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

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

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

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

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

  • 2008 Phil Williams
  • 2009 Randall Cravey
  • 2010 Brad Baxter
  • 2018 Mike White
  • 2019 Ken Henslee
  • 2020 Kimberly Spencer
  • 2021 Daniel Zeiger

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.

 

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