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During today’s Joint Civic Lunch and St. Patrick’s Awards Ceremony, Dublin City Schools’ Lead Learner, Dr. Frederick C. Williams, was named Man of the Year!  

The award was chosen by the 2024 St. Patrick’s Awards Committee and granted to the person they feel best exemplifies: 

• Active involvement in their occupation and profession. 
• An ongoing interest in the community exhibited through avenues other than their occupation or profession. 
• Service to the community through civic clubs, churches, schools, public office or individual effort. 

     A member of the Fighting Irish Family for more than 30 years, Dr. Williams began his career in 1993 as Susie Dasher Elementary’s health and physical education teacher and coach for the Dublin High School Football Team.  During his DCS tenure, Dr. Williams has served as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. 

     Under his leadership, the district has embraced its charter flexibility, carrying out several innovative practices such as the Irish Gifted Academy, the Big Green Reading Machine, Baby Irish, the Leaping Leprechaun Learning Academy and the Dublin City Schools College and Career Academy.  Because of his vision, leadership and ability to make tough decisions, Dublin City Schools was named Georgia’s Charter System of the Year in 2019 and received the Charter System Foundation’s prestigious Leadership Development Award in 2023.  The district’s graduation rate has also increased by an impressive 27.4 percentage points during his time as superintendent, with the Class of 2023 reaching an all-time high graduation rate of 97.7%.

     Above and beyond his continued commitment to Dublin City’s students, staff, and families, Dr. Williams is a: 

• Legislative Committee Member and serves on the Georgia State School Superintendent Board of Directors. 
• Georgia High School Association Executive Committee Member. 
• Georgia Department of Education Charter Advisory Committee Member.  
• Member of the Georgia Charter System Foundation’s Board of Directors. 
• Georgia School Board Association Superintendent Advisory Board Member. 
• Heart of Georgia RESA Board of Control GSSA Representative. 
• Heart of Georgia RESA Board of Control Legislative Committee Member. 

     A community-minded leader through and through, Dr. Williams is also: 

• Chairman of the Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority 
• A member of the Middle Georgia State University Board of Trustees 
• A member of Communities in School of Laurens-Twiggs County Board of Directors. 
• A member of the Dublin Rotary Club.
• A member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated Omicron Mu Chapter. 
• An ex-officio member of the Dublin Laurens County Chamber of Commerce.  

     He is also the pastor of Turkey Creek Missionary Baptist Church. 

     In addition to this impressive recognition, Dr. Williams was one of the four finalists for 2024 National Superintendent of the Year, named Georgia’s 2024 Superintendent of the Year, received the inaugural Georgia School Superintendents Association Marvin E. Lewis Sr. Trailblazer Award in 2023, the 2023 Cognia Excellence in Education Award, the Georgia School Superintendents Association President’s Award in April 2017 as well as the Dublin Laurens County Black History Festival’s 2016 Man of the Year Award and 2022 Pastoral Excellence Award.  He was also inducted into Clark Atlanta University’s Football Hall of Fame in August 2012 and named the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 1993, 1994, 1998, and 2001.  

     Dr. Williams earned a bachelor of science degree in Health and Physical Education from Clark Atlanta University, his master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Troy University, and a doctor of education in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.  He is also a recent graduate of the Griffin RESA Dyslexia Endorsement Program, where he was the lone superintendent exploring the critical components of language, literacy development, and neurobiological origins that assist in defining the needs of students with dyslexia.

     Above and beyond his many well-deserved accomplishments, Dr. Williams is known for living out his signature motto of “I love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”  A native of Plantation, Florida, he is married to Melissa, and they are the proud parents of three Dublin High School graduates, Whitley, Frederick II, and Gracelyn, and the proud grandparents of a future member of the Fighting Irish Family, Carter Grayson Williams.