Technical college system Commissioner Ron Jackson made the announcement and presented Ward with the Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction along with a $1,000 check.

The award came at the close of the technical college system’s annual Lighthouse Institute banquet, held Thursday night at the Marriott Hotel in Augusta.

“Georgia’s technical college system is honored to have Kevin named as this year’s top instructor,” said Jackson. “He’s a highly qualified expert in his field whose passion is to see each of his students succeed in life and their chosen careers. Learning from Kevin means gaining knowledge from a gifted educator who’s now recognized as the best of Georgia’s great technical college instructors.”

Ward was among six finalists for the award who were interviewed earlier in the day by a panel of executives from education, government, and business. The six were judged on their contributions to their colleges and technical education, as well as their innovative instruction techniques and leadership in their field.

“Kevin exhibits excellent professionalism, work ethics and human relationship skills, which makes him an outstanding role model for his students,” said Augusta Tech President Terry Elam.

For the next year, Ward will serve as the technical college system’s ambassador for technical education instruction. He will make numerous appearances around Georgia to speak about the great opportunities offered by the technical college system, including an appearance before the Governor and state legislature.

Last year, more than 6,500 instructors educated 152,000 students enrolled at the 33 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia. The colleges offer more than 600 degree, diploma and certificate programs in a variety of fields including the growing and in-demand career areas of healthcare, aerospace, life sciences, energy and the environment, and agribusiness.