Annette Edwards is the new chair of the Henry County Board of Education. She and vice chair Sophe Pope were chosen by their colleagues to serve in those roles in 2023, after winning re-election to their board seats in November.

Edwards, now in her third term and with a number of additional years as an educator, is the first-ever black female to lead the board, which is the eighth largest in the state with more than 43,000 students. She now fills the chair role held by Holly Cobb the past two years.

The school board has twice in recent years received commendation by the Georgia School Boards Association – achieving recognition for having demonstrated exemplary status on established standards of effective governance and being named a two-time finalist for Governance Team of the Year. A five-year strategic plan was also adopted during Cobb’s tenure as chair.

Edwards stated that the focus of her chairmanship will be continued collaboration with fellow board members and transparency with stakeholders.

“I believe that we have one of the very best boards of education in the state. We wrestle with tough issues, but we do so while honoring the fundamental tenets of effective governance,” she said. “Most of all, we keep the needs and interests of our students first – and that is what drives me.”

“I just love Henry County, and I believe in this community,” said Pope. “What we have accomplished together over the past few years has been phenomenal and I look forward to supporting and advancing our work.”

Recent redistricting has slightly changed the areas that school board members will represent. Edwards is now the District 2 representative while Makenzie McDaniel will represent District 5. Geographic boundaries were changed for Cobb (District 3), Pope (District 2) and Pam Nutt (District 1).