HCS Elects Officers
HENRY COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS SWORN-IN
Annette Edwards and Sophe Pope elected as chair and vice-chair, respectively
HENRY COUNTY, GA - On Thursday, January 5, Annette Edwards and Sophe Pope were sworn in as board members on the Henry County Schools Board of Education. Both Edwards and Pope are veteran leaders on the board and longtime Henry County residents. They will now extend their tenure of service to the district, which, for Edwards includes 8 years of service on the board and many more as an educator. She will be starting her 3rd term. Sophe Pope who was born and raised in Henry County will begin her 2nd term.
Both Edwards and Pope were also chosen by their colleagues to lead the board as chair and vice chair, respectively.
With her election, Annette Edwards becomes the first African-American female to lead the county’s school board, now the state’s 8th largest district consisting of over 43,000 students. This leadership transition also signifies the end of the successful 2-year chairmanship of Holly Cobb who will continue serving as the District 3 representative.
Under Chairman Cobb’s leadership, Henry County Schools has emerged as a state leader. The board has twice 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 2-time finalist for Governance Team of the Year. Holly Cobb also shepherded the adoption of an ambitious 5-year strategic plan which purposefully reflects the interests of the larger Henry County community to be the highest performing school district in the region.
As the board turns to new leadership, Annette Edwards has expressed that the focus of her chairmanship will be continued collaboration with fellow board members and transparency with stakeholders. She commented, “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. Most of all, we keep the needs and interests of our students first – and that is what drives me.” Sophe Pope added, “I just love Henry County, and I believe in this community. What we have accomplished together over the past few years has been phenomenal and I look forward to supporting and advancing our work.”
While Annette Edwards and Sophe Pope will lead the board for the next 12 months, redistricting has slightly changed the areas that they will represent. Annette Edwards and Makenzie McDaniel experienced changes to the numbers of their respective districts. Edwards’ post is now numbered District 2 and McDaniel’s post is now District 5. The redistricting resulted in other geographic boundary changes for Pope (4), Nutt (1), and Cobb (3) as well.
Please be sure to visit our website for more information about the Henry County Schools Board of Education.
