Women of Newton 2020

Honoring 20 of the most outstanding

Women of Newton

A special publication by

Fall 2020

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Table of Contents

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Letter from the Publisher | 5

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Index of Advertisers | 34

On the Cover

Honoring 20 of the most outstanding

Women of Newton

A special publication by

Fall 2020

4 | Women of Newton 2020

Pictured are the 20 ladies of Newton County that were nominated by readers of The Covington News to be featured in Women of Newton.

Learn who these women are and what makes them so special inside.

This is the first publication of Women of Newton magazine, published by The Covington News, of Newton Newspapers Inc. No portion of this issue may be copied, scanned or reproduced in any manner without prior written consent from the publisher.

Women of Newton magazine is available free to subscribers of The Covington News.

To subscribe, call 770-787-6397.

Letter from the Publisher and Editor

I

know what you’re thinking. There are way more than 20 outstanding women to be found in Newton County. In fact, there were a total of 31 women nominated by The Covington News’ readers to be featured in our inaugural magazine. But after our staff analyzed each nomination, it was determined the 20 women you’ll read about in this publication stood above the rest.

That said, the 11 remaining nominations will have their chance to be recognized in the future.

The plan is to feature 20 of Newton County’s most outstanding men next fall and then have another “Top 40 Under 40” magazine before our next “Women of Newton” magazine is published.

As for the ladies in this magazine — including doctors, teachers, attorneys, business leaders and more — you’ll discover each one is truly outstanding in their own way.

But what I found astonishing is not only their career accomplishments, but the servant’s heart each seem to possess. They not only want their own lives to be fruitful and flourish, but they have a passion for helping meet the needs of others.

On behalf of our staff, I hope readers enjoy learning about these 20 topflight women of Newton County and that you are left just as inspired as I am.

Taylor Beck Publisher and Editor The Covington News

Contact us Taylor Beck

Publisher and Editor tbeck@covnews.com

Cynthia Blackshear-Warren Advertising Director cbwarren@covnews.com

Tom Spigolon

News Editor tspigolon@covnews.com

Hannah Moody

Advertising representative hmoody@covnews.com

Mason Wittner

Sports Editor mwittner@covnews.com

Amanda Ellington

Congratulations First Lady Michelle Norrington Pastor Kenneth Norrington & Family

Circulation Director aellington@covnews.com

Lee Ann Avery

Legals Clerk lavery@covnews.com

Women of Newton 2020 | 5

Melanie Bell Covington

By TAYLOR BECK tbeck@covnews.com

Melanie Bell, of Covington, may be best known as the first female elected judge in Newton County.

Before she was elected probate judge in 2017, Bell first served as a law clerk for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit’s Chief Superior Court Judge John Ott in 2000. Three years later, Bell became an assistant district attorney in the Alcovy Judicial Circuit and was promoted to Chief Assistant District Attorney in 2013. As a prosecutor, Bell specialized in the prosecution of crimes against women and children and major felony cases.

Bell is also the Newton County’s chief magistrate.

She earned bachelor degrees in history and sociology from Duke University in 1997 and received her law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 2000.

The youngest daughter to a pastor and a medical technician, Bell said she set her sights on becoming a lawyer at 7 years old.

The Virginia native said she was inspired by former Pulaski County Commonwealth Attorney Everett Shockley. Bell said she took piano lessons from his wife while growing up.

“He was one of the first prosecutors in Virginia, and really one of the first in the country, to obtain

6 | Women of Newton 2020

a conviction for murder without a body,” Bell said.

“At the time he did that, that was almost unheard of. There was no sort of case law to support it.”

But the intrigue didn’t end there. Bell said watching him interact with his family was also something she hoped to mirror one day.

“He was just something that I wanted to be,” she said. “I just knew I wanted to be a lawyer watching him. He was just so well thought of in the community and was always giving back.”

Her decision to pursue a career in law wasn’t a surprise to Bell’s family.

“My family told me all along — they said I was either going to be a lawyer or a preacher because I like to talk so much,” she recalled.

The unexpected death of her father brought her to Georgia to be closer to family. Bell said he died one week before her bar exam. Her mother died later in the same year.

Shortly after graduating from law school, Bell said she held a job at a law firm in Augusta for a few

months as a civil litigator, but didn’t enjoy it. She wanted to work on the criminal side of the law.

As fate would have it, Bell said, the day she decided to quit working as a civil litigator, the clerk job for Ott opened in Covington — the city her brother was living in and the place Bell would call home for the next 20 years.

Bell’s leadership in the court system doesn’t end in Newton County. Currently, she is a member of the state Chief Justice’s COVID-19 Task Force, representing the probate

courts. Bell said the group meets weekly and works together to figure out how court can continue to be held despite the pandemic.

“We have to keep court going. Cases have to keep going … People’s freedom is at stake,” Bell said, citing divorce filings and adoption cases.

Bell contracted the novel coronavirus in the spring, so she takes her role on the task force seriously. She’s helped the court system come up with “intense” guidelines to follow for the foreseeable future to keep court staff, as well as the public, safe.

Outside of her career in law, Bell has become quite active with the Covington/ Newton County community in recent years.

She has been a member of Kiwanis Club for five years; she served as club president last year and is serving as immediate past-president for 20202021.

Through the club, Bell has helped lead the effort in funding local food banks and nonprofit organizations to feed local families. She’s also worked with groups such as Keep Covington Beautiful, Boys & Girls Club and the Salvation Army to support the community’s needs.

She said her favorite way to give back is through reading.

“The kids get so excited when they see you walk in,” Bell said. “I love books and love to help spark a passion for reading in kids, too.”

Bell is also active in her church, Eastridge Church of Covington, specifically taking annual mission trips.

The judge said each year a group from the church goes to Mexico and builds a home for a family in need. She called the trips a “life-changing” experience.

Congratulations to the inspiring women of Newton County!

- Judge Melanie Bell

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Jaquila Butler

By TOM SPIGOLON

Covington

tspigolon@covnews.com

Jaquila Butler believes in modeling the actions she hopes are followed by girls she mentors.

The 23-year-old Covington native is a graduate of Newton High School. She already has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public health from Georgia State University, and is now working to earn a master’s degree from Mercer University focusing on infectious diseases.

Butler also operates a nonprofit program called Kourageous Black Girls to mentor girls ages 15 to 21.

She said she absorbs all the costs of the program, in which she organizes and plans a range of activities.

The group has participated in college visits and collected personal items for needy girls worldwide.

Girls in the program come from Newton and Jasper counties — with some already college students at Georgia State University, she said.

“When I got to college, there was a lot I didn’t know,” she said.

Butler said she works to mentor the girls about such basic job preparation activities as writing a resume.

She said she recently hosted a resume workshop because she believed girls up to age 21 needed to know a basic skill some believe to be second nature.

8 | Women of Newton 2020

Her mentoring program also includes community service work and participants recently collected feminine hygiene products for girls in Dubai.

Though Dubai is known as a wealthy country, many less fortunate girls living in rural villages in the conservative nation do not have access to such basic

sanitary supplies or knowledge of women’s health in general, according to news reports.

Butler said she is working to follow the lead of her sorority at Georgia State, Alpha Kappa Alpha, which places an emphasis on community service.

In college, she said she volunteered at health-oriented events around Atlanta.

However, she said she wanted to return home to do community service work because she believed it would help more people directly.

