Tuesday, March 21, 2023
ATLANTA—The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) is proud to present the 2023 GCSA Champion for Children Award to Otho Tucker, Chief Executive Officer of Lake Oconee Academy. Tucker received the honor at the 2023 Georgia Charter Schools Conference at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta on Wednesday, March 15.
Over the past fifteen years, he has led LOA from its founding year in 2007 with 11 kindergarten students to becoming a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School. LOA has been ranked as one of the Top 50 Public Elementary Schools in the nation and is consistently one of the highest performing schools in Georgia. In 2015, Lake Oconee News named Dr. Tucker the Greene County Person of the Year. He has also served as Board Chair for the Georgia Charter Schools Association and as a Board Member for the Greene County Chamber of Commerce.
“Otho Tucker is a true ‘Champion for Children.’ His work has resulted in a better public education to countless students in charter schools across the country,” said Tony Roberts, President and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “He has set a high bar of excellence in Georgia, always demanding excellence and high academic achievement. He has been a mentor and example for many in our field along the way. I am proud to have him as a friend and colleague.”
“Nobody ever does this alone,” said Tucker while accepting the Champion for Children Award. “You can do wonderful things if you’re humble, kind and love kids.”
Prior to coming to LOA, Tucker served as President and CEO of OTES services, his own school consulting company, which served schools across the nation. Before starting his own consulting company, He was a leader in North Carolina education programs. As a founder and operator of one of the first and most successful charter schools in North Carolina, he was active in that state’s authorizing and legislative practices. Tucker also served on the initial North Carolina Charter School Advisory Committee.
In 2001, Tucker was selected as the Director of the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools. He has also been active on the national scene. Tucker was the former chair of the National Charter School Institute Advisory Team and served on the National Association of Charter School Authorizers Board of Directors.
About Georgia Charter Schools Association
The Georgia Charter Schools Association is a nonprofit membership organization for Georgia’s public charter schools and petitioners. Our mission is to support, foster and advocate for the development of high-quality public charter schools and networks that improve opportunities for Georgia students. We believe every child in Georgia should have equal access to a quality and transformative public education.
