Superintendent Hightower Earns Statewide Award For Leadership

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — Cherokee County’s Superintendent of Schools has earned state recognition for his leadership.

Brian Hightower was presented with the Georgia School Superintendents Association President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership earlier this week during the association’s spring conference.

The award presentation was a surprise and was made by association President Rob Brown, who serves as superintendent of schools for Lumpkin County. The association is the professional organization for school superintendents and offers leaders opportunities for professional development and networking with their peers.

“My fellow School Board members and I were thrilled to see Dr. Hightower recognized for his outstanding leadership and vision for our school district,” School Board Chair Kyla Cromer said. “He loves to celebrate our students, teachers and support staff members upon their honors, and it’s a delight to be able to praise him this time. We would not have earned the state’s Governance Team of the Year award or such high marks for our accreditation renewal without his leadership to carry out our school board’s policies."

Hightower has served for 35 years as a teacher and administrator, and is in his sixth year in his current role leading the district’s 6,000 employees and 42,000 students. As an educational leader known statewide for his leadership, Hightower serves on the State Superintendent’s Advisory Council; as board of control chair for North Georgia RESA; and the Georgia Education Coalition board, for which he is immediate past chair. Hightower also is called upon to represent his colleagues at the national level as a national research fellow for the Educational Research and Design Institute and as a charter member of the Leading Ed Solutions national superintendent coalition.