“I wanted to help people around me, and the community is smaller,” Butler said.

She also has been able to adjust her work to safety concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Butler conducted her most recent resume workshop online and has done another event during a visit to an area park, she said.

She also is an active member of her sorority and worked to start her own Greek apparel online store, she said.

The store, called phirstklassappareal.com, offers apparel and products which are not readily available in Atlanta, she said.

For more information about Kourageous Black Girls, visit its Instagram page at @Kourageousblackgirls.

Cynthia Eagan

By MASON WITTNER

Covington

mwittner@covnews.com

Community matters to Cynthia Eagan.

When she first moved to Georgia in 1995, the University of Minnesota graduate became involved in real estate. She worked for John Whelan, Remax and Meridian Homes, garnering experience over decades of work. Earlier this year, she began her own business, East Metro Real Estate, where she is both owner and a real estate broker.

Printed on the back of each one of Eagan’s East Metro Real Estate business cards is the company’s motto: “Where Community Matters.” You don’t have to spend much time with her to understand those three words come straight from her heart.

Eagan established herself in Covington in 2000, and she immediately knew she wanted to weave herself into the fabric of Newton County.

“I saw what was happening in the community and I wanted to be a part of it, but I wanted to be a part of something good,” she said. “I didn’t want to do anything that wasn’t going to be reflective of our philosophy and our values of bringing people — all people — together.”

But where to start? In her mind, the answer to that was simple.

“The first place I went

was to the YMCA,” Eagan said, “because the YMCA is the heart of the community, I believe.”

Having previously served as vice president of sales and marketing for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Eagan was eager to get involved with the organization’s Newton County branch. She quickly entrenched herself in the Covington Family YMCA by joining the board, and she played an integral role in the agency’s success.

Each year since 2001, the Covington Y welcomes runners of all ages to take part in its annual Cheerios Challenge, a fundraising series of races that promote an active style of living and community

support. Alongside Ken Malcom and Louly HayKapp, Eagan served on the committee that brought the idea to life nearly two decades ago.

“The three of us sat down and said, ‘Let’s do a fun run that will be a community race for younger people.’ That’s how it all started,” she said.

Eagan is also an active board member for Newton Trails, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and maintaining multi-use trails, greenways and pathways in Newton County. She advocates for creating a “safer environment and community” through her volunteer work with the organization.

Among the other vol-

unteer work she’s done in the past, Eagan is the vice chair of Piedmont Newton Hospital Auxiliary, where she helped coordinate the annual gala for several years.

But her interest in building a strong community goes beyond what she does for a living. A wife and mother of two children, Eagan has also been driven by her family-oriented persona.

Ultimately, she strives to leave Newton County a better place than she found it nearly 20 years ago.

“I do the work I do because I love it,” Eagan said. “I find people interesting, I find the community fascinating and I want to help it grow.”

Women of Newton 2020 | 9

Shona Fincher

By TAYLOR BECK

Covington

tbeck@covnews.com

Born and raised in Covington, Shona Fincher is the manager of the Women’s Diagnostic Center at Piedmont Newton Hospital.

Before making her way to the hospital, the Newton County High School graduate attended school at the DeKalb Medical Center School of Radiologic Technology. Fincher worked in DeKalb County for about one year as a radiology technician before coming back to work at Newton Medical Center — now Piedmont Newton — in 1994.

Not long after her return home, an opportunity to cross-train in mammography was presented to Fincher, so she took it. Fincher’s mother-inlaw was diagnosed with breast cancer, so with her first-hand experience she knew what it was like for a family to go through the difficult journey. It didn’t take long for Fincher to realize she had found her “niche.” She later became the hospital’s primary mammographer.

Shortly after the hospital’s Women’s Diagnostic Center was opened in 1999, Fincher was named manager of the center.

But why was she nominated as one of Newton County’s most outstanding women? Co-worker Elisa Graham said it’s all about

10 | Women of Newton 2020

her love for the place she calls home.

“Working beside her for many years, I’ve personally seen the pride she takes in our community.

She promotes breast health and especially the Octo-

ber events in our county and for the hospital staff,” Graham said.

For her work at Piedmont Newton, Graham said Fincher goes “above and beyond” the call of duty.

“If a patient finds a problem and is scheduled to come in, she always makes sure they are seen as soon as possible. Countless women are grateful for her being instrumental in expediting their care,” she said. “This goes beyond just being a tremendous employee for the hospital.

She’s truly an advocate for all the women in our area, guiding them in the (right) direction or just being a listening ear when needed.”

When Fincher first heard Graham’s testament, she was overwhelmed and humbled. Fincher said she doesn’t work in the medical field for the paycheck, but because she has a passion for helping people.

“It’s more rewarding than a job. I feel honored that I can do this. I work with a wonderful group of ladies. We have very little turnover here, and everybody is on the same page — we’re not here for the paycheck or the job. We’re here for the patient.”

Outside of the hospital, Fincher enjoys being active within her church, Central Church in Covington, and is involved in the women’s and men’s ministries.

Fincher is married to Mike Fincher and has two children: Morgan, who also works at Piedmont Newton; and Drew, who is a senior at the University of Georgia.

Healthcare is self-care.

Schedule your mammogram today.

Booking is easy. Visit piedmont.org/mammo, schedule on the MyChart patient portal, or call 706.995.7074.

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Women of Newton 2020 | 11

Susan Fowler Newton County

By MASON WITTNER mwittner@covnews.com

It’s never too late to learn something new.

Having been an educator in Newton County since 1995, Susan Fowler hasn’t just learned the ropes of teaching; she’s practically memorized them. But this year she’s found herself in uncharted territory. Following stints at Flint Hill Elementary, West Newton Elementary and Ficquett Elementary, where she taught kindergarten through third grade, she’s now teaching a new

12 | Women of Newton 2020

grade level at yet another institute.

Fowler is currently in the midst of her first year instructing first grade at the Newton County Theme School. The gig came with a learning curve, but she’s welcomed the challenge.

Sometimes, she says, it’s exciting to feel like the new kid on the block again.

“It’s kind of fun to be in a new grade level and

learn new things. I don’t have all the answers, and that’s OK,” Fowler said with a smile. “It’s kind of nice to be in that position every once in a while.”

There’s one question Fowler has had the answer to from the time she was an adolescent. Asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she’d always reply, “A teacher.” No doubts ever seeped into her mind.

As a child, Fowler would line up her stuffed animals and provide them with instruction, working through

her fictional lesson plans.

She dreamed of one day having a classroom full of students to call her own.

She longed for the ability to mold young minds.

In her mind, she’s simply doing what she was called to do. It’s in her blood.

“I come from a long line of teachers, and that’s all I ever wanted to do. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Fowler said. “Teaching has been my life goal, so I feel like I have accomplished that.”

After completing her undergraduate studies at the

University of Georgia, she moved to Muncie, Indiana, to start graduate school at Ball State University.

It was there where she landed her first job in the education field, teaching for two years at a private school before moving back to Georgia following graduation.

Fowler’s first job in the Newton County School System was at Livingston Elementary on Hwy. 81.

She’s remained in the county ever since, and has no desire to leave. She doesn’t have any plans to step out of the classroom anytime soon, either.

At least not while the unbridled joy she receives from her job remains in tact.

“I think when you’re not as excited anymore, or you feel like it’s a burden, then that’s your sign that it’s time to move on,” Fowler said. “But as long as I’m excited to work, and as long as I’m excited to see the kids, then there’s no reason that I shouldn’t be teaching.”

