CCSD Leader Named Finalist For Georgia Superintendent Of The Year

Press release from CCSD:

Oct. 20, 2022

The Cherokee County School District’s Superintendent of Schools has been named a finalist for the Georgia Superintendent of the Year award!

Dr. Brian V. Hightower, who has led CCSD since 2016, was announced as one of four finalists for the top honor at the Georgia School Superintendents Association’s fall conference in Athens.

“Congratulations to Dr. Hightower on this well earned honor,” School Board Chair Kyla Cromer said. “He has dedicated his career to serving our community’s children, and we’re so proud to see his service recognized at the state level.”

The statewide winner, who will be named in December, will represent Georgia as a contender for the National Superintendent of the Year award. Superintendents may be nominated for the honor by local school boards, regional education service agencies, business and community leaders and education colleagues.

Dr. Hightower was appointed to his current role after 30 years of service to CCSD beginning as a classroom teacher, and followed by terms as an assistant principal, principal, district director and deputy superintendent.

“This in an incredible honor that I share with our teachers, support staff and leaders,” Dr. Hightower said. “I am successful in my role thanks to their inspiring dedication to teaching, supporting and caring for our students.”

Dr. Hightower has been selected for numerous state and national roles during his tenure as superintendent, including service on Gov. Brian Kemp’s Superintendents Advisory Council and State Superintendent Richard Wood’s Superintendent Advisory Council and as a national research fellow with the Educational Research and Design Institute. He recently was invited to serve on the Cognia accreditation agency’s Superintendent Advisory Board and is chairman of the board for the North Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency, immediate past chairman of the Georgia Education Coalition and a charter member of Leadership Circle, a national coalition of Superintendents.

Dr. Hightower also is an active community volunteer, serving multiple terms on the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors as well as with the Cherokee County YMCA board and his church. He and his wife, Sue, a retired teacher, have two children, who both are teachers, and one grandchild.

This press release was produced by CCSD. The views expressed here are the author's own.