Extraordinary Educators: Third Bobcat Named Georgia Teacher of the Year Since 2023

Story by Amanda Respess, Video by Chris Brown

T he John H. Lounsbury College of Education has produced three of Georgia's last five Teachers of the Year, as well as the current Georgia Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Marc Feuerbach ('10). Feuerbach is the superintendent of Cartersville City Schools.

At the end of May, the Georgia Department of Education announced the 2027 Georgia Teacher of the Year is alumna Charm Mapp ('03, '06, '10), an eighth-grade math teacher and lead teacher of the Gifted Program at Clifton Ridge Middle School in Jones County. The three-time alumna is currently pursuing her fourth degree from GCSU - a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction.

Alumna Holly Starmer Witcher ('01) was the 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Witcher returned to GCSU in May as the keynote speaker for the College of Education spring commencement ceremony. Witcher is an educator for White County Public Schools.

GCSU's recent run of Teachers of the Year began with alumnus Michael Kobito ('22), the 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Kobito is a music educator in Bartow County, Georgia.

"The accomplishments of our alumni Charm Mapp, Holly Witcher, Michael Kobito and Dr. Marc Feuerbach speak to the quality of the John H. Lounsbury College of Education," said Dr. Loleta Sartin, dean of the College of Education. "Their selections as Georgia Teacher of the Year and Georgia Superintendent of the Year are a testament to the rigor of our educator preparation programs and the lasting impact our alumni make in classrooms, schools and communities across our state."

Header Images: Mapp, Feuerbach, Witcher and Kobito in the classroom and accepting their respective awards. Photos: Anna Gay Leavitt, The Georgia Department of Education and Cartersville City Schools.