Below is a complete list of Georgia Library Association Award Winners. A list of Award Winners through 2003 can also be found as Appendix 4 of the GLA Handbook.

Bob Richardson Memorial Award

• 2001 Ralph E. Russell, Georgia State University (retired)
• 2002 Charles E. Beard, State University of West Georgia
• 2003 Ann Hamilton, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro
• 2006 Joanne Lincoln, Retired
• 2007 Gordon Baker, Clayton State University, Morrow
• 2009 Susan Cooley, Sara Hightower Regional Library System
• 2010 Sarah Steiner, Georgia State University, Atlanta
• 2011 Elizabeth Bagley, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta
• 2012 Jeff Heck, Georgia Regents University, Augusta
• 2013 Susan Kendall, Cobb County Public Library
• 2014 Carol Stanley, Athens Technical College
• 2015 Linda Jones, Columbus State University
• 2016 Evelyn Merk, Retired
• 2017 Cathy Jeffrey, Retired, Clayton State University
• 2018 Sofia Slutskaya, Georgia Tech Library
• 2019 Ashley Dupuy, Cobb County Public Library System
• 2020 Virginia Feher, University of North Georgia
• 2021 Tamika Barnes, Perimeter Library Services
• 2022 Elizabeth McKinney, Georgia Public Library Service
• 2023 Laura Burtle, Georgia State University
• 2024 Karen Manning, Georgia Tech Library

Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award

(Renamed in 2004 to honor Charles Beard)

• 1995 Virginia M. McCurdy, DeKalb County Public Library Trustee
• 1996 Doreen Poitevint
• 1997 Shirley Carver Miller, First Lady of Georgia
• 1998 Zell Miller, Governor of Georgia
• 1999 Leon Duke, Library Trustee
• 2001 Stephen Portch, Chancellor, University System of Georgia
• 2002 Mary Alice Budge, President, Muscogee County Friends of Libraries, Columbus
• 2003 Jayne Williams, Board of Regents, retired
• 2004 Lianne Keeney, Trustee, Chestatee Regional Library
• 2006 Edward F. Barnes, Department of Technical and Adult Education, Atlanta
• 2009 Lamar Paris, Union County Commissioner
• 2010 Dr. Melvin Steely, University of West Georgia, Georgia’s Political Heritage Program
• 2013 William Kelley, Tifton-Tift County Public Library
• 2014 Senator Jack Hill, Georgia State Senate
• 2015 Margie Young, Friends group for Brunswick-Glynn County Library
• 2017 Sandra Deal, Georgia’s First Lady
• 2018 Ellen Petree, Barrow County School System
• 2019 Michael Thurmond, DeKalb County CEO
• 2020 Beth Spillane, Literacy For All
• 2021 the late Honorable John Lewis
• 2022 Claire Chamberland Gaus, volunteer, Commerce Public Library
• 2024 Lisa Plyler-Luttrell, Trustee, Azalea Regional Library System

GLA Mid-Career Award

• 2020 Casey Long, Agnes Scott College
• 2021 Teneka Jones Williams, Georgia Public Library Service
• 2022 Kimberly Boyd, Brenau University
• 2024 Jolene Cole, Georgia College & State University

