February 2009 Issue

Nesbitt Recognized

Gainesville State College (GSC) President Martha T. Nesbitt was among six Georgia leaders who were presented with the Turknett Leadership Character Award at the sixth annual event in February. She is shown here accepting her award from W. Thomas Smith, founder and managing partner of Total Technology Ventures. The Leadership Character Awards – presented by Turknett Leadership Group, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, in partnership with Kennesaw State University’s Siegel Institute for Leadership, Ethics and Character – recognize individuals and companies demonstrating character in leadership: high levels of integrity; relating to employees, customers, suppliers, and others with respect; and maintaining a culture in which everyone takes responsibility for achieving results while upholding the organization’s core values.

President of GSC since 1997, Nesbitt has been the driving force behind growth and change at the institution. The college now has an enrollment that exceeds 8,200 students, two campuses (in Gainesville and Oconee) and offers a limited number of baccalaureate degrees. In addition, GSC recently became one of the first tobacco-free colleges in the nation with Nesbitt’s guidance. More than 44 individuals were nominated for this year’s Leadership Character awards.