Ogeechee Technical College’s Future Business Leaders of America Collegiate chapter was named one of the top five in the nation at the FBLA National Leadership Conference held last month in Orlando and OTC instructor and advisor Michael Twisdale was recognized as Georgia FBLA Collegiate’s Advisor of the Year.
More than 2,000 students and advisors from two and four-year institutions across the U.S. and Puerto Rico attend the conference each year. While the focus of the conference is competition, students and advisors attended more than 30 workshops, panels and sessions to help develop their careers, strengthen leadership skills or learn more about improving the success of their chapter.
The Outstanding Chapter Award ranks the top 10 chapters nationally based on their activity levels and documentation. Three of the top 10 are Georgia chapters – North Georgia Technical College placed ninth, Ogeechee Tech was fifth and Columbus Technical College fourth.
Ogeechee Tech earned its Outstanding Chapter honor by “demonstrating exceptional commitment to the organization's mission throughout the academic year,” according to the FBLA. “Fulfilling a comprehensive list of tasks throughout the year is required to be considered for the award.”
Twisdale, the Business Technology Instructor and FLBA Collegiate Faculty Advisor at OTC, accompanied students Rebecca Meredith and Brittany Meadows to the conference. Twisdale also represented Georgia in the” Parade of States” during the opening ceremony as the state's Advisor of the Year.
Adding to the chapter's success, Meredith placed third nationally in the Computer Concepts category, showcasing her exceptional skills in both computer applications and objective testing.
“Both Rebecca and Brittany competed in the State of the Chapter presentation and placed 11th overall in the nation,” Twisdale said. “Congratulations to the both of them for the hard work they put into both creating and delivering the presentation.”
Finally, Ogeechee Tech was one of three chapters in Georgia that was recognized with a Gold Seal Award, which is given to chapters that complete and submit documentation for a certain number of activities.
Fifty-seven students and 22 advisors from the Technical College System of Georgia traveled to Orlando to compete at the four-day FBLA conference.
"We are incredibly proud of our students and advisers for their outstanding performance at the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference,” said TCSG Commissioner, Greg Dozier. “Winning 18 trophies and securing multiple top-three finishes is a testament to the talent of our TCSG community. Our students continue to demonstrate excellence and leadership on the national stage, and we look forward to their continued success.”
At the event, students can compete in 35 events, ranging from accounting, technology, business, management and more. To secure their ticket to the NLC, Georgia students had to place in the top four in up to three events at the Georgia FBLA State Leadership Conference this past April.