The Cobb Chamber’s Smyrna Area Council has selected Jeanne Walker as its 2022 Citizen of the Year. The Citizen of the Year Awards are given to honor an individual whose impact through the years will be recognized and regarded with pride throughout the area as a role model. These outstanding citizens are chosen for their definable, exceptional deeds, with which he or she have made their community a better place to live. Awards are given based on local area nominations. The 2022 Smyrna Citizen of the Year award was presented at the Smyrna Area Council breakfast at the Smyrna Community Center.
2022 Smyrna Citizen of the Year
Jeanne Walker
Dr. Jeanne Walker has been a compassionate and dedicated educator in the Cobb County School District for 26 years, serving seven of those as Principal of Campbell High School. In her seven years as Campbell High School’s Principal, she was responsible for a graduation rate increase of over 20 percent, an athletic program with multiple regional titles and countless state playoff appearances; an outstanding ROTC program with a State Championship; an expanded Fine Arts program inhabiting a new performing arts center; a school-wide renovation through ESPLOST funding that included a new gym, academic building, media center, parking lots; and a host of internal and external campus improvements.
For over a decade, Dr. Walker served as a vocal and visible supporter of Campbell’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program as she witnessed hundreds of Cobb County students, including her own two children, achieve at the highest level in Cobb County School District’s first academic magnet program. With her unwavering enthusiasm, Campbell IB has expanded program opportunities and increased student enrollment while sustaining its legacy of exemplary international performance.
Dr. Walker is transitioning to principal of Cobb Horizon High School and Cobb Online Learning Academy (COLA). During her last semester as principal of Campbell High School, Dr. Walker was named the 2022 Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) Distinguished Administrator of the Year. As a veteran and award-winning educator, Dr. Walker is a crucial fixture within the Smyrna community and has remained a strong and steadfast advocate for teachers, students, and parents.
For more information about Area Councils, contact Katie Guice at kguice@cobbchamber.org or 770-859-2334. Thank you to Series Presenting Sponsor, Kaiser Permanente.