What is it about teaching that brings her such excitement? Her reply slips out before the question is finished being asked.

“Seeing the kids grow,” Fowler answers without hesitation.

“Seeing the kids come to school not being able to read or not being a strong reader, and then seeing

them grow, that’s my favorite part,” she added.

“And they get so excited about learning. The smallest little things make them excited. That’s the joy I have.”

Working with the youth is Fowler’s favorite aspect of her profession. Naturally, when sought out for advice from young educators looking for tips about breaking into the field, she implores them to use children as their compass.

“I think the kids will guide you as far as what they need,” she said. “You can have the best-prepared lesson, but the kids are going to let you know what they need. You really have to listen to them.”

Another key to sustaining success? Never being afraid to learn a new lesson. Even when you’ve put in nearly 25 years worth of work, being willing to adapt to change and grow can take you a long way.

It can be difficult at times, sure. But for Fowler, the results are well worth the growing pains.

At the end of the day, she’s just trying to do what’s best for the children.

“With every job there are parts of it that are less fun than others. But if you just remember that you’re here for the kids, and you keep that as your focus, then you’re going to be just fine,” Fowler said.

Congratulations to all the Women of Newton Honorees!

— Linda D. Hays

Mrs. Linda D. Hays The Clerk of Courts It is my honor to serve the citizens of Newton County NEWTON COUNTY CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT 1132 USHER STREET, SUITE 338 COVINGTON 770-784-2035 • ALCOVY CIRCUIT.COM

Congratulations Women of Newton!

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Women of Newton 2020 | 13

Debbie Harper

By TAYLOR BECK

Covington

tbeck@covnews.com

Though she’s only been president of the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce for less than a year, Debbie Harper has been selling people on her hometown for more than 20 years.

After graduating from Newton County High School and earning bachelor’s degrees from Berry College and the University of Georgia, Harper briefly worked as an interior designer before becoming a real estate agent in Newton County.

Her interest in the housing industry was sparked after her father, Doug Doster, made the decision to flip the family farm into a housing development.

Harper’s father owned the Food Pride grocery store (formerly known as Red and White) where Scoops Ice Cream sets today. He also had a store just outside Porterdale, Harper said.

“But then my dad started building houses when Covington and Newton County began to boom,” she said.

“That kind of interested me.”

Though her dream was to be an interior designer, Harper said there wasn’t a market for it in Covington, so she jumped into the real estate business for the next 20 years until the chamber came calling.

“I was approached to come interview for the membership director position here. It was part-time at the time. Real estate was coming out of a slow down, the kids were getting older — I just thought it would be a different change of pace,” Harper said. “I still did real estate — I balanced both in the beginning.

“I like to say I started selling homes to families; now I sell Covington and Newton County to the world.”

Since joining the chamber, Harper

14 | Women of Newton 2020

has served as membership director, interim Main Street director and interim tourism director before becoming interim president in June 2019.

“I’ve held just about every position

here that you can hold, other than finance,” she said.

One year later, June 2020, Harper was named the chamber’s permanent president. Since her promotion, she’s

added a new membership director to the fold, which has helped her a lot, she said.

“That has really freed me up to do more strategic things and be more involved — more present — in other initiatives the chamber has,” Harper said.

Harper said there’s a lot to love about her position but helping the community and newcomers is at the top of the list.

“It’s something different every day.

But the biggest thing … it’s getting to help people. From the calls to come in concerning trash service to trying to find a real estate agent to move there. It’s really just helping people and making connections with people. I feel like that’s — no matter what our organization has been, we’ve always been good at that and we always will. So we just kind of connect the dots for people,

and we really did a lot of that during COVID-19. We became everyone’s chamber, as we said at that point.”

For life outside the chamber, Harper said she stays involved with her church, Stewart Community Church in Covington, and the lives of her three boys, Doster, Lucas and Sam. Doster is a junior at the University of Georgia; Lucas is a freshman at Georgia Tech and Sam is a sophomore at Eastside High School.

“Having three boys, (my interest has) always been whatever they were doing. Now I’m in a bit of transition because we’ve got two that have moved on,” Harper said. “It’s different, but it’s good … I’m still very involved with them. I’m trying to figure out how I can be involved with a fraternity as a mom. ‘Don’t y’all have like a parent council or something?’”

Harper said she loves taking a trip

to the beach. Her favorite spot is in South Carolina at Litchfiled Beach — the place her family have been visiting for years.

“But, now, I’ll go to any beach,” she clarified.

Harper said she loved Newton County and her home in Covington, calling it the “quintessential small town America.” In college, she would grab her roommates and make them watch “In the Heat of the Night” because it was filmed at the place she grew up.

“It’s been a great place to raise a family,” she said. “Whenever I go to schools and speak to students, I always tell them not to say they’re never coming back, because ‘you’ll eat those words.’

“It’s a vibrant downtown … It’s so picturesque and just the perfect small town USA.”

Congratulations Debbie!

You are an amazing leader and an inspirational woman.

- Your Chamber Staff, Andie, Amelia, and Susan.

Women of Newton 2020 | 15

Megan Hulgan

By MASON WITTNER

Covington

mwittner@covnews.com

Megan Hulgan is a tireless worker.

As director of food ministry at Covington First United Methodist Church, Hulgan oversees the entire program for the church’s food pantry. She’s in charge of all sourcing for the food. She recruits, trains and manages the volunteer base. She reaches out to community partners to keep relationships healthy.

The list of tasks included in her job description doesn’t seem to have a finite beginning and end.

“I guess I kind of do a little bit of everything,” Hulgan says with a smile.

Hulgan received her master’s degree in social work management from the University of Tennessee. After being a stay-at-home mom for several years while her two children were young, she saw a posting at Covington FUMC, where her kids had been enrolled in preschool.

At the time the opening was only part-time, but Hulgan was immediately drawn to it.

“I was already familiar with the church and the community, and the job just kind of fit my skillset and interests,” she explained. “We were right here, and it was so convenient that my daughter was at school here. It just worked out great.”

16 | Women of Newton 2020

Hulgan applied for and received the job, and quickly found herself entrenched in it.

She enjoys moving puzzle pieces around to find the right fit. She also has a passion for ministry and giving back to the community. There’s not a day that goes by where she isn’t grateful for what she’s able to do for a living.

“The community organizing, the development, that’s what I really love doing,” Hulgan said.

Of course, no job is

without its difficulties.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Covington FUMC food pantry is now serving roughly 30% more families than it did in 2019. This can be attributed to a combination of people losing jobs and reducing their income, and children staying home with schools closed for in-person learning.

Additionally, Hulgan and her staff relied heavily on senior citizens as volunteers but have been unable to do so in the wake of the

pandemic.

Fortunately, Hulgan explained, the issue has proven to be a blessing in disguise. The food pantry has doubled its hours, operating on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays now instead of just Monday and Wednesday.

They’ve also received an influx of new volunteers from in and around Newton County who’ve helped streamline the process.

“Almost all of my volunteers are new, and they’re fantastic and willing to serve and willing to go above and beyond,” Hulgan said. “While it’s been challenging, I’m very pleased to say that we’ve been able to keep our doors open. We’ve been able to serve that increased number of families that need food right now.”

