworth Consolidated Library
  • 2019 John Lassiter, Georgia Northwestern Technical College
  • 2020 Alan Harkness, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries
  • 2021 Wendy Cornelisen, Georgia Public Library Service
  • 2022 Stacy Brown, Azalea Regional Library Service
  • 2023 Chelsee Dickson, Kennesaw State University

McJenkin-Rheay Award

  • 1987 Glenda Anderson, Municipal Research Library, Savannah
  • 1991 Susan Pitts, Jefferson County Public Library
  • 1993 Deborah M. Meyer, Clayton State College, Morrow
  • 2000 Glorian Sipman University of Georgia, Athens
  • 2001 Robert E. Fox, Clayton College & State University, Morrow
  • 2004 Laura Burtle, Georgia State University, Atlanta
  • 2006 Michael H. Aldrich, University of West Georgia, Carrollton
  • 2008 Lori Lester, Georgia Southern University
  • 2009 Michelle Jones, Columbus State University
  • 2010 Tessa Minchew, Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston
  • 2011 Yadira Payne, Augusta State University, Augusta
  • 2012 Ashley Dupuy, Kennesaw State University
  • 2014 Virginia Feher, University of North Georgia
  • 2015 Kimberly Boyd, Brenau University
  • 2016 Jean Cook, University of West Georgia
  • 2017 Chris Sharpe, Kennesaw State University
  • 2018 Ariel Turner, Kennesaw State University
  • 2019 Eli Arnold, Oglethorpe University
  • 2020 Oscar Gittemeier, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
  • 2021 John Mack Freeman, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • 2022 Ashley Hoffman, Kennesaw State University
  • 2023 Rosemary Humphrey, Kennesaw State University

Bob Richardson Award

  • 2001 Ralph E. Russell, Georgia State University (retired)
  • 2002 Charles E. Beard, State University of West Georgia
  • 2003 Ann Hamilton, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro
  • 2006 Joanne Lincoln, Retired
  • 2007 Gordon Baker, Clayton State University, Morrow
  • 2009 Susan Cooley, Sara Hightower Regional Library System
  • 2010 Sarah Steiner, Georgia State University, Atlanta
  • 2011 Elizabeth Bagley, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta
  • 2012 Jeff Heck, Georgia Regents University, Augusta
  • 2013 Susan Kendall, Cobb County Public Library
  • 2014 Carol Stanley, Athens Technical College
  • 2015 Linda Jones, Columbus State University
  • 2016 Evelyn Merk, Retired
  • 2017 Cathy Jeffrey, Retired, Clayton State University
  • 2018 Sofia Slutskaya, Georgia Tech Library
  • 2019 Ashley Dupuy, Cobb County Public Library System
  • 2020 Virginia Feher, University of North Georgia
  • 2021 Tamika Barnes, Perimeter Library Services
  • 2022 Elizabeth McKinney, Georgia Public Library Service
  • 2023 Laura Burtle, Georgia State University

GLA Mid-Career Award

  • 2020 Casey Long, Agnes Scott College
  • 2021 Teneka Jones Williams, Georgia Public Library Service
  • 2022 Kimberly Boyd, Brenau University

GLA Presidential Commendation

  • 2018 Jean Cook, University of West Georgia
  • 2018 Casey Long, Agnes Scott College
  • 2018 Elizabeth McKinney, GPLS
  • 2018 Angela Megaw, University of North Georgia
  • 2020 Ashley Dupuy, Kennesaw State University
  • 2021 Ben Bryson, Marshes of Glynn Library System
  • 2021 Angela Glowcheski, Sequoyah Regional Library System
  • 2022 Linh Uong, University of North Georgia
  • 2022 Laura Burtle, Georgia State University
  • 2022 Cathy Jeffrey, University of North Georgia
  • 2023 Ben Bryson, Marshes of Glynn Libraries
  • 2023 John Mack Freeman, Georgia Tech
  • 2023 Linh Uong, University of North Georgia

Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award

(Renamed in 2004 to honor Charles Beard)

  • 1995 Virginia M. McCurdy, DeKalb County Public Library Trustee
  • 1996 Doreen Poitevint
  • 1997 Shirley Carver Miller, First Lady of Georgia
  • 1998 Zell Miller, Governor of Georgia
  • 1999 Leon Duke, Library Trustee
  • 2001 Stephen Portch, Chancellor, University System of Georgia
  • 2002 Mary Alice Budge, President, Muscogee County Friends of Libraries, Columbus
  • 2003 Jayne Williams, Board of Regents, retired
  • 2004 Lianne Keeney, Trustee, Chestatee Regional Library
  • 2006 Edward F. Barnes, Department of Technical and Adult Education, Atlanta
  • 2009 Lamar Paris, Union County Commissioner
  • 2010 Dr. Melvin Steely, University of West Georgia, Georgia’s Political Heritage Program
  • 2013 William Kelley, Tifton-Tift County Public Library
  • 2014 Senator Jack Hill, Georgia State Senate
  • 2015 Margie Young, Friends group for Brunswick-Glynn County Library
  • 2017 Sandra Deal, Georgia’s First Lady
  • 2018 Ellen Petree, Barrow County School System
  • 2019 Michael Thurmond, DeKalb County CEO
  • 2020 Beth Spillane, Literacy For All
  • 2021 the late Honorable John Lewis
  • 2022 Claire Chamberland Gaus, volunteer, Commerce Public Library

Nora Symmers Library Staff Award

(Formerly the Nora Symmers Paraprofessional Award)

