Nominations and Annual Awards

The Nominating and Awards Committee is seeking nominees for  President Elect and several new Board members as well as recognizing several individuals who have made outstanding contributions to our organization. To make a nomination, please complete a nomination form.

Members of the Nominating and Awards Committee are Phyllis Gill (chair), Richard Powell, Lee Ann Afton, Vern Granger, Bob Bennett, Jason Hamilton, Ann Hendrick, Dawn Medley, Becki Rutsky, and Lori Zawistowski.  The Committee will review in January all nominees for President-Elect, Board positions, and awards and present a slate of officers to the membership at least 50 days before the spring conference. Award recipients will be announced at the conference, and no member of the committee is eligible to receive an award.

All officers and Board members are elected for three-year terms and are required to attend two Board meetings at the annual conference, a summer Board meeting, and a Board meeting at the NACAC conference each year. Board members also serve a three-year term as delegates to NACAC Assemblies at the national conference. The President, President-Elect, and Past President must also attend NACAC’s Leadership Development Institute each summer.

Larry West Award (Leadership), the highest award given by the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling, is based on longevity of service and dedication to SACAC, outstanding contributions to the admission counseling profession, leadership within that profession, and dedication to the students we serve.

Larry West was the consummate professional with a life time devoted to helping students reach their potential. He served our profession well with his eye on the ethics of college admissions and making certain that others were well versed. Larry served SACAC in many capacities including as chair of the Admission Practices committee, NACAC delegate, president-elect and president. He was a strong negotiator and mediator who listened to every voice. His sense of humor and his dedication to the profession made him a great choice as a leader within our organization and an example for all in his service to students.

2007 - Susan McCarter - Girls Preparatory School (TN)
2006 - Randy Giarraputo, Casablanca American School, Morocco
2005 - Lee Albright, Athens Academy, Athens, GA
         - Phyllis Gill, Providence Day School, Charlotte, NC
2004 - Bill Kolb, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2003 - Missy Church-Smith, Ctr for Adv Technologies, St. Petersburg, FL
2002 - Sam Moss, Darlington School, Rome, GA

William Starling Award (Mentoring) - Bill Starling taught all who worked with him the true purpose of work. He worked hard, set an example of integrity, and trained himself to see and shape the best in people. He always saw beyond the day to day, whether it was encouraging his staff to further their education or showing constant interest in their families (for he himself was a family man). He inspired rather than demanded quality. In two ways especially he valued his employees: 1) He gently, consistently, and purposefully educated his employees on standards of the profession, and he was loyal to the people he invested of himself, and 2) He corrected those who made errors, but also defended them rigorously to the family or administrator who felt under appreciated or misunderstood.

2007 - John Barnhill - Florida State University (FL)
         - Susan Street - The College Access Center (TN)
2006 -  Nancy Beane, The Westminster School, Atlanta, GA
2005 – Sam Blair, Little Rock School District, Little Rock, AR

Garrett Klein Award (Mid-level Service) - Garrett Klein began his professional career in the undergraduate admissions office at Vanderbilt University. During the decade he worked in that office, Garrett impressed all with whom he worked, and he was promoted three times. Garrett demonstrated complete commitment to students and unyielding loyalty to Vanderbilt. He approached all he did with energy, enthusiasm and wit. He was ambitious in the best sense of the word—always wanting to learn more and to become more effective. Garrett was committed to contributing to the development of others by sharing his experience and knowledge through conference presentations and by serving on the faculty at SACAC’s Dry Run workshop. He was incisive, analytical and incredibly intelligent. His capacity for long hours and hard work was equaled only by his ability to laugh.

2007 - Daphne Vagenas - The Bolles School (FL)
2006 - Melinda DeMaria, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
         - Brian K. Smith, The Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN
2005 – Garrett Klein (posthumously), Vanderbilt University,             Nashville, TN


President’s Award for Excellence - This award is designed to be flexible in the number of recipients chosen in a given year and the kinds of outstanding contributions being recognized.  Recipient(s) come either from the high school or college/university side.

2007 – Anthony Clay - Durham Academy (NC)
         – Ingrid Hayes - Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
2006 – Ed Graf, Isidore Newman School, New Orleans, LA
         – Pam Little, Fayetteville Academy, Fayetteville, NC
2005 – Paulette Pearson, Hoover City Schools, Hoover, AL

All SACAC members are invited to nominate candidates. The winners will be named at the general membership meeting during the annual conference. Current members of the SACAC Board are not eligible. Completed nomination forms should be sent to:

Phyllis Gill - Nominating & Awards Committee Chair
Director of College Guidance
Providence Day School
5800 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270
(704) 887-6020 phone, (704) 887-7029 fax
phyllis.gill@providenceday.org