Hulgan is a seven-year resident of Newton County. She raves about it being an ideal place to raise a family, to have a career, to make friends. But ultimately, she wants to do her part to make the community better than how she found it.

“When we moved here for my husband’s job seven years ago, we really wanted to not just live here, but really get involved in the community and give back,” Hulgan said. “I think that we try to do that, and we try to raise our kids to be involved in the community as well.”

Kelley Johnston

By TAYLOR BECK tbeck@covnews.com

Family means everything to Kelley Johnston, but she isn’t just talking about her blood relatives. She means the network of friends she’s developed since moving to Covington more than a decade ago and also the many people she’s come to know and love through her business, Bread and Butter Bakery.

As a mother of four, Johnston’s career didn’t take off until after her children were grown up and the nest was nearly emptied. Despite others’ questioning, Johnston said she wouldn’t trade anything for the time spent being a stay-at-home mom and raising her kids. “‘Til the day I die, I’ll say it was the best time of my life,” she confirmed.

But after everyone grew up, Johnston didn’t really know what to do next. After much contemplation, she and her husband, former Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston, partnered with a local couple, John and Angi Beszborn, to open the world-renowned Mystic Grill.

Not long after opening, Johnston said the team thought it would be a great idea to serve fresh baked bread and desserts at the restaurant.

Eventually, Johnston said they found a 600-square-foot building off the Covington Square for baking, and it didn’t take long before the community started to notice.

“We closed the doors, and it was only for Mystic, but eventually people would knock on doors and say, ‘Can we come in and get some?’ So all of a sudden I was like, ‘OK,’ and so I started selling a little bit, then started selling more,” she said.

That’s when she decided to sell her share of the Mystic Grill and open Bread and Butter Bakery, where

Covington

and I love you,’” Johnston said.

So when it came to designing a logo for the business, everything Johnston considered “normal” didn’t feel right — her mind kept going back to her signature elephant butt.

“I was like, ‘No, this is who we are,’” she said.

The elephant has since become her immediate family’s symbol. Every woman has an elephant necklace and an elephant tattoo on the back of their neck, she said.

Johnston said one of her favorite things about the business is being able to help mentor future future members of the workforce. She said taking care of her employees is like taking care of her own family. Once, she helped a single mother by giving her a job and then helped launch her Johnston has been serving the comcareer as an artist. munity from the Covington Square Johnston is also involved with since 2013.

Newton Reads. To show how pas“The main thing that’s been amaz- sionate she is for promoting chiling to me is the community,” Johndren’s literacy, Johnston set up a ston said. “Having people come here “take it and leave it” library in the to come to hang out and rest and bakery. chill, and we have great food, but As the bakery begins to can its it’s all for the community. I had one own cold brew, Johnston said the of my customers say they feel like bakery would donate a portion of this is ‘the back porch of Covington.’ the proceeds to a women’s advocacy And that’s exactly what I wanted.” group that helps victims of abuse.

The sense of family can’t really be During the COVID-19 pandemic, found in the name, and one might Johnston has been helping look after think it isn’t in the elephant logo her own community. The bakery either, but they’d be wrong. staff has delivered meals to several “When my kids were little, I’d families and individuals in need and write, ‘I love you – Mom,’ on every- provided food for local hospital staff thing. And when they got a little bit as well. older, they were like ‘Mom, that’s a “It all goes back to family,” she little embarrassing,’” she said. “The said. “I can’t stress how much family only thing I could draw was the elmeans to me. And I don’t just mean ephant butt — I think I learned how my unit, but I mean my Bread and to draw it when I was in school — so Butter family too. And I mean my I started putting that on there … just Covington community. It’s all about so they would know I love them. what you can do for one person, and “That was my way of saying, ‘I’m how that ripple effects everybody.” thinking about you, I’m here for you

Women of Newton 2020 | 17

Debra Lary

By TAYLOR BECK

Lithonia

tbeck@covnews.com

South Carolina native Debra Lary said education brought her to the state of Georgia, but a passion for teaching landed her in Newton County.

Now living in Lithonia, Lary is work-based learning coordinator and youth apprenticeship coordinator at Newton College and Career Academy. In both positions, she works tirelessly to ensure area students are able to score internships and are prepared for whatever career path they choose after high school.

Though she loves teaching and influencing students, Lary wasn’t always a teacher.

For about 10 years prior to arriving in Newton County, Lary said she worked for several software companies. She earned a degree in computer sciences from Spelman College.

“When I would go and participate in speaking engagements, I’d have people tell me, “You need to become a teacher. You’d be so good as a teacher,” Lary recalled.

So, she did just that.

After she earning her master’s degree in business education from the University of West Georgia, Lary went on to become a business teacher at Newton High School. She later earned a specialist degree

18 | Women of Newton 2020

in educational leadership.

Lary then moved on to her current position at the Newton College and Career Academy.

“I love it because I feel like I’ve come full circle,” she said. “I started in business, and now it’s like I’m trying to get kids in business ... It completes me, I guess you’d say.”

Lary said the biggest aspect of her job is teaching students employability skills, such as interview techniques, resume writing, good manners, small

ed the Future Business Leaders of America Advisor Award for the “third Largest FBLA Chapter in Georgia.”

She has also received the Georgia Work Ready Skills Gap Training Recognition Award.

She is a previous member of the Georgia Business Education Association Board, Legislative Advocacy and Public Relations chair.

In 2014 she was awarded the Georgia Association of Career & Technical Education Outstanding Teacher in Community Service Award.

Outside of the classroom, Lary serves Newton County through the local chamber of commerce as an ambassador. She’s been a part of the ambassador program for three years.

She is also a member of the Covington Area Employee Committee, which talk, ethics and even dining meets regularly to discuss etiquette. a plethora of topics in“I feel like what I do cluding time management, is very important,” Lary recruiting and networking. said. “It helps — or at least In Lithonia, she is a I’m trying to help — the member of Union Missionemployers here in Newton ary Baptist Church where County.” she is involved in the In her 20 years with church’s health and womNewton County Schools, en’s ministries. She said Lary has been part of sevthe church has held blood eral organizations within drives, educational lunthe system that impact cheons and clothing drives students. to help those in need.

From 2005 to 2007, she Lary is the wife of Jason was the yearbook editor at Lary. She has two sons: Newton High School.

Jason Jr. and James.

In 2008, she was award-

Jessica Lowery

By TOM SPIGOLON tspigolon@covnews.com

August marked a decade since Jessica Lowery made a life-changing decision to open a business catering to a few fans interested in Covington’s burgeoning film industry.

The former Newton County Schools parapro and mother of two began operating Hollywood of the South Tours out of her house.

In 2013, she opened a “brick and mortar” location on the Covington Square.

The business evolved into Mystic Falls Tours and On Location Museum and Gifts which employs three people and attracts visitors from around the world to Newton County.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” Lowery said.

Lowery worked as a parapro for special needs students at Fairview, East Newton and Indian Creek schools for more than nine years before her business became her full-time job, she said.

She developed the idea for the business after regularly traveling with her daughter around 2009 to watch The CW TV network’s “The Vampire Diaries” series being filmed in its first season.

The series, which was based on a book series of the same name, used Covington as a stand-in for its fictional Mystic Falls,

Covington

From left, actor Ian Somerhalder, who starred as Damon Salvatore in “The Vampire Diaries,” poses with Mystic Falls Tours owner Jessica Lowery.

Virginia, setting.

