Vidalia City School Superintendent Dr. Garrett Wilcox was named the recipient of the Georgia Schools Superintendents Association’s prestigious Bill Barr Leadership Award on Wednesday in Athens. The Bill Barr Leadership Award, named for and designed in honor of the highly-respected first executive director of GSSA, is among the most coveted awards in public education in Georgia.

Wilcox, who has been the Superintendent since 2012, was presented the award at the GSSA’s Annual Fall Meeting by its Executive Director, Dr. John Zauner, and said that being recognized by his peers was special “Being recognized as the 2020 Bill Barr recipient was a very humbling experience.  The announcement was made in front of my peers from across the state, which made the presentation even more special.”

According to the GSSA website, their mission is “to be the chief advocate for Georgia’s public school children.” The website goes on to say that the Bill Barr Leadership Award is among the most coveted awards in public education in Georgia. Those veteran superintendents who have been named winners each year since the award’s inception in 2000 have been the types of leaders whose names have been synonymous with mentoring others—just what the Bill Barr Leadership Award is all about.