Dr. Kim Benton of William Carey University has received a 2018 Golden Lamp Award from the Mississippi Association of School Administrators (MASA) – presented to educators who demonstrate, over the course of their careers, the leadership and determination it takes to make a real difference in the lives of children.

Benton joined WCU this summer after retiring from Mississippi State Department of Education. She worked in public education in Mississippi for 37 years. Benton began as a teacher’s assistant and spent her career in the Meridian Public School District as a teacher, principal and executive director of special populations and federal programs before joining the Mississippi Department of Education in 2010.

In 2013, she was appointed to the appointed to the position of chief academic officer/chief deputy superintendent and served in that capacity until her retirement in June 2018.

Dr. Lisa Karmacharya, MASA executive director, spoke of Benton’s longtime commitment to children as she presented the Golden Lamp award during the organization’s recent Fall Leadership Conference.

“Purpose-driven, disciplined, and humble. Strong, confident, sincere. Diligent, self-assured, and poised.  There are a million other words one could use to describe her, but not one will come close to honoring and respecting the total person she is or her commitment and true love for education,” Karmacharya said.

“There are many women in my life who I admire and respect, who I wish I were more like, and one of those women is Dr. Kim Benton, who has truly exemplified what it means to lead from the heart.”

At William Carey, Benton serves on the faculty of the Educational Leadership Department of the School of Education.

“With her wealth of experience, Dr. Benton fits the practitioner model we use when hiring our staff. The School of Education faculty averages 27.2 years of K-12 experience,” said Dr. Ben Burnett, dean of the WCU School of Education.

“I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Benton extensively in her role as chief academic officer for MDE and we are proud to have someone not only with her experience, but also with her work ethic and character as we strive to continue to mold tomorrow’s teachers and leaders.”

Dr. Kim Benton and her husband, Dr. Gary Benton, retired chair of Mississippi State University-Meridian’s Department of Education, have five children and 12 grandchildren. They are active members of First Baptist Church Newton and live in Hickory.