“We became friends with the cast,” Lowery said.

“None of them were big stars at the time.”

She then began a “Vampire Stalkers” blog on which she would post behind-the-scenes photos taken during shooting of the series.

Lowery picked up a following as cast members began sharing her online posts on their social media accounts.

The show ultimately became a hit, ran from 2009 to 2017, and spun off the series, “The Originals” and its spin-off, “Legends.”

Lowery’s Mystic Falls Tours began as informal

“field trips” to filming locations and became one of the first touring companies for film sites in Georgia, she said.

From there it “grew and grew” and now is booked up with tours through January, she said.

Along the way, she obtained props and clothing from the show from one of its production companies, Warner Brothers Television, and was able to showcase them in the museum part of her business.

Ultimately, she ran out of room to store all the paraphernalia she had from the show and began loaning it to the new city visitors center.

Her tours also go to locations well-known to fans of movies and TV shows shot in and around Covington, such as the Netflix show “Sweet Magnolias” and the “Diaries” spinoff “Legacies” which uses exterior shots of Covington.

She said she works with property owners at the various locations where she leads tours so she disturbs them as little as possible.

“Having people on your doorstep is a burden,” Lowery said.

However, when she was forced to stop the tours for two months due to safety concerns around COVID-19, she said the online version of her store kept the business afloat.

The tours formerly used a closed bus that seated about 45 at capacity. She now uses an open-air tram and limits tours to about 20 with enforced social distancing, Lowery said.

Lowery is a Newton County native who attended Newton High School.

She recalled being a film fan from a young age and watching the TV series “In the Heat of the Night” being filmed in Covington.

The series, which ran from 1988 to 1995, was loosely based on a movie of the same name. It starred Carroll O’Connor of “All in the Family” fame and used locations like the Covington Square and Sharp Middle School.

Women of Newton 2020 | 19

Cheveda McCamy

By TOM SPIGOLON

Covington

tspigolon@covnews.com

Cheveda McCamy says her work to help others in her community is part of a personal philosophy.

“I try to do things to help people,” she said. “I believe we weren’t put here just for ourselves.”

It also helps counter what McCamy has confronted on a daily basis in her job as chief assistant district attorney for Henry County, where she supervises more than 40 employees and deals with cases involving murder, child molestation, rape and more.

McCamy is a Newton County resident and Covington native. She said she was “definitely flattered” she was nominated as a Woman of Newton.

Her work with community programs both personally and professionally helps groups ranging in size from a few people locally to the entire state.

McCamy serves as co-chairperson of the Newton County Domestic Violence Task Force, a board member for the Newton County Boys & Girls Club, community service committee member for the Kiwanis Club of Covington, and is a member of the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce.

She was recently appointed by the governor to succeed the late Horace J.

20 | Women of Newton 2020

Johnson Jr. as a superior court judge on the Alcovy Judicial Circuit.

She also is a leader of the Couples Ministry for her church, Springfield Baptist Church.

A member of the Black Alumni Council of Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law, McCamy serves as secretary.

She serves as co-chairperson of the Community Service Committee of NewRock Legal Society, which is an association of minority attorneys dedicated to educating the public about the law.

McCamy helped establish the Beyond The Bar Scholarship Foundation which is a collaborative effort between NewRock and the bar associations in Newton, Walton and Rockdale counties to help

high school seniors pay for college.

Professionally, she is a member of the bar associations in Newton, Walton and Henry counties.

She also is a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and its Judicial Review Committee; the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers and the National District Attorneys Association.

With the Henry County District Attorney’s office, McCamy helped implement Power Moves, which is geared toward middle school students and addresses leadership development and conflict resolution.

It also encourages good decision-making and seeks to encourage the students to stay in school and not

enter the criminal justice system.

McCamy is a 1991 graduate of Social Circle High School, where she was class president.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctorate degree from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law. McCamy has practiced law in Georgia for more than 20 years as a prosecutor and a civil attorney.

In addition to Henry County, she has worked as an assistant district attorney for the Fulton and DeKalb District Attorney’s offices in the Crimes Against Women and Children, Major Case and Public Integrity units.

Prior to becoming a prosecutor, she worked as an associate attorney for the insurance defense firm Hall, Booth, Smith and Slover P.C. and the general practice firm of Lisa R. Roberts and Associates P.C. She also worked in her own private practice handling criminal law, family law, personal injury, estate planning and real estate; and taught torts and criminal law to paralegal students at Atlanta Metropolitan Technical College.

McCamy and husband, Marcellus McCamy, have been married for 20 years and have a daughter and son.

Molly McGehee

By TAYLOR BECK

Oxford

tbeck@covnews.com

Molly McGehee first moved to Oxford nearly seven years ago, taking a teaching position at Oxford College of Emory University. Since, she has fallen in love with the area and strived to be an active member of the community.

A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, McGehee was raised in an academic family. Her father was a professor and administrator for many years at Wofford College and spent time working in Tennessee and Alabama college systems as well.

McGehee attended Davidson, majoring in history and minoring in French.

During her college years, she developed a passion for Southern history and literature, which led to her work in Southern studies while pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Mississippi and doctorate degree at Emory University.

Since receiving her degrees, McGehee has continued her studies and taught about the South — primarily focused on race relations.

“Growing up, I witnessed a lot of things personally, in terms of divisions between black and white students, and just didn’t understand like how we got to this place … It didn’t make sense to me,” she said. “And as I got into

it, I began to understand systemic racism, the legacy of slavery and segregation, and the impact that’s had on our communities — on our social interactions — on civil rights, or the lack thereof, for African Americans and people of color. And I just wanted to better understand that and then make sure that I imparted that history and helped students make sense of that history so that in their present they could better understand what’s going on and make some change in the world.”

After teaching at Presbyterian College in South Carolina, McGehee and her husband, Daniel, were “recruited” to Oxford College of Emory University in 2014. She went on to become associate dean for faculty development, director of the Oxford

Center for Teaching and Scholarship and associate professor of English and American Studies. Daniel is a farmer and educator at the Oxford Organic Farm.

In her role as associate dean, McGehee led the college’s efforts to prepare faculty for remote learning this semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic by convening a series of professional development opportunities in which faculty could think together about best practices for teaching in a remote learning environment.

McGehee has also hosted an annual Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, which brings six films and their directors/producers to the campus throughout each academic year.

In her tenure at Oxford College, McGehee has

won several awards and recognitions, including the Reta Cobb Award in 2015; Fleming Faculty Service Award and Phi Eta Stigma Teaching Award in 20162017; and co-winner of the Gregory-Rackley Career Development grant with colleague Jill Adams to work on a collaborative research and teaching project in Japan. “(Adams) led students on a trip to Japan several years ago, and I got to go with her and we had such a great time, we thought we would collaborate,” McGehee said.

McGehee said the plan was to offer a travel course to Japan in the spring focused on memorialization in light of the 75th anniversary of when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Unfortunately, McGehee said, the two-week trip had to push to next year due to COVID-19.

McGehee is also mother to Benjamin, 10, who attends Newton County Theme School.

Part of her upbringing and education was tied to service to others, McGehee said. Though she largely does most of her service through teaching at the college, McGehee said she hopes to be more active as time goes on.

Currently, McGehee said she has found “great joy” in being part of the Covington YMCA board.

