Aiken Tech Employees recognized as SCTEA Educators of the Year

Three Aiken Technical College employees were recognized as Educators of the Year at the 2026 South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) Conference. The recipients are among SCTEA’s Educators of the Year, an honor awarded to outstanding employees within the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) who have made significant contributions to advancing the System’s mission and demonstrated excellence in their roles at their respective colleges.

Each college within the SCTCS selects honorees in three categories: administrator, faculty, and staff. Aiken Tech’s award recipients are:

Faculty Educator of the Year - Angela Odom
Angela Odom serves as the director of the expanded duty dental assisting program. For nearly 30 years, Odom has been involved with Aiken Tech. A graduate of Aiken Tech, she has held previous roles as a dental assisting advisory committee member, a dental assisting adjunct lab instructor, a business development instructor, an electronic health records instructor, and a massage therapy clinic adjunct instructor. Odom was also awarded the 2024-2025 Faculty of the Year and the 2026 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Awards. “I am deeply honored to be recognized as Educator of the Year for ATC. It means so much to me that someone notices the work that I do around this campus. This recognition reminds me why I need to continue giving it my all on a daily basis because you never know who's watching you. I am truly thankful and humbled for this honor,” Odom said.

Administrator Educator of the Year- Dr. Steven Simmons
Dr. Steven Simmons currently serves as the dean of technical and continuing education. During his 20 years with Aiken Tech, he has held multiple roles, including director of sales and dean of training and business development. He was previously recognized as the Administrator of the Year in 2009 and received the A. Wade Martin Team Award for the nuclear apprenticeship program in 2023. Simmons said he is “humbled and honored” to receive this award. 

Staff Educator of the Year- Kate O'Hara-Goergen
Kate O'Hara-Goergen currently serves as an instructional support specialist at Aiken Tech. She has been employed with the college for 26 years. In previous years, she held roles in marketing and business development. She was recognized as Staff Member of the Year in 2003 and 2024 and as SCTEA Staff Educator of the Year in 2018-2019 and 2022-2023. “I feel so grateful to the people I work with at ATC,” O'Hara-Goergen said.