VALDOSTA — Ann Powell joined Thomas County government in May 1994 as a 911 dispatcher. Within a year, she was promoted to 911 training officer, then to operations manager. She was named E-911 director in 2000.

For many years, Powell was the only female and the only black female among county government department heads. 

Later, a black female Thomas County Prison warden was hired, and more recently, a black transit service director.

Powell would like to see other ethic groups represented in top county management positions. “We have a large Spanish community here,” she said.

“Going from point A to point B was not a difficult task to do,” she said. “In fact, I moved up quite quickly. I was respected by the county manager and the county clerk, and they supported me and my ideas.”

Thomasville and Thomas County are similar to many cities in the SunLight Project area of Tifton, Dalton, Milledgeville, Moultrie, Thomasville and Valdosta, Ga., and Live Oak, Fla.

During the next two weeks, the SunLight team is exploring diversity among city councils and county commissions and within their respective departments; school boards and school systems; and law-enforcement agencies.

Do the people elected and working in local government offices resemble the populations they serve?

While city and county governments in the coverage areas employ minorities — many in leadership roles — the percentage of minorities on the payrolls do not match the percentage of minorities in their respective populations. Especially in leadership positions.

A comparative look at the SunLight Project coverage area shows that most leadership roles are still held by white people.

Thomas & Grady Counties

In addition to two black department heads, Thomas County has seven white department heads.

The Thomas County Commission is made up of five white and three black commissioners. Commissioners are elected by the public.

Thomasville city government employs about 450 people who work in a variety of diverse areas from public safety, finance, administration, telecommunications, utilities, marketing and more.

Kha McDonald, interim city manager and head of human resources, has been with the city for 29 years. She was hired as the city’s first human resources director when the city operated as two separate entities — General Government and Water and Light. She was the first African-American and first female to be hired at an executive level by the city.

McDonald said coming into the job was easy because of her human-resources experiences gained at Brooks Brothers of New York, at the New York City and Los Angeles offices of Morgan Stanley, and at Merrill Lynch in Pasadena, Calif.

“Your personal experiences certainly shape your perspective,” McDonald said. “From the classrooms early on at Jerger Elementary to college at Northwestern University, I have been the only black person on any number of occasions.”

McDonald said there have been work challenges during her career based on race and gender.

“When I worked in the investment banking industry, the environment was dominated by white males,” she said.

As a woman, and particularly one of color, she had to find her voice and be brave in her commitment to be treated fairly and equitably.

“Ultimately, I feel that it is important to understand that everyone has a unique perspective, and we must understand that the way we see a situation may not be the same as someone else,” she said. “This is where it is important to speak up for yourself and openly discuss those subjects so that everyone is treated with the same level of respect and understanding.”

McDonald said she feels in an ideal situation, all local governments should offer opportunities to attract and encourage staff diversity. She said it makes sense for government to lead the way when it comes to diversity in the workplace. And, she pointed out, diversity includes more than race and gender: It includes socio-economic status, nationality, ability, age, religion, and gender identity and expression.

“Having people from different backgrounds involved in the decision-making process of our community is an important benefit, because it creates discussion and engagement,” she said. “If we’re all the same, we will miss opportunities for personal and professional growth.”

The city has two black “direct reports,” or department heads, and seven white, including white police and fire chiefs.

Thomasville City Council has three white members and two black. All are elected by the public.

Nine whites and three blacks are department heads in Grady County government.

Four white commissioners and one black commissioner make up the elected Grady County Commission.

The City of Cairo has two African-American department heads.

Cairo City Council includes a black mayor and three white and two black council members.

Tift, Colquitt & Mitchell counties

Tift County’s 40,828 population is 56.3 percent white and 44 percent minority, with 30 percent being black.

On the seven-seat Board of Commissioners for the county, five seats, including the chairman position, are filled by white people and two by black people – Commissioner Melissa Hughes and Commissioner Donnie Hester.

The Tift County government has 31 department heads, 27 of whom are white. Elections coordinator Leila Dollison is the only black department head and Buildings and Grounds head Bacilio Gamez and Major Danny Torres over the Tift County Jail are both Hispanic.

The City of Tifton’s five-seat city council, which includes the mayor, has Johnny Terrell as the only black member, and out of 10 department heads, two are black.

Moultrie has a higher minority population, with more than 62 percent of the 14,506 population being non-white, according to the 2012 census.

However, when it comes to representation, the city administration is predominantly white, with 13 out of 15 high-level positions being held by whites.

Frank Lang, who is black, and Elvira Gibson, who is Hispanic, are the only two minorities in positions of authority for the City of Moultrie.

The Moultrie City Council is more diverse, being split equally with three black and three non-Hispanic white elected representatives.

The mayor is also white.

“Yes, I feel it is diverse enough due to the ones who are there (being) capable and committed to doing the job,” Moultrie City Councilmember Wilma Hadley said. “I think there is enough diversity in government.”

Hadley, who is black, said she has not felt any racial undertones nor does she remember any occasions when race was an issue in a decision made by the council.