Women of Newton 2020 | 21

Dr. Lisa Miller

By MASON WITTNER

Covington

mwittner@covnews.com

Dr. Lisa Miller has dedicated her life to the provision of care for the citizens of Newton and Rockdale counties.

A longtime pediatrician in the area, Miller has tended to thousands of patients over the past two decades. She’s diagnosed illnesses. She’s prescribed antibiotics. She’s offered medical expertise.

In many ways, for towns like Covington and Conyers, she’s been a doctor a community can collectively turn to in times of need.

But what has helped Miller be universally recognized as an amazing woman of Newton County for over 20 years hasn’t simply been the work she’s done on the clock. It’s been her selfless desire to make herself available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Miller’s job title reads pediatrician. Beyond the confines of her career, however, she’s a caregiver in the purest sense of the word. When you speak to her, and to those whom know her well, it’s easy to see why.

After all, it’s only natural to take on a caregiver role when you treat everyone like an extended member of your family.

“It’s not just a job or a career. It’s like her life,” said Lynda Reagan, a

22 | Women of Newton 2020

friend of Miller. “The kids she treats and their families are her life, so that’s why she doesn’t have any bounds on what time of day or night she’s willing to be there for her patients.”

A graduate of the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston Salem, North Carolina, Miller returned to Rockdale Coutny — where she attened high school — and worked in Conyers for seven years before opening her own practice in Newton County in 2001.

Miller’s resume is quite extensive. She served as

in Covington, and it’s such an incredble blessing to be a part of that,” Miller said.

“When you’re the local pediatrician, a lot of people look to you. That’s been a blessing for me.”

This July, Miller was diagnosed with breast cancer. Consequently, she’s found herself forced to spend time away from a job for the first time since she was 12 years old.

But through the start of her battle, she’s found herself overwhelmed with the ammount of support she’s received from current and former patients and their families.

Miller has made a name for herself as a community caretaker. Now, it’s the community’s turn to repay the favor.

“You spend your life serving other people, you the chairman of pediatdon’t ever really expect rics for Newton Medical anything in return. But Center for several years. when something happens, She played a pivotal role in and they just literally the inception of the Child shower you with blessings, Advocacy Center for the you just realize what a Newton-Walton Judicial gift that is,” Miller said.

Circuit. She was a member “When you make choices of countless boards in the in your life, make choices community. to give. Not because you Unsurprisingly, none of want anything in return, Miller’s numerous accobut one day you will be lades are what have been amazed how it will come most memorable about her back to you tenfold. career up to this point.

“It’s just so humbling to Instead, it’s been innube in that position where merable lives she’s been the people I’ve taken care able to have a positive of for so many years are impact on. now taking care of me. It’s “We’ve got such an just really neat.” incredible community here

Michelle Norrington

By TOM SPIGOLON

Covington

tspigolon@covnews.com

To say Michelle Norrington believes in staying busy would be an understatement.

Norrington, who is one of The Covington News’s Women of Newton, is a Chicago native who is married to the Rev. Kenneth Norrington of Union Grove and Gaither’s Chapel United Methodist churches.

In addition to being the pastor’s wife, Norrington is a production scheduler for SKC Inc., which produces chemicals and other products in Covington.

She also began working as a travel agent in recent years because of her love of traveling, and is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Building Strong Futures Inc. The nonprofit “endeavors to keep our youth interested in higher education, while simultaneously empowering them for the future.”

Its main focus is hosting overnight tours to a variety of cities for area high school students who may be interested in attending a university, technical college, post-graduation

training or the military, Norrington said.

“She is a believer who finds her identity in Christ and serves him according to the gifts and calling he places on her,” stated her nomination.

Norrington established the nonprofit in 2005 after taking some female students along with her daughter on a college trip.

It grew into an annual week-long trip for up to 36 students of both sexes, chaperoned by the nonprofit’s board members.

The most recent tour went to Nashville, Tennessee. Past destinations have included Washington, D.C., and Virginia where students toured the campuses of Georgetown and

Howard universities and the College of William and Mary.

“Anybody that wants to participate can do so,” she said. “We just want them to know there’s something out there.”

Norrington’s nonprofit also hosts students on trips to college fairs as well as to hear presentations by teachers, funeral directors and tattoo artists, she said.

Building Strong Futures’ main fundraiser is an annual gala at which it gives out an award for community service. Past honorees have included attorney Stephanie Lindsey and Marquis Gilstrap, a former college basketball star who coaches AAU basketball in the area.

She said she takes the time to organize the events because of her “affinity for young people.”

“They’re the ones who are going to be the leaders in the future,” Norrington said.

Past participants have included a valedictorian who went on to an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Others have gone on to become business owners or in jobs with high-profile employers like the online music platform Spotify, Norrington said.

She said she has hosted the tours long enough that she sometimes will see past participants who thank her for the exposure it gave them to possible future endeavors.

They also typically tell her such exposure to greater possibilities “helped us mature,” she said.

“It warms my heart that it’s stuck with them,” Norrington said.

Her side job as a travel agent grew from her experience organizing trips for her nonprofit, as well as those she put together for church youth, she said.

“I like making somebody’s dreams come true,” Norrington said.

Norrington has been employed with SKC Inc. for 19 years in customer service and has been production scheduler since 2014.

She and her husband have been married for 27 years and have four children and six grandchildren.

Norrington said she is very proud of her son, who is autistic but was able to earn a master’s degree in business analytics.

Women of Newton 2020 | 23

Candy Passmore Covington

By MASON WITTNER mwittner@covnews.com

Candy Passmore is always on the go.

She’ll often begin her day by working on furniture. She might follow that up by cleaning around her own house, or maybe she’ll journey off to someone else’s home to work on their kitchen. At some point she’ll swing by her two kids’ schools and pick them up before heading home and cooking for her family.

24 | Women of Newton 2020

Passmore’s days and nights are overflowing with activity. But that’s just fine by her.

She’s used to it by now.

“You can ask anybody — my family, my friends, anyone who knows me — and they will tell you I am go, go, go. I almost never sit down,” Passmore said. “But when I do sit down, I pretty much fall asleep. I’m done.”

So, what is it that keeps her so busy?

A lifelong Newton County resident, Passmore is the owner and operator of Country Peach Boutique. When

she founded her business nine years ago, her central focus was crafts. One year later, she began moving and refinishing furniture in addition to her craftwork. Two years after that, Country Peach expanded once more as she began remodeling kitchen cabinets on top of everything else.

She’s been a one-stop-shop for Newton County’s inhome designs ever since.

“There’s been a lot of other people in the community who have done work with furniture or kitchen cabinets, and they’ve kind of just faded out into the background.

But I’m still here,” Passmore said. “I could work 24/7 and still not be caught up on all the work I have.”

Passmore attributes her sustained success to the personal devotion she has to each of her clients. She says she dedicates the same amount of care and craftsmanship to each project she takes on.

“I take my time. I have a lot of pride in what I do,” Passmore said. “I do everything like it was mine.”

Most months, the orders come in quicker than Passmore can fulfill them. By early October of this year she found herself booked through the end of November.

There’s always more work than can be done.

But Passmore’s life doesn’t revolve solely around her career. She’s a mom above everything else, and she takes great pride in that.

“My customers, they know I’m a mom first. It doesn’t matter if the world is ending; I’m going to be a mom first,” Passmore said. “Your kitchen table is just going to have to take a back burner if my kid is sick. That’s just kind of how I’ve always run my business, and my customers understand and respect that.”

