Richard Woods: Candidate for State School Superintendent (R)

About Richard

Richard is the son of Jackie and Juanita Tucker Woods, both of whom are originally from Irwin County.  During his father's twenty year tour of service in the United States Navy, Richard was born in Pensacola, Florida in August of 1962 and has had the privilege of seeing vast parts of our country for many years.  In 1989, he met his future wife Lisha.  Lisha has been an educator for twenty-five years and is currently employed with the Tift County School System.  This educational team has been married since 1990 and are the proud parents of two little four-legged girls, Mittens and Snowball.

Richard graduated from Fitzgerald High School in 1980.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in secondary education social studies from Kennesaw State University and a Master's degree in educational leadership and supervision from Valdosta State University.  Since 1988, Richard has been a part of the Irwin County School System.  He taught in the classroom for fourteen years, coached various sports, and was awarded the honor of being the 1992 Irwin County High School Teacher of the Year by his peers.  During that time as well, Richard had the opportunity to make presentations around Georgia on social studies content, technology in the classroom, and peer mediation.  For the past seven years, he has served as assistant principal, principal, and now the K-5 curriculum director of Irwin County Elementary School.

Richard is presently a member of Northside Baptist Church in Tifton, Georgia.  As a member of Northside, Richard has continued his love for young people by serving in the Youth Department for over the past fourteen years.  He is an ordained deacon and currently holds the post of Youth Director and writes curriculum for various elementary age church groups.  Richard is also the Professional Association  of Georgia Educators (PAGE) representative at Irwin County Elementary School.

Contact

Richard Woods Speech, 2009 State GOP Convention

5/15/09 I thank you for the opportunity to stand before you today and speak on the subject of education.  Over the past 21 years, I have had the privilege of working for this great state and the community of Irwin County as a classroom teacher and administrator.  As our next state school superintendent, I will bring years of practicality, real life experience, and educational success to this post.  But more importantly, I come before you today because I asked myself the question, "Am I happy with the direction Education has taken in Georgia?"  I ask you as well, "Are you happy with the direction education has taken in Georgia?"... More