GLA Team Award

• 2012 Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi, Georgia Institute of Technology
• 2014 Susan Bailey, Emory University; Ameet Doshi, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jennifer Jones, Georgia State University; Erin Nagel, Clayton State University; Sonya Gaither, Gordon State University,
• Southeastern Library Assessment Conference Planning Committee
• 2015 Kennesaw State University Voyager Consolidation Group - Jin Xio Guo, Sandra Barclay, Hyun Chu Kim, Ariel Turner, Jay Nicolletta, Li Chen, Lesley Brown, Jennifer Young, and Yongli Ma
• 2016 Georgia Student Media Festival Committee - Gordon Baker, Heidi Benford, Barbara Dantzler, Amy Eklund, Linda Johnson, Michelle Lenderman, Rebecca Rose
• 2017 Carterette Series Webinars Planning Team  - Kimberly Boyd, Ashley Dupuy, Casey Long
• 2018 Kennesaw State University Graduate Library - Cheryl Stiles, Crystal Renfro, Elisabeth Shields, Aajay Murphy, Barbara Wood, April Schweikhard, Olga Koz, Jennifer Carter, Heather Hankins, Jennifer Sarra, and Estefany Palacio
• 2020 Adult Programming Palooza Organizers - Angela Glowcheski and Tracy Walker
• 2021 Cobb County Public Library’s Census 2020 Committee - Helen Poyer, Slone T. Williams, Thomas Brooks, Patricia Ball, Timothy Steggall, Raymond Goslow, Katherine Zavala, Shannon Tyner, Mary Wood, Wanda Dallas, and Dinah Bonesteel.
• 2022 Kennesaw State University Library System’s Scholarly Communications Programming Team - Chelsee Dickson, Heather Hankins, Jennifer Carter, and Rachel Schrauben Yeates.
• 2023 Kennesaw State University (KSU) Organizational Strategy Communications, & Outreach (OSCO) Team - Manda Sexton, Kristina Clement, Jennifer Carter, and Sean Crampton
• 2024 Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (GLS) Outreach Team - Gina Martin, Brandi Robertson and Sarah Trowbridge

Honorary GLA Membership

1971

• Beverly Wheatcroft
• Tommie Dora Barker
• Maud Burrus
• Katherine Carnes
• Eunice Coston
• Fannie Hinton
• Evalene Jackson
• Margaret Jemison
• Elizabeth Jones
• Sarah Jones
• Virginia McJenkin
• Clyde Pettus
• Katherine Powers
• Mary Pursell
• Virginia Riley
• Virginia Satterfield
• Ella May Thornton
• Ola Wyeth
• Edith Creighton Bell
• Edna Hanley Byers
• Loretta Lamar Chappell
• Josephine T. Severinghaus

1973

• Nelle Bateman
• Theodosia Hotch
• Porter Kellam

1975

• Jean D. Cochran
• Helen Fattig
• Sara Hightower
• Geraldine LeMay
• Cornelia Lowe

1977

• Hallie B. Brooks
• Barbara Bronson
• Edith Foster
• Grace Hightower
• Ursuline Ingersoll
• Linda Johnston
• Sara Maret
• Ruth Walling

1979

• Margaret W. Browne
• Adrienne W. Lunsford

1981

• John W. Bonner
• Juanita Brightwell

1983

• Raye Osborn
• Lila Rice

1985

• David Estes

1987

• Walter Johnston

1989

• Jane Ramsey Morgan

1993

• Emily Anthony
• Dorothy W. Blake
• Wanda Calhoun
• Irma Harlan
• Brenda Pruvis
• Ralph E. Russell

1998

• Elizabeth Turner

2008

• Katherine B. Gallo
• Sara E. (Betsy) Griffies

2009

• William (Bill) Nelson

2010

• Callie McGinnis

2011

• George Gaumond

2018

• Meryll Penson

2019

• Gordon Baker

2020

• Carolyn Fuller

2022

• 2022 Patricia Herndon, Georgia Public Library Service

Library Support Services Award

• 2010 Brad Baxter, University of Georgia Libraries, Systems/GALILEO Support
• 2018 Mike White, Board of Regents
  
• 2019 Ken Henslee, GALILEO
  
• 2020 Kimberly Spencer, Coastal Plain Regional Library System
  
• 2021 Daniel Zeiger, Georgia Public Library Service
  
• 2023 Erica Luke, DeKalb County Public Library
• 2024 Szilvia Somodi, University of Georgia
  

McJenkin-Rheay Award

• 1987 Glenda Anderson, Municipal Research Library, Savannah
• 1991 Susan Pitts, Jefferson County Public Library
• 1993 Deborah M. Meyer, Clayton State College, Morrow
• 2000 Glorian Sipman University of Georgia, Athens
• 2001 Robert E. Fox, Clayton College & State University, Morrow
• 2004 Laura Burtle, Georgia State University, Atlanta
• 2006 Michael H. Aldrich, University of West Georgia, Carrollton
• 2008 Lori Lester, Georgia Southern University
• 2009 Michelle Jones, Columbus State University
• 2010 Tessa Minchew, Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston
• 2011 Yadira Payne, Augusta State University, Augusta
• 2012 Ashley Dupuy, Kennesaw State University
• 2014 Virginia Feher, University of North Georgia
• 2015 Kimberly Boyd, Brenau University
• 2016 Jean Cook, University of West Georgia
• 2017 Chris Sharpe, Kennesaw State University
• 2018 Ariel Turner, Kennesaw State University
• 2019 Eli Arnold, Oglethorpe University
• 2020 Oscar Gittemeier, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
• 2021 John Mack Freeman, Georgia Institute of Technology
• 2022 Ashley Hoffman, Kennesaw State University
• 2023 Rosemary Humphrey, Kennesaw State University

