MOULTRIE — After spending several years away from her hometown, Councilwoman-elect Susie Magwood-Thomas returned to Moultrie recently with years of experience and a focus on education.

Magwood-Thomas said she was born in Moultrie and attended school here until the 10th grade. She moved to Miami with her mother and eight brothers and sisters, and she completed her high school education at Miami Northwestern High School.

After her father died when she was 7 years old, Magwood-Thomas said she and her brothers and sisters were raised working in the cotton and tobacco fields. Her mother decided to move the family to Miami to give the family a better life, but she briefly returned to the area after graduating high school.

Magwood-Thomas attended Albany State College, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology. After graduating, she went back to Miami and was a teacher for two years before taking a job with Southern Bell. She has also earned a master’s degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in education.

Due to her previous job as a teacher, Magwood-Thomas said she started as an employee representative and school representative for Southern Bell, working to recruit high schoolers. After two years, she was promoted as a telephone sales supervisor then a sales manager and finally a production manager with Bell South in Atlanta. As a production manager, she worked with 12 supervisors and had 138 employees reporting to her.

Magwood-Thomas remained with Bell South as a systems design and implementation manager after the company was split in 1994, but she was later promoted to a method and training manager, she said. She remained as a trainer for Bell South’s 13-state area until she took the company’s early retirement package to reduce second level management positions. The company wanted to reduce 300 management positions but had 700 take the retirement package.

After taking early retirement, Magwood-Thomas said she inherited her three grandchildren and decided to stay at home to work with them. She opened a child care facility that she ran for five years before opening two other facilities, caring for 210 children, She was also asked to become an instructor for Save the Children early child care institute, writing courses for the University of Georgia. She also earned state approval from the Georgia Department of Human Resources as an independent trainer and consultant.

Magwood-Thomas said she is also an accreditor for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and she is an instructor for Georgia Public Safety and fire safety to young children. She is also an adjunct professor in early child care for Moultrie Technical College.

Upon her return to Moultrie in 2006, Magwood-Thomas said she became a site director with the Moultrie YMCA Prime Time program. When she came back to Moultrie, she had planned to open up a high quality child care facility, even buying the land and getting approval for it, but it had to be put aside when her mother became ill. She still intends to continue to follow her vision for the facility.

“It’s on the back burner now,” Magwood-Thomas said, “but it’s something I’m still going to do one day,”

When it was announced Moultrie City Councilwoman Betty Haggins would not seek re-election for her council seat, Magwood-Thomas said she was motivated to run by Luke Strong and the Rev. Callie Johnson. She won the four-person race on election night Nov. 3.

Magwood-Thomas said it felt really good to win the election, and she attributes her winning to several people. She believes foremost God sent her back to Moultrie for a purpose, and she also believes Alma Clemmons and Anne Bell, her campaign managers, and all her campaign committee are the reason she was elected.

When asked how she could adjust to life in Moultrie after so many years in larger cities, Magwood-Thomas said it’s all in God’s hands. He brought her back to Moultrie for a purpose and she is relying on His guidance to use her in powerful ways for this community.

“I bloom where I’m planted,” Magwood-Thomas said. “I really want to make a positive difference.”

Magwood-Thomas said she plans to listen to the concerns of Moultrie residents and will work with the council and residents to get them done. She would also like to hold bi-monthly forums to allow residents the opportunity to speak with her directly and let everyone know everyone needs to be involved.

“We’re going to have to work together for it to work,” Magwood-Thomas said. “It’s not all about me but about us.”

Magwood-Thomas said one experience in particular allowed her the opportunity to learn a lot about people and helping them. She went to Haiti in 2000 with a group of educators to teach developmentally appropriate practices to nine schools there. She learned a lot while there and believes some of those experiences can apply to needs here or in almost any city.