  • 2001 Nora Symmers, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur
  • 2002 James E. Camp, Cobb County Public Library, Marietta
  • 2003 Rhonda Boozer, Clayton College & State University, Morrow
  • 2008 Karen Manning, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • 2010 Heidi Benford, Clayton State University, Morrow
  • 2017 Janice Shipp, Savannah College of Art and Design

Library Support Services Award

  • 2010 Brad Baxter, University of Georgia Libraries, Systems/GALILEO Support
  • 2018 Mike White, Board of Regents
  • 2019 Ken Henslee, GALILEO
  • 2020 Kimberly Spencer, Coastal Plain Regional Library System
  • 2021 Daniel Zeiger, Georgia Public Library Service
  • 2023 Erica Luke, DeKalb County Public Library

GLA Team Award

  • 2012 Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • 2014 Susan Bailey, Emory University; Ameet Doshi, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jennifer Jones, Georgia State University; Erin Nagel, Clayton State University; Sonya Gaither, Gordon State University,
  • Southeastern Library Assessment Conference Planning Committee
  • 2015 Jin Xio Guo, Sandra Barclay, Hyun Chu Kim, Ariel Turner, Jay Nicolletta, Li Chen, Lesley Brown, Jennifer Young, and Yongli Ma, Kennesaw State University Voyager Consolidation Group
  • 2016 Gordon Baker, Heidi Benford, Barbara Dantzler, Amy Eklund, Linda Johnson, Michelle Lenderman, Rebecca Rose, Georgia Student Media Festival Committee
  • 2017 Kimberly Boyd, Ashley Dupuy, Casey Long, Carterette Series Webinars Planning Team
  • 2018 Cheryl Stiles, Crystal Renfro, Elisabeth Shields, Aajay Murphy, Barbara Wood, April Schweikhard, Olga Koz, Jennifer Carter, Heather Hankins, Jennifer Sarra, and Estefany Palacio, Kennesaw State University Graduate Library
  • 2020 Angela Glowcheski and Tracy Walker, Adult Programming Palooza Organizers
  • 2021staff members on the Cobb County Public Library’s Census 2020 Committee. Team Members: Helen Poyer, Library Director, Slone T. Williams, Communications/CUE Manager (team lead), Thomas Brooks,
  • 2021 Cobb County Public Library’s Census 2020 Committee. Team Members: Helen Poyer, Slone T. Williams, Thomas Brooks, Patricia Ball, Timothy Steggall, Raymond Goslow, Katherine Zavala, Shannon Tyner, Mary Wood, Wanda Dallas, and Dinah Bonesteel.
  • 2022 Kennesaw State University Library System’s Scholarly Communications Programming Team. Team Members: Chelsee Dickson, Heather Hankins, Jennifer Carter, and Rachel Schrauben Yeates.
  • 2021 Helen Poyer, Slone T. Williams, Thomas Brooks, Patricia Ball, Timothy Steggall, Raymond Goslow, Katherine Zavala, Shannon Tyner, Mary Wood, Wanda Dallas, and Dinah Bonesteel, Cobb County Public Library’s Census 2020 Committee.
  • 2022 Chelsee Dickson, Heather Hankins, Jennifer Carter, and Rachel Schrauben Yeates, Kennesaw State University Library System’s Scholarly Communications Programming Team.
  • 2023 Manda Sexton, Kristina Clement, Jennifer Carter, and Sean Crampton, Kennesaw State University (KSU) Organizational Strategy,
    Communications, & Outreach (OSCO) Team

Honorary Members

1971

  • Beverly Wheatcroft
  • Tommie Dora Barker
  • Maud Burrus
  • Katherine Carnes
  • Eunice Coston
  • Fannie Hinton
  • Evalene Jackson
  • Margaret Jemison
  • Elizabeth Jones
  • Sarah Jones
  • Virginia McJenkin
  • Clyde Pettus
  • Katherine Powers
  • Mary Pursell
  • Virginia Riley
  • Virginia Satterfield
  • Ella May Thornton
  • Ola Wyeth
  • Edith Creighton Bell
  • Edna Hanley Byers
  • Loretta Lamar Chappell
  • Josephine T. Severinghaus

1973

  • Nelle Bateman
  • Theodosia Hotch
  • Porter Kellam

1975

  • Jean D. Cochran
  • Helen Fattig
  • Sara Hightower
  • Geraldine LeMay
  • Cornelia Lowe

1977

  • Hallie B. Brooks
  • Barbara Bronson
  • Edith Foster
  • Grace Hightower
  • Ursuline Ingersoll
  • Linda Johnston
  • Sara Maret
  • Ruth Walling

1979

  • Margaret W. Browne
  • Adrienne W. Lunsford

1981

  • John W. Bonner
  • Juanita Brightwell

1983

  • Raye Osborn
  • Lila Rice

1985

  • David Estes

1987

  • Walter Johnston

1989

  • Jane Ramsey Morgan

1993

  • Emily Anthony
  • Dorothy W. Blake
  • Wanda Calhoun
  • Irma Harlan
  • Brenda Pruvis
  • Ralph E. Russell

1998

  • Elizabeth Turner

2008

  • Katherine B. Gallo
  • Sara E. (Betsy) Griffies

2009

  • William (Bill) Nelson

2010

  • Callie McGinnis

2011

  • George Gaumond

2018

  • Meryll Penson

2019

  • Gordon Baker

2020

  • Carolyn Fuller

2022

  • 2022 Patricia Herndon, Georgia Public Library Service