Nix-Jones Award

• 1969 Sara Hightower, Pepperell Schools, Lindale
• 1971 Virginia McJenkin, (retired) Atlanta
• 1973 Louise Trotti, Decatur-DeKalb Regional Library, Decatur
• 1975 Edith Foster, West Georgia Regional Library, Carrollton
• 1977 David E. Estes, Emory University, Atlanta
• 1979 Hallie Beechum Brooks, (retired) Atlanta University, Atlanta
• 1981 A. Ray Rowland, Augusta College, Augusta
• 1983 Mary Louise Rheay, Cobb County Public Library, Marietta
• 1985 Margaret Kerr, Emory University, Atlanta
• 1987 Barbara Loar, Dekalb-Rockdale-Newton Regional Library, Decatur
• 1989 A. Venable Lawson, Emory University, Atlanta
• 1991 Charles E. Beard, State University of West Georgia, Carrollton
• 1993 Robert J. Richardson, Young Harris College, Young Harris
• 1995 David Searcy, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, Atlanta
• 1996 Ralph E. Russell, Georgia State University, Atlanta
• 1997 Merryll Penson, University of Georgia, Athens
• 1998 William G. Potter, University of Georgia, Athens
• 2001 Gordon Baker, Henry County Schools, McDonough
• 2002 JoEllen Ostendorf, Troup-Harris-Coweta Regional Library, Lagrange
• 2003 George Gaumond, Valdosta State University, Valdosta
• 2005 William (Bill) Nelson, Augusta State University, Augusta
• 2007 David Singleton, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta
• 2008 Robert E. Fox, Jr. , Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
• 2011 Ann Hamilton, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro
• 2014 Jay Turner, Georgia Public Library Service
• 2015 Roni Tewksbury, West Georgia Regional Library
• 2016 Linda Golian-Lui, Kennesaw State University
• 2017 Julie Walker, State Librarian, Georgia Public Library Service
• 2018 Yadira Payne, Woodworth Consolidated Library
• 2019 John Lassiter, Georgia Northwestern Technical College
• 2020 Alan Harkness, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries
• 2021 Wendy Cornelisen, Georgia Public Library Service
• 2022 Stacy Brown, Azalea Regional Library Service
• 2023 Chelsee Dickson, Kennesaw State University
  

Nora Symmers Library Staff Award

(Formerly the Nora Symmers Paraprofessional Award)

• 2001 Nora Symmers, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur
• 2002 James E. Camp, Cobb County Public Library, Marietta
• 2003 Rhonda Boozer, Clayton College & State University, Morrow
• 2008 Karen Manning, Georgia Institute of Technology
• 2010 Heidi Benford, Clayton State University, Morrow
• 2017 Janice Shipp, Savannah College of Art and Design

Presidential Commendation

• 2018 Jean Cook, University of West Georgia
• 2018 Casey Long, Agnes Scott College
• 2018 Elizabeth McKinney, GPLS
• 2018 Angela Megaw, University of North Georgia
• 2020 Ashley Dupuy, Kennesaw State University
• 2021 Ben Bryson, Marshes of Glynn Library System
• 2021 Angela Glowcheski, Sequoyah Regional Library System
• 2022 Linh Uong, University of North Georgia
  
• 2022 Laura Burtle, Georgia State University
  
• 2022 Cathy Jeffrey, University of North Georgia
  
• 2023 Ben Bryson, Marshes of Glynn Libraries
  
• 2023 John Mack Freeman, Georgia Tech
  
• 2023 Linh Uong, University of North Georgia
• 2024 Ashley Dupuy, Kennesaw State University
• 2024 Nancy Shore, Columbus State University
• 2024 Jon Bodnar, Georgia State University