Citizens of the Year

Bertha Nelson, the Principal of Acworth Elementary School, has been passionate about serving students and families in the City of Acworth for nearly a decade. Dedicated to student success and business and community partnerships, Nelson works tirelessly to ensure all Acworth students have the opportunity to succeed. She works closely with the Acworth Elementary math team and advanced content classes to promote critical and creative thinking, advanced research skills, and accelerated academics.

A member of the Acworth Business Association, Cobb County Principal Advisory Committee, and a Cobb County School District Collaborative Team Leader, Nelson has created a school environment that is focused on student success and supported by strong parent and community relationships. She works closely with local businesses, churches, and members of the community to provide opportunities and experiences for Acworth students that foster positive relationships that benefit the school and the surrounding community. Organizations she has volunteered with include MUST Ministries, Piedmont Church, and Acworth Elementary School Food Pantry.

Nelson’s vision for Acworth Elementary is to continue the tradition of excellence in the community. Under Nelson’s leadership, the school was named 2023 Title I Reward School, became STEM and Learning Commons certified, increased attendance by 97 percent from 2019 to 2023, and increased students scoring at the proficient and distinguished levels on the Georgia Milestones Assessment in Math and ELA. She understands the importance of prioritizing education and works every day to ensure Acworth continues to be a great place to live, work and play.

Delores Powell is the Founder & Executive Director of Cool Kids Committee. The mission of the Cool Kids Committee, (Courageous Outspoken Outgoing Leaders Kind Independent Determined) Inc. is to positively influence the lives of at-risk youth through a Gang and Bullying Prevention Program by uniquely bridging partnerships with local law enforcement, schools, community leaders, and parents to build a sense of awareness, love, and unity through communication and social interaction.   ​

Powell has a heart for all young people, believing that all deserve a fair chance at life and can recover from difficulties to prosper and grow into fine, upstanding, contributing individuals. Over her 20 years in Cobb, Powell has continuously contributed to the wellbeing of the Austell community through her servitude and dedication.

As the Executive Director of the Cobb Collaborative, Irene Barton works every day to ensure that the East Cobb community is a wonderful place to live, work, and play. Barton has greatly increased the capacity of the Cobb Collaborative to improve outcomes for all children and families in the community.

Since becoming the Executive Director in September 2018, she has quadrupled the organization’s budget through earned income, grants, donors and sponsorships, launched the Connecting Cobb Veterans program, established key partnerships with local organizations, brought critical mental health, suicide prevention and trauma-credentialed training to over 4,000 individuals through the Mind Your Mind mental health awareness campaign, distributed over 8,300 books to children, installed over 50 Little Free Libraries across the county and grown the membership from 78 to 125.

Additionally, Barton has been a part of East Cobb Civitan Club since 2020, serving as Secretary in 2021, President-Elect in 2022 and President in 2023. As the President, she plans the twice-monthly meeting agendas, arranges for speakers and service projects, and promotes the mission of Civitan International. Along with her fellow Civitans, she works to raise awareness about individuals with developmental disabilities and champion the international research center in Alabama.

Barton has been involved in a number of professional organizations such as McCleskey YMCA Board of Directors, Creation Care Team at Catholic Church of St. Ann’s, Georgia PTA, Cobb Community Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse (CCAPSA), Leadership Cobb Class of 2024, Get Georgia Reading Cabinet, Regional Advisory Council, South Cobb Business Association, Cobb Executive Women, and Honorary Commanders Alumni Association. Throughout her 25 years in Cobb, Barton has consistently put service above self in all she does, dedicating herself to helping improve the quality of life in East Cobb.

Allison Giddens is the Co-President for Win-Tech, an aerospace precision machine shop. She is actively involved in local workforce development and industry groups, including Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board, Leadership Cobb Alumni Association, LiveSafe Resources, Women in Manufacturing, National Tooling & Machining Association, and the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance.

As the Founder and Executive Director of the Dave Krache Foundation, she and her board of directors have helped hundreds of kids in the Kennesaw community be able to participate in sports activities by helping to cover of the costs of registration fees and equipment costs. She has volunteered with the City of Kennesaw’s Grand Prix 5K race series as both a race director and Grand Prix Series Director helping non-profits raise money for their various causes. 

Giddens has received several awards and recognitions including the STEP Ahead Honoree, Next Generation Award, Another Level Blue Devil, Leadership Cobb Chairs Award, the Cobb Executive Women’s Woman of Distinction Award, the Atlanta Braves Community Hero, the LiveSafe Resources’ Woman of Achievement award, Woman of Excellence, Frontline Leadership Award Winner, August 2016 Faces of Manufacturing, and UGA 40 Under 40 Nominee. Giddens continually invests in her community with unwavering servitude, a hard work ethic, and a giving spirit.

Dr. Christopher L. Boyd serves as General Manager at Riverside EpiCenter, a 113,000 square-foot multi-function / multi-purpose facility owned by Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral, constructed to promote the balance of life in service to the Mableton/Austell community and beyond.

