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, as a parent volunteer at Winnona Park and as a spirit wear volunteer for the Decatur Bulldog Boosters. 

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 doctor for procedural sedation at the Egleston Campus. Outside of work, Carmen enjoys volunteering in the community and spending time with family and friends.

District: Board of Education District 2
Term: Expires 2029
Email: csulton@csdecatur.net

Hans Utz has lived in Decatur with his family since 2008 and was elected to serve on the Board of Education in 2021. He and his wife have four children, three of whom attend the City Schools of Decatur. Hans is a veteran of the US Army and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s 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 2029
Email: hutz@csdecatur.net

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. Previously, he was the director of the debate team at Emory University and an English teacher at Chattahoochee High School in Fulton County. 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 most excited about volunteering to coach, room parent, and be more involved in his daughters’ lives.

District: Board of Education District 1
Term: Expires 2027
Email: jherndon@csdecatur.net

Lorraine Irier is a senior attorney with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, where she has spent over 20 years advancing educational equity and student protection. A resident of Decatur since 2008, she is also a proud parent of two children enrolled in the City Schools of Decatur. Her involvement in the CSD school community includes active membership in various capacities including serving on the PTA, PTO, and School Leadership Team, and advocating for an inclusive curriculum and a sense of belonging among students.

She earned her bachelor's degree from Emory University and completed both her master's degree in sociocultural anthropology and her law degree at the University of Florida. Irier is honored to serve as the first Asian American member of the CSD Board of Education.
 

District: At-Large
Term: Expires 2029
Email: lorraine.irier@csdecatur.net

Gyimah Whitaker, Ed.D. began her tenure as superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur (CSD) on July 1, 2023. An engaging and experienced leader, Dr. Whitaker has more than two decades of leadership experience, including serving as deputy chief academic officer for Fulton County Schools, where she supervised the assistant superintendents of Student Support Services and Learning and Teaching and oversaw a budget of $48M in general funds, $61M in federal funds, and $47M in ESSR funds. Her previous leadership experience includes serving as an area superintendent and executive director. She also held progressive leadership roles in Atlanta Public Schools as an area superintendent and coordinator of Gifted and Talented Services.

Dr. Whitaker earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania. She also has a doctoral degree from Georgia State University in Educational Leadership and Administration.

Click here to go to Dr. Whitaker's page.