Even still, there’s more than meets the eye with Passmore.

Stay-at-home? Check. Local business owner? Check.

National champion arm wrestler? Yep. Candy’s husband, Paul Passmore, has arm wrestled for much of his adult life. Seven years ago, at an arm wrestling event for charity, Paul coaxed Candy into joining the tournament. Reluctant at first, she finally caved, figuring there would be no harm in trying. A few hours later, Candy Passmore had defeated all 11 that entered and won the tournament.

A passion was born.

Passmore has since competed in and won several state, regional and national championship tournaments for arm wrestling. She and her husband host practices throughout the year, where families show up for evenings of workouts, food and fellowship.

Even the Passmores’ 4-year-old son, Henry, loves to get in on the acton.

“He’ll get on one of the arm wrestling tables we have downstairs, and he’s like, ‘Who wants to pull me? Who wants to pull me?’” Passmore explains with a chuckle.

“It’s a family event. It’s something that we can all do together where we have our separate little things but we’re

still together as a family.”

Passmore is always on the go — as a mother, as a business owner, as a champion arm wrestler. And she doesn’t have plans to stop anytime soon.

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Congratulations to all the Women of Newton Honorees

DID YOU KNOW? A portion of every subscription to The Covington News goes to the Covington-Newton County United Way.

SUBSCRIBE AT WWW.COVNEWS.COM Women of Newton 2020 | 25

Becky Ramsey

By TOM SPIGOLON

Covington

tspigolon@covnews.com

Becky Ramsey has added much to Newton County’s arts scene in the decades since she moved to Covington after marrying one of the city’s most prominent businessmen.

Ramsey, widow of longtime furniture retailer and former mayor Sam Ramsey, helped her husband plan the annual Salem Campmeeting and its services for half a century before his death Aug. 25.

However, during their half-century of marriage, Mrs. Ramsey also achieved prominence on her own as one of Newton County’s best-known musicians and musical directors.

She has played the organ as part of church services for five decades at Covington First United Methodist Church.

The Atlanta native got the opportunity to put her music degree from Agnes Scott College to use at the church in 1970 and has been providing the organ music for services ever since.

“It has been a labor of love,” Mrs. Ramsey said.

With Alice Walker, she directed and accompanied the Singing Ambassadors Choir, which is an inter-racial and interdenominational choir of seniors who present musical programs in the community for retirement homes, health fairs, churches and community groups around the Atlanta area, she said.

“I enjoy going out into the community and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ,” she said.

Nationally, Mrs. Ramsey has performed at such venues as the Balboa Park Spreckels Pavilion in San Diego, and the First Congregational Church and Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church, both in Los Angeles.

26 | Women of Newton 2020

In Georgia, she has performed for the Georgia Municipal Association, the Music Clubs of Middle Georgia, the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, in the Georgia Dome, and for Main Street Covington, the Rockdale Concert Association, and the Arts Association of Newton County.

She served as organist for Emory Oxford College from 1971 to 2015; and has been an accompanist for Newton County and Rockdale County schools and the Oxford Chamber Singers.

Mrs. Ramsey was an executive board member of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, 2016 to 2019, and helped plan the guild’s National Convention, which was held virtually this year, she said.

She has received Colleague and Associate certifications from the American Guild of Organists.

Mrs. Ramsey served as director of the Singing Saints Choir and accompanist for the Children’s and Chancel choirs at the Covington First UMC. At the church, she led the Youth Sunday School Class with her husband in the 1980s, and the Sixth Grade Sunday School class from 1996 to 2001.

She has taught the church’s Christian Fellowship Class since 2016.

Mrs. Ramsey has served as a member of the church’s Administrative Board and its Council on Ministries, Commitment, Caring and Conversation Team, and was an organizing member of Helping Hands Circle.

Her numerous memberships include the Gideons International Auxiliary, the Mental Health Association of Newton County, Friends of the Porter Memorial Library, the Covington Service Guild, the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century, Covington Garden Club, Covington Book Club, and Newton County Historical Society.

Safety concerns around COVID-19 prompted Mrs. Ramsey and other organizers to make this year’s edition of the 192-year-old Salem Campmeeting the first one without a live audience since the Civil War. However, they still had an online audience of more than 1,000 per day, she said.

Organizers are hoping to have yurts available next year on its 70acre site in western Newton County — in addition to RV hookups offered in past years.

A yurt is a circular tent with an outer shell stretched over a collapsible frame.

Lynda Reagan Covington Newton County

By MASON WITTNER mwittner@covnews.com

Three days a week, Lynda Reagan works for the Newton County School System as a physical therapist. Two days a week, she works for the physical therapy business she owns and operates herself.

Seven days a week, regardless of her work schedule, Reagan makes a conscious effort to help others in need.

After enrolling in NCSS in elementary school, Reagan remained in the school system through her time at Newton High School. Her fam-

ily then moved to North Carolina, prompting her to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in order to remain in state. It was at UNC where, thanks to the encouragement she received from her mother, Reagan’s interest in physical therapy initially piqued.

“I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field but I didn’t know what, and it was my mother who first suggested that I become a physical therapist. Originally I told her, ‘I don’t want to do that! I don’t want to just move people’s arms and legs around all day,’” Reagan recalled.

“But I investigated it. I did some of those tests where you see where your interests lie, and realized that it would be really interesting.”

She subsequently applied for and was accepted to physical therapy school at UNC. Following graduation, Reagan followed her high school sweetheart, Mark, back to Georgia and the two wed. She began working for Grady Hospital in Atlanta, then transferred to Children’s Health Care of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. Shortly after making a move from Decatur to Newton County, she became an employee of

Women of Newton 2020 | 27

NCSS as well.

“I think it’s kind of cool because I’ve come full circle now and actually work for the school system I grew up in,” Regan said.

Reagan is one of two physical therapists in NCSS who travel school to school, working with special needs kids whose physical disabilities interfere with their education.

Additionally, she works with patients through her privately-owned practice, Step In Time Therapy, LLC, at her office in Oxford. At both jobs, she works with clients anywhere from just a few months old to 21 years of age.

Reagan takes great pride in what she does for a living. But while the work she does on the clock is important, her investment in her patients extends beyond the confines of

28 | Women of Newton 2020

a typical career. She believes she’d been afforded a platform to make a positive impact on lives, and she goes above and beyond to ensure she fulfills that.

“I feel like what I do is more important than just a job,” Reagan said.

“I want to actually get involved in their lives and see where they need help, and just try to offer help.”

Among the multitude of ways Reagan offers help is by organizing a “Parents Night Out.” A few times each year, Reagan, her two daughters and a group of volunteers host all of Reagan’s patients and their siblings for an entire evening. This allows the parents of the patients to slip away for a night and enjoy themselves while their kids are occupied.

Reagan also helps put on an annual talent show at the Social Circle The-

ater where her current and former patients — as well as anyone else in the area who chooses to participate — showcase their skills in a special event.

“I like doing things like that because I feel like a lot of times parents and grandparents, they get to watch their other kids play baseball and things like that. But the kids with special needs, often they don’t have performances where people can come and watch them,” Reagan said.

“So, at the talent show, they all get judged and they all get a trophy.”

Reagan’s other ties in the community include her spot on the Newton County Special Olympics Committee and her membership on the Miracle League board.

