RISING STARS
2026 Rising Star Winners
Amy Hudson
Amy Hudson is a classroom teacher at Huddleston Elementary School in Fayette County who brings creativity and innovation to technology integration in the classroom. Her engaging lessons inspire students to explore new ways of learning and have sparked…
Hollie Sisk
Hollie Sisk is the Assistant Coordinator for Instructional Technology at Effingham County School District. She is a visionary technology leader who creates engaging professional learning experiences and empowers educators to use emerging tools…
Dr. Natasha Lawyer
With experience as a classroom teacher and instructional technology leader, Dr. Lawyer develops programs and professional learning that help educators confidently integrate technology and AI into instruction.
Dr. Greg Walkup
Dr. Walkup is a pioneering middle school audiovisual educator at Otwell Middle School who inspires students to explore their passions through film, broadcasting, and podcasting.
About Rising Star Educator Award
The GaETC Rising Star Educator Award is intended to recognize an emerging leader in Georgia K-12 schools whose record reflects ongoing and exceptional growth in the field of education and a passion for technology integration that transforms learning for students, fellow teachers, and/or the community of educators at large. GaETC Rising Star Educators are offered the opportunity to present as a FEATURED SPEAKER at the annual GaETC Conference. Award recipients were provided with a full conference registration and lodging for the three days.
Awards will be made at the discretion of the GaETC Steering Committee and Program Committee.
Nomination Requirements
Nominations for the Rising Star Educator Award were submitted with the candidate’s permission. The nominator should summarize the nominee’s achievements and growth in sufficient detail to document why this individual should be recognized as a “rising star” in the profession.
Nominees will be contacted by the GaETC Program Committee and asked to confirm that they would like to be considered. At this point, each nominee provided a link to a self-promoting video or presentation. This presentation described why the educator is worthy of the award. Nominees were also be allowed to provide other corroborating evidence to support consideration for the award.
Guidelines and Eligibility
Nominees were judged on three primary factors:
- Description of the individual role played by the nominee and the resulting positive outcomes in projects, presentations, activities, and/or initiatives that in total demonstrate exceptional growth in the field of education and a passion for technology integration that transforms learning for students, fellow teachers, and/or the community of educators at large.
- Evidence that the contributions of the nominee is having a positive impact on his or her students, institution, and/or the profession as a whole.
- Evidence (through the video presentation and other corroborating evidence) that the nominee will be a dynamic, engaging, and engrossing featured speaker.
In addition, the Committee looks for evidence that supports:
- Significant innovation through technology integration, given the nominee’s school/district context.
- Uniqueness and impact of the candidate’s contributions.