Dr. Boyd is a tremendous community partner and advocate for the residents of the Mableton community. For the past several years, Dr. Boyd has expanded the services offered onsite at the EpiCenter to make this site a hub in South Cobb. He has launched a business incubator space and hosted countless business and community groups regardless of their ability to pay. Dr. Boyd has been a spectacular public health partner throughout the pandemic and continuing today. He has hosted free daily COVID-19 drive through testing, vaccination and 24/7 kiosk testing services, and regularly hosts blood drives and educational meetings for residents to learn how to improve their health. He continues to selflessly dedicate himself to helping improve the quality of Mableton and the wellbeing of its citizens.

A self-described serial entrepreneur, Bonnie Buckner Reavis is the owner of The Brickyard, a special event venue on the Marietta Square that launched in 2010. Reavis is also the founder of the marketing and advertising firm Zenith Design Group, named one of Atlanta’s Top Ten Fastest Growing Woman-Owned Firms, a Top 25 Small Business of the Year by the Cobb Chamber and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and a two-time recipient of the Business Community Service Award by Georgia Trend. In 2018, Reavis opened The Loft, a fine art gallery and event space on the Marietta Square.

Reavis serves as Executive Director of the Marietta Arts Council, a nonprofit group working to enrich the artistic and cultural landscape of the City of Marietta through advocacy, education, and public art. A graduate of Berry College, Reavis has been inducted into the Academy of Women Leaders, and is a graduate of Leadership Cobb Class of 2010, and co-chaired the Class of 2015. She was honored with the Ernest Barrett Award during her class year in Leadership Cobb. The Ernest Barrett Award is selected at the conclusion of each class year by the co-chairs for personal extra effort and commitment to excellence as a participant in the program.

Through her vision, determination and perseverance, the arts are celebrated in the city of Marietta. The Marietta Arts Council has progressed from a small, loosely organized group to a sound, stable, and growing organization that facilitates exposure to a variety of arts in the Marietta community. Throughout her 30 years in Cobb, Reavis has continuously contributed to the wellbeing of the Marietta community through her servitude and dedication.

Laurie Wong is the Founder & Executive Director of Reflections of Trinity, an organization that serves families in need and combats hunger in the community through service and education. Every weekend she serves more than 350 families with healthy food and necessary supplies. She and her team of 22 employees manage the daily operations of Reflections of Trinity and have served 13 million pounds of food to more than 500,000 individuals in need.

For the past 20 years Wong has faithfully served communities within and around Powder Springs as a provider of resources to families facing crisis. Her entrepreneurial spirit, her visionary leadership, and her heart of service are reflected in the charity organization she founded more than 20 years ago. Although Wong dedicates most of her time to serving her community through her charitable organization, she finds time to work with youth and seniors and partner with local churches and charitable organizations. She is always willing to support the community engagement goals of the City of Powder Springs and contributes to the wellbeing of the community.

Eric Homansky

Eric Homansky has been teaching in the Cobb County School District for 22 years and is currently the Physical Education teacher at Teasley Elementary School. In addition to teaching, he owns two Smyrna-based small businesses, Way2Play Sports and FNA Flag Football.

Homansky volunteers his time as a coach with Smyrna Little League, NASA TopHat Soccer, and the Kyle Pease Foundation. When not running around fields, he enjoys spending time with his family, staying active, being outdoors, cheering for the New York Mets, and assisting the efforts of the Support Smyrna Board of Directors. Homansky has been a proud resident of Smyrna since 2003 where he lives with his wife Kristy, two sons, Benjamin and Andrew, and their dog, Frankie.

Joy Doss, Attorney with The Doss Firm LLC, is an unsung hero who is constantly working behind the scenes to serve others. Doss currently serves on the board of directors for the Center for Family Resources, as Vice President of the Cobb Schools Foundation, and former Chair and Officer of the Board for Marietta Mentoring for Leadership. Doss is an active member of Marietta Kiwanis and has served on multiple committees across local non-profits, such as the Center for Family Resources Silent Auction and Thanks For Giving initiative, Communities in Schools of Georgia, Cobb/Marietta Adult Spelling Bee, LiveSafe Resources Que & Brew as Volunteer Coordinator Co-Chair, Kiwanis Veterans Day Parade & Ceremony Co-Chair, and the Marietta MDE School’s Silent Auction. Doss is also an active alumna of Leadership Cobb Class of 2023.

In a familiar theme of supporting children in the community, Doss supports kids in many of her professional endeavors. While in law school, Doss served as an Attorney Ad Litem for the Children’s Advocacy Center, representing children in dependency hearings and delinquency proceedings. She also acted as a Guardian Ad Litem in family law proceedings. For her work as a Guardian ad Litem and her commitment to pro bono work, Doss received an award from the Florida State University College of Law. She is currently part of the Georgia Bar Association and the Florida Bar Association.

When Doss gets involved in an organization, it’s because she has her heart in its mission and those that the organization serves. Doss’ selfless efforts to better the community are evident in the organizations where she volunteers. She steps up to serve without a second thought, rolling up her sleeves to get the work done. Her empathy and love for her community is evident through her servitude and compassion for the citizens of her community. A resident of Cobb for 20 years, her hard work ethic and giving spirit make her a standout champion for the neighborhood of West Cobb.