Nancy Schulz

By TOM SPIGOLON

Oxford

tspigolon@covnews.com

Nancy Schulz recalls beginning her work for positive change in Newton County in the early 1990s when she saw the condition of her child’s school playground.

“Kids were getting hurt all the time,” she recalled.

The longtime public health nurse helped organize a group of parents at Fairview Elementary School who helped create an outdoor learning center in 1996 that included a new play surface designed to reduce the incidence of injuries.

Schulz said it was an “incredible honor” to be nominated for Women of Newton.

The person who nominated her said her list of accomplishments was lengthy.

Schulz will leave the Newton County Board of Commissioners in January after 12 years of service.

She and husband, Dick Schulz, own and operate The Oaks Golf Course in Porterdale, and worked as a public health nurse for 22 years.

Schulz helped found the Newton County Boys & Girls Club; served on the board of the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce; chaired the Covington Family YMCA and won YMCA Volunteer of the Year in 1999.

She said in 2008 she had not seriously considered entering the crowded field of candidates for an open District 3 seat on the Newton County Board of Commissioners until she heard what she believed was a voice of encouragement in church one Sunday.

“It was a powerful call that, ‘You need to do this,’” Schulz said.

District 3 was larger in area in 2008 than at present and encompassed much of western Newton County.

The pre-Great Recession boom in residential development in metro Atlanta

had been “unbridled” in the area and much of what was being built was not of very high quality, she said.

She said she won election to the District 3 seat using with a mixture of door-to-door campaigning and community meetings.

Schulz then focused on an effort that resulted in parts of the area being placed in the Almon/Crowell Road overlay district.

New residential construction in the area now must follow stricter design guidelines than before, she said.

Since then, she served on the Solid Waste Man-

agement Authority from its creation until being replaced by Commissioner Stan Edwards in September. She said the authority has helped the county landfill reverse losses of up to $2 million annually.

Schulz also was part of the group that helped change the county’s form of government in 2018 to one in which an appointed county manager is the chief administrative officer rather than an elected chairman.

“A lot of what I’ve done is to build strong bones for the county to build on,” she said.

She said she is also glad SPLOST funding will be used to build a westside youth facility in District 3— which is a long, narrow strip of northwest Newton County bordering Rockdale County.

In addition, engineering is nearing completion and land acquisition has begun for a long-sought widening of Salem Road.

“I feel really good that I was a good, government public servant,” she said.

However, Alana Sanders will replace her in the District 3 seat on the commission on Jan. 1.

Schulz earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. She and her husband have two children and one grandchild.

Women of Newton 2020 | 29

Sherica Tate

By MASON WITTNER

Covington

mwittner@covnews.com

Sherica Tate is an introverted adventurer.

She’s leaped out of an airplane on a sky dive.

She’s zoomed through rows of trees on a zip line.

She’s navigated her way through choppy white waters in a raft.

But until she spends enough time around someone — until she’s developed a comfort level that allows her to fully open up — she’s not inclined to talk a person’s ear off with tales of her escapades.

“I’m the biggest introvert,” Tate says with a smile. “Once you get to know me, though, I can be talkative. Once you get to know me, it’s like, ‘Oh, she’s cool!’”

So what do people need to know in order to understand Tate a little bit better?

For starters, she’s a customer service representative for the Covington Police Department, where she’s worked for the last 13 years. A graduate of Newton High School, she spent three years working in law enforcement in DeKalb County before returning to her roots and catching on with the CPD. Newton County means everything to her.

“I love Covington. I’ve been here my whole life and I have no desire to leave,” Tate said. “Growing up here, I’ve seen

30 | Women of Newton 2020

the changes, seen how it continues to change. I like how we still have the hometown feel, but yet we’re still growing to be able to do stuff here.”

Tate is also extensively involved in the CPD Explorer Program. The program exists to educate kids between the ages of 14 and 21 about the ins and outs of the police department and prepare them for a future in law enforcement.

As a mentor in the Explorer Program, Tate has impacted lives and offered guidance to dozens of kids over the past decade. What

makes working with the youth all worth it, she says, is “just seeing them grow.”

“A lot of them become family,” Tate said. “I don’t have any kids of my own, and I tell people it’s like I have 14 children every year because of the program.”

Tate’s volunteer work doesn’t stop there, though.

She’s also a volunteer for a non-profit organization called Live Life Half Priced. Through the organization, Tate gives back to the community by way of feeding the homeless, organizing back-to-school

drives, collecting gifts for Toys for Tots, and much more.

Perhaps the greatest thrill of her life is the one she seeks from giving back to the citizens of the community who helped raise her.

She can be soft-spoken and reserved, sure, but that hasn’t stopped her from branching out and touching lives.

So, who is Sherica Tate?

The answer doesn’t necessarily have to be complex.

“I’m Sherica,” Tate said with a laugh. “I just have a big heart and I like to give.”

Kim Walden

By TOM SPIGOLON

Covington

tspigolon@covnews.com

Educator Kimberly Walden believes she had a special bond with the children she taught even before she started having children of her own.

Walden is a teacher at South Salem Elementary School in the special education department.

“They were my kids before I had kids,” she said.

“They’ve just become part of us.”

Some of her students even sang at her wedding in 2015, she said.

Walden, a Covington native, taught special education for a decade before she got married and began having children of her own.

However, she also has continued the community work with special needs children that she began in her teens as a student at Newton High School.

In addition to her teaching job and taking care of her own family, Walden works with the Miracle League and Special Olympics sports programs.

Special Olympics is a program that provides year-round sports training and competition in a

variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, according to information from Special Olympics Georgia.

Miracle League, meanwhile, offers children with disabilities the chance to play baseball regardless of their abilities. It often is

played on a special playing surface that makes it easier for wheelchair-bound players.

Walden also is an active member of Solid Rock Baptist Church, she said.

The Covington native attended Emory Oxford College before transferring to Emory’s main campus

in Atlanta and earning her undergraduate degree.

“I went to school to be a social worker,” she recalled.

Walden eventually earned her teacher certification from the University of Georgia, and recently earned a master’s degree from Walden University.

Her career has included recognition as a finalist for the Newton County School System’s Teacher of the Year award in 2013.

The judges told her they liked the “homeiness” of her classroom, Walden said.

“I don’t treat kids like they’re self-contained (classroom) kids. I treat them like they’re regular kids,” she said, in reference to how judges viewed her teaching style.

Walden admitted it had been a ”challenge” adapting to teaching both virtually and in-person this school year, in part because of technology issues.

However, she said her 15 students have generally adapted to it and are “getting in a groove.”

She and her husband have three children ranging in ages from 1 to 4. Her oldest, Kayden, is autistic.

Women of Newton 2020 | 31

Oxford College of Emory University congratulates

DR. MOLLY MCGEHEE - Covington News Women of Newton County -

Newton County Board of Commissioners Congratulates Commissioner Nancy Schulz and all the Women of Newton for their Outstanding Contributions to our Community 32 | Women of Newton 2020

Congratulations Judge Melanie Bell and Cheveda McCamy and all other wonderful Women of Newton County!

covingtonkiwanisclub@gmail.com •www.covingtonkiwanis.org Kiwanis-Club-of-Covington-Georgia

Congratulations Megan Hulgan and all of the Women of Newton!

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34 | Women of Newton 2020

Congratulations Sherica!

We are all proud of you!

From the Officers and Staff of the Covington Police Department Women of Newton 2020 | 35

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