Economics Professor Christine P. Ries has been elected to serve on the board of the Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA), Georgia's first-ever virtual public charter school and the largest public school in the state.  Dr. Ries has long been engaged in service to boards of both private and public K-12 schools and is currently involved in research on the impact of emerging digital teaching technologies on both K-12 and higher education reform.

Founded in 2007, GCA has grown to serve 13,000 full-time students in grades K-12 from 157 counties across Georgia. Authorized by the State Charter Schools Commission and fully accredited by AdvancEd, GCA has a proven track record of academic achievement with its students consistently demonstrating academic growth above national averages. With a faculty and staff of over 400state-certified and highly qualified teachers and staff, GCA has been a leader in providing an engaging and individualized tuition-free education to a diverse group of Georgia students.