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James Herndon
James and his wife Mandi have lived in Decatur since 2008. They are the proud parents of two daughters in the City Schools of Decatur. James runs his own branch of Edward Jones in Decatur.
He is a lifetime educator - with 18 years of teaching experience. He was previously the Director of the Debate team at Emory University and a High School English teacher at Chattahoochee High School in Fulton County before that. He holds degrees from Mercer University and the University of Alabama. James previously served for three years on the Glennwood School Leadership Team where he was elected as chair. He was also an active participant in the System-wide Charter Leadership Team, the previous City of Decatur Boundary Committee, and an active member of the Talley Street and College Heights PTO groups. James is probably most excited about volunteering to coach, room parent, and be involved in his daughter’s lives.
District: Board of Education District 1
Term: Expires 2023
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Carmen Sulton
Carmen Sulton grew up in Decatur and was elected to serve on the Board of Education in 2021. She and her husband Okera Hanshaw have three daughters attending the City Schools of Decatur. She has served on the Decatur High PTA and organized its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She served as a parent volunteer at Winnona Park and as a Spirit wear volunteer for the Decatur Bulldog Boosters. She is an active member of the Beacon Hill Black Alliance, where she serves on the Education Committee. She is also a founding member and the current Chair of the City Schools of Decatur Black Parents Alliance (CSD BPA), Inc.
Carmen earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Emory University and her Medical Doctorate from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She works in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where she also serves as the Medical Director for Procedural Sedation at the Egleston Campus.
Outside of work, Carmen enjoys volunteering in the community and spending time with family and friends. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
District: Board of Education District 2
Term: Expires 2026
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Jana Johnson-Davis
Jana Johnson-Davis has lived in Decatur since 2013 and was elected to the Board of Education in 2019. Jana is a veteran educator with 14 years of classroom experience. As a culturally responsive teacher, she has engaged in activism and research around the issues of discipline disproportionality and equity in education. She is co-founder of the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights. Before retiring from the classroom in 2019, Jana taught for 8 years at Renfroe Middle School. She currently serves as the Internship Director for the Davis Bozeman Law Firm.
Jana received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Florida A&M University, a Masters of Arts in Urban Education from Goddard College, and an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Piedmont College. Jana and her husband, Attorney Mawuli M. Davis, are the proud parents of two sons, both of whom graduated from Decatur High School.
District: At-Large
Term: Expires 2026
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Tasha White
Tasha White has the heart to serve this community and to be a voice to the voiceless. She is a product of both private and public education and believes, unequivocally, in the value of public education. She has been a resident of Decatur since 2011 and is the mother to three fabulous children. Jordan Elizabeth is a Decatur High School graduate now attending Tuskegee University, Kenneth Jr. attends Renfroe and Nia Rose attends Winnona Park.
After graduating from Tuskegee University, Tasha worked as a social worker at the Lee County Mental Health Center in the Teen Pregnancy Program. While living in the metro Atlanta area, she also served as the Volunteer Coordinator and Operations Manager at Georgia Lions Lighthouse. Like so many others, the loss of her job during the recession led to her decision to spend more time with her children, and manage two businesses from home.
One of her strengths is the ability to truly listen. With a background in social work and small business management, she uses these strengths as she navigates her role as a city of Decatur School Board member.
District: Board of Education District 2
Term: Expires 2023
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Hans Utz
Hans Utz and his family have lived in Decatur since 2008 and was elected to serve on the Board of Education in 2021. He and his wife have four children, three of whom are attending the City Schools of Decatur. Hans is a veteran of the US Army and holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He has served on numerous boards related to innovation as well as the City Schools of Decatur’s Senior Homestead Exemption committee.
Prior to being elected to the Board of Education, Hans served as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the City of Atlanta. Hans is an entrepreneur and has invented a device to save lives and help nurses better manage patient care in the ICU.
District: Board of Education District 1
Term: Expires 2026
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Dr. Maggie Fehrman
Dr. Maggie Fehrman began her tenure as the Superintendent of City Schools of Decatur (CSD) in July 2021 after serving as CSD's Executive Director of Schools and Assistant Superintendent from 2018 - May 2021.
Her accomplishments as Assistant Superintendent includes providing strategic guidance to 10 principals and supporting them in building and sustaining strong schools, establishing the CSD Leadership Academy for future district leaders, overseeing the implementation of the District Improvement Plan to drive student achievement, and closing the education gap within the district, and leading CSD throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Fehrman earned her bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Secondary Education from Clarion University in 2000. She earned her Master of Education and Education Specialist degrees from Georgia State University in 2005 and 2007, focusing on educational leadership. In 2013, she went on to earn her doctorate in Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University with a focus on Research, Measurements, and Statistics.
Click here to go to Dr. Fehrman's page.
