Teal Selected Finalist for 40 Under 40

Mitzi Teal, executive director of Communities in (CISDC) and 21st Century Grant Program Director for the Douglas County School System, has been selected as a finalist for The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 Awards.

This annual event is intended to recognize those individuals who have had significant career achievements and have had a substantial involvement in community service outside of day-to-day job performance. The awards ceremony will take place Thursday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Fox Theater in Atlanta. All finalists will also be profiled in a special section to be published by The Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 11.

Dr. Gordon Pritz, Douglas County School System superintendent, states, “Mitzi has a heart for kids and demonstrates this in all that she does. She is consistent in her approach and thorough in her production. There is no mistaking that she is a ‘servant leader’ and always is willing to do for others what they often cannot do for themselves. She is a tireless worker, frequently going above and beyond what is required. Mitzi leads by example. She is the heart and soul of our Communities in Schools program here in Douglas County.”  

“Mitzi represents the Douglas County School System and our area with honesty, integrity and character in her goal of making Douglas County a better place for our children” states Dana Jones Wynn, chair person of CISDC.

Neil Shorthouse, President of Communities in Schools of Georgia, writes in his nomination letter, “The work Ms. Teal has undertaken and the accomplishments realized place her at the center of one of Georgia’s most important and successful programs which aims at lower performing students. It is these very students that Ms. Teal has enabled to become successful learners and contributors to the family, school and community.”

“Mitzi is a true professional, performing her duties with the utmost efficiency and ability. She is an extremely bright and multi-talented person with a delightful and gentle sense of humor. She is an incredible young woman whose career has made a huge impact on our school system and the quality of life in our community” states Don Remillard, recently retired Douglas County School System Superintendent.

Teal has been recognized by the Georgia Department of Education as well as the U.S. Department of Education for her work with the 21st Century Learning Center Grants. She has been asked by the Georgia Department of Education to present, as well as train new grantees, on a number of occasions regarding program best practices and site management. Her leadership over the MATCH Mentoring Program has led to many state and national recognitions for mentoring best practices and number of active mentors. In addition to mentoring and after school programs, she worked to establish the Performance Learning Center (PLC) here in Douglas County. Through her leadership, the PLC program has graduated more than 250 students and been awarded several state and national awards.

Teal has received many awards and recognitions throughout her career including being named the Douglas County Elementary School Teacher of the Year in 2002 and most recently was named as a Top 10 Young Professional in Douglas County by the .

The purpose of Communities in Schools (CIS) is to enable all children to succeed in school and achieve in life. CIS focuses primarily on those students whose academic success and social well-being are threatened. CIS works with students in their early years and continues on through high school with an aim of enabling these very students to enroll in and succeed at a four-year college or technical school. Communities in Schools of Douglas County (CISDC) is a 501 (c)(3) organization which builds partnerships that bring needed community resources into schools to help students successfully learn. CISDC programs are tailored to the needs of the schools and the students. Services to students are provided at a variety of levels, including whole-school initiatives, intensive short-term services to students, and sustained services for those needing ongoing support.

The local CISDC board is chaired by Dana Jones Wynn.

Teal received her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Mercer University in 1997, her M.S. in Early Childhood Education from State University of West Georgia in 1998, Teacher Support Specialist and Educational Leadership Certification from State University of West Georgia in 2000 and 2004, respectively.  

The 40 Under 40 Awards are presented by The Atlanta Business Chronicle and sponsored by Bold American Events & Catering and Mercer University.