Blackshear Elementary School (BES) Principal Mandy Williams is this year’s recipient of the Diamond Bear Award.
The Diamond Bear award is one of the highest honors recognized by the Pierce County school system. Each month, someone in the school system is recognized as the “Pursuit of Excellence” winner. At the end of the year, all the winners are voted on to determine who receives the prestigious Diamond Bear Award.
“I am incredibly honored to receive the Pierce County School District Diamond Bear Award, and so grateful to be part of a community that values education, hard work and heart,” says Williams. “Blackshear Elementary and Pierce County hold such a special place in my life, and I’m thankful every day to serve the students, staff and families here.”
In the words of Pierce Schools Superintendent Dara Bennett, Williams exemplifies true leadership. “She doesn’t just run a school. She builds a community where students, staff and families feel seen, supported and valued,” says Bennett. “She leads with heart. Whether it’s a kind word in the hallway or checking in on a struggling student or teacher, her care is personal and genuine.”
While Bennett credits the Diamond Bear winner’s high standards and work ethic, pointing out that Williams is often the first to arrive and the last to leave at BES, the superintendent also praises Williams’s humility and the positive school culture she has fostered.
“Her leadership makes the school feel like a safe, joyful place to learn and grow,” says Bennett. “She celebrates others. From recognizing student achievements to uplifting staff, she makes everyone feel important.”
Williams is grateful to the teachers of Pierce County that helped shape the person and educator she would become. “Just like I tell our students each morning,‘ I love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it!’— that love extends to this whole community,” says Williams. “Thank you for this beautiful recognition.”
Born and raised in Pierce County, Williams has deep roots in a family devoted to education and community service. She is the daughter of former Pierce County School Superintendent Joy B. Williams and Robert M. Williams, Jr. and Cheryl Williams, former publishers and owners of The Blackshear Times. And those roots have produced new branches of their own. Williams has two sons; Jaxson, a sophomore at PCHS, and Eli, a first grader at BES.
A 2002 graduate of Pierce County High School, Williams pursued her passion for early childhood education at the University of Georgia, earning a bachelor's degree in Child and Family Development with an emphasis in pre-K to second grade. Williams went on to earn her master’s degree in Deaf Education and a specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Valdosta State University.
Beginning her teaching career at Memorial Drive Elementary in Ware County, Williams served there for 13 years. In 2019, she returned to her hometown in the capacity of assistant principal at Blackshear Elementary School. In 2024, she proudly stepped into the role of principal, making this year’s Diamond Bear award an affirmation that she is right where she needs to be.
School Superintendent Dara Bennett and BES principal Mandy Williams (right).
