Baldwin County School District Distinguished Alumni 2026: Superintendent Derick Austin
- EricJones
- 33 minutes ago
- 2 min read
From Baldwin Brave to Educational Leader
When Derick Austin graduated from Baldwin High School in 1992, he was already deeply invested in his school community.
“I was actually the senior class president,” he said. “Very involved in athletics, part of a lot of clubs, met a lot of great people and had a lot of great role models while I spent my time there.” Austin played football, baseball, and ran track, eventually earning a full athletic scholarship to Georgia Southern University.
“Football was kind of who I was and who I became,” he reflected. But while athletics opened doors, it was the people at Baldwin High who shaped his future.
The Power of Role Models
Austin grew up in a single-parent household and credits Baldwin coaches and mentors for helping shape the man and leader he would become. “There were a lot of people at Baldwin High School that saw good in me," Austin said, "and they saw a need to push me.” He speaks often about the “village concept”, family, coaches, teachers, and community members working together to support young people. “It was truly the village concept of raising me.” Today, that philosophy remains central to his work in education.
Lifting as I Climb
After graduating from Georgia Southern in 1996 with a degree in special education, Austin began teaching and coaching, including a return to Baldwin High School as a football and baseball coach and CTE instructor. “I had a soft spot in my heart of always wanting to help and assist kids that needed help,” he said.
His guiding principle? “Lifting as I climb," Austin says.
That mindset carried him through roles as assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and now Superintendent of Putnam County Schools, a position he has held for the past two years after more than a decade in district leadership.
Leading in Putnam County
Putnam County is unique, a community where visible wealth does not always reflect the reality of students’ lives. “Our kids are not living behind the gates,” Austin said, “our kids don’t live in million-dollar homes.” Because of that, he believes schools must stand in the gap. “Our mission is to provide those kids lifelong opportunities and put them in a position to have things and see things that they wouldn’t see if the school system didn’t support it.”
Rooted in Family
Family has always guided Austin’s decisions. He and his wife, Stephanie Austin, a fourth-grade teacher in Putnam County, have three children. Their daughter, Precious, is a Baldwin High graduate (Class of 2010) and Georgia Southern alumna. Their twin sons earned full scholarships and graduated from Georgia Tech.
Derick Austin’s story reflects the enduring impact of Baldwin High School, a place where mentorship matters, athletics builds discipline, and leadership begins early.
From senior class president to superintendent, his journey embodies the spirit of Baldwin County School District: strong roots, servant leadership, and a commitment to lifting others along the way.
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