“Everybody pretty much gets along, and we can walk away agreeable that we can disagree on things,” Hadley said. “Then we go on to the next one, the next issue.”

The Colquitt County Commission does not have the same equity; of the seven commissioners, only one is black.

Luke Strong Jr., who was the only black commissioner, died in September. All candidates running for his seat are black.

The other six commissioners are white, as are 14 of the 15 department heads. Information Systems Director Darren Roberson, who is black, is the only minority department head for Colquitt County.

The county itself is 55.8 percent white and 46.4 percent minority, including 19.6 percent Hispanic or Latino.

Mitchell County, by contrast, has two black commissioners on its five-seat board, including Chairman Benjamin Hayward.

Three of the nine department heads are black, including Road Superintendent Joseph Ross, Elections Supervisor Terry Ross and Coroner Stedderrick Thomas.

Whitfield & Hall Counties

Dalton’s population is split between whites, at 40.3 percent, and Hispanic or Latinos at 47.7 percent. The city has 8 percent of the population being black and 3.1 percent being Asian.

Dalton’s mayor is white as are three of the four members of the city council. One is black.

Of the eight city department heads, eight are white and one is black.

Whitfield and Hall counties have similar racial breakdowns.

Whitfield County has 59.1 percent of the population being white, 34.4 percent being Hispanic or Latino, 4.3 percent black and 1.7 percent Asian.

All five members of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners are white.

Of the 26 department heads for Whitfield County, only one is Hispanic or Latino.

Hall County has 61.3 percent of the population being non-Hispanic white, 28 percent Hispanic or Latino, 8.1 percent black and 2 percent Asian.

Baldwin & Laurens Counties

In Milledgeville, where the population is split roughly halfway between whites and minorities, the City Council is made up of three white members and three black ones. Recently, city residents elected Mary Parham-Copelan, Milledgeville’s second-ever black mayor, who is also its first woman mayor.

Although seven of the eight main city departments have white department heads, the city’s finance department is headed by a black man, who doubles as city manager.

In the county government, which represents roughly 54 percent whites and 46 percent minorities, residents are represented on the county commission by three white representatives and two black ones, including commission Chair Tommy French. While minorities are outnumbered in county-administered departments 11 to three, newly appointed County Manager Carlos Tobar’s family is of Hispanic origin.

In Laurens County, which is made up of 61 percent whites and 39 percent minorities, four of five county commissioners, four of five school board members, Dublin’s mayor, four of seven Dublin City Council members, and two of four key city department heads are white. The United States census’s website lists no racial makeup information for the city of Dublin.

Recently, the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners self-appointed longtime Vice Chair Tommy French to act as chairperson for the upcoming term. French said although Baldwin County’s government is suitably split between white and minority officials, more of an effort should be made to increase minority students’ civic engagement.

“From a minority standpoint, we need more elected officials to push our youth to be concerned about the things that happen in their community,” he said. “I think Baldwin County as a whole, between the city, county and our board, has a pretty good balance of minorities. I think we need to put more consideration as to who we put in those positions and hold those elected officials accountable. It doesn’t so much matter what race they are, it matters where their heart is and how much they do their homework and are able to represent the people.”

Lowndes & Houston Counties

Lowndes County Commissioner Demarcus Marshall said the county is lacking diversity in county management. 

He has been pushing the county to be more diverse for years.

There are no non-white county department heads, but the county employs plenty of non-whites. Marshall said the problem with the county only having white department heads is it makes it harder for the employees to relate to their bosses and feel free to speak up if they see something wrong.

“Those employees don’t have someone to talk to,” Marshall said. “It’s better than it was, but not at the department-head level. It still has a long way to go.”

Marshall said the department heads should better represent the community. Lowndes County is about 35 percent black and nearly 60 percent white. There are two black commissioners, but no black department heads.

He doesn’t want to give non-whites an advantage over white employees, he said. He believes the hiring process excludes non-whites. The net cast when looking for people to hire is too limited and needs to include a broader spectrum of people, he said.

“I don’t agree with affirmative action or hand outs. I’m against that, but at least let them interview for the position,” Marshall said. “We should at least include them in the search instead of limiting ourselves.”

Marshall said he has had to fight for everything he earned in his life. Recruited by the Marines when he was 17 years old, Marshall was elected the county commissioner for Super District 4 in 2013. He earned his Ph.D in public policy and administration from Walden University and has led several civic organizations within the Valdosta/Lowndes County community for more than 15 years.

“Race hasn’t really hindered me, and, in some ways, it’s helped me,” Marshall said. “I can speak to people and represent them.”

Valdosta City Council has four black council members and three white council members. The mayor is also white.

The City of Valdosta has four black department heads and four white department heads, according to city data: finance, white; engineering, white; fire department, black; human resources, black; municipal court, black; police, white; public works, black; utilities, white.

Warner Robins City Council has six elected posts. Four posts are represented by whites and two posts are represented by blacks. The city’s mayor is also white. The city has a population of 66,588 with 53 percent or 35,407 white and 37 percent or 24,714 black. Warner Robins, a city that is often compared to Valdosta, has a total of eight department heads in city offices and all are white except the city’s economic developer, who is a black male. 

Houston County, where Warner Robins is located, has five commissioners who are all white. The sheriff, director of administration, director of operation and the county attorney are all also white. The county’s population is 139,900 with 88,626 or 63 percent white and 39,998 or 28 percent black.

Suwannee County

Suwannee County’s population of 43,794 has 75.6 percent of the population being white, 13.3 percent as black, 9.1 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 1.5 percent as two or more races, 0.7 percent as American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7 percent as Asian and 0.1 percent as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

Suwannee County did not provide its breakdown of employees/department heads. But the county does have one black commissioner on the Board of County Commission.

Live Oak’s city hall employees and elected officials include 47 white, 11 black, one Hispanic or Latino, one Asian or Pacific Islander and three Alaskan or Native American.

There are two black Live Oak City Council members and one black city manager.

The two non-white members of the Dalton school board want to see more diversity within their school system’s leadership.

In the Dalton public schools system, the superintendent and the principals of the two high schools are white. Three of the five school board members are white. Tulley Johnson, who is black, and Dr. Pablo Perez are the only minority members.

Both have expressed an interest in seeing greater diversity in the school’s workforce and say the system has made diversity a priority.

“Because our district’s student enrollment is diverse, it is a priority to have a diverse workforce in our schools,” Perez said.

“It is challenging for school districts and private businesses alike to hire bilingual employees. With 70 percent of our student enrollment being Hispanic, we recognize that many of their parents do not speak English. Having bilingual employees at each school and at the district level helps with the communication challenges we sometimes face.”

But Perez noted the district still has a long way to go.

“In our district there is significant disparities between our student ethnicity and our teaching force ethnicity. Only 6 percent of our teachers are Hispanic origin compared to 70 percent Hispanic students. Research indicates that minority students do better contemporaneously in school and likely in the long run as well when they are exposed to teachers of their same race or ethnicity. As a consequence, the under-representation of minority teachers relative to the proportion of minority school-aged students could be having the effect of limiting minority students’ educational success.”

How does the SunLight Project area fare in terms of racial diversity within the schools, school system administrations and boards of education?

The Thomas County School System employs five white and two black principals. The racial makeup of the system’s 11 department heads is all white.

The superintendent and superintendent-elect are white.

The seven-member Thomas County Board of Education is all white.

Thomasville City School System has a white superintendent, nine whites and one black in department head/director positions. The system has three black and two white principals.

The Thomasville City Board of Education is made up of four whites and three blacks.

The Grady County school superintendent is white. The system has three black and four white principals.

One black and four whites serve on the Grady County Board of Education.

The Tift County Board of Education has seven seats. Vice Chairman John Smith and Marilyn Burks, who are both black, sit on the board, and of the 13 school principals, four are black.

In Colquitt County schools, Trudie Hill is the only black member of the six-seat Board of Education, and Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Irma Townsend, who is black as well, holds one of five high-level administrative positions.

Colquitt County High School and Willie J. Williams Middle School both have white principals, and Charlie A. Gray Junior High School’s principal, Frederick Smith, is black.

The Mitchell County School Board’s six seats are held by four black members and two white members. The chair, Norma Gilpatrick, and vice chair, Joe White, are both black.

The school administration is also far more diverse.

Of the 11 high-level administrative positions, five are held by black members of staff, and the high school’s principal, Ossie Canidate, is black as well.

All five Whitfield County Board of Education members are white as are the superintendent and the principals of all three high schools.

In the Baldwin County Board of Education, two of the five seats are occupied by black women, while three of six school principals and County School Superintendent Dr. Noris Price are black.

Valdosta Board of Education Chair Liz Shumphard is black and said she has not experienced difficulty in growing her career. She said through her own experience in the five years she has been on the board, there hasn’t been any issues involving diversity or lack thereof.

In regards to minorities running for roles in local government, boards of education and so on, she offered words of encouragement.

“I feel like people shouldn’t stand back because they feel like they will not fit in,” she said.

She encouraged minorities to not be afraid and “take a chance” and run for an office in government, education, etc.

“Stop being scared and go ahead and step out because the opportunity is there; they just have to go for it,” Shumphard said.

Malcolm Hines is in his third year as Suwannee High School’s principal and he feels diversity within the school district is important.

“I think it is important for an organization to be representative of the community,” Hines said. “It’s not a race or ethnicity thing, it’s so that when people aspire to do something, they know there is an opportunity for them.”

He said it is important for people in leadership roles to make it feel inclusive for everyone.

“I’ve always believed it doesn’t matter what color you are, you come in and do the very best job that you can for everyone,” Hines said. “It’s important for me and has been important for me for a long time through my experiences in the Army.”

Hines, who is black, is a Suwannee High School 1983 graduate who served in the U.S. Army for more than 26 years and traveled the world during that time.

“Out of all the places that I have been in the world, one of the things that sticks out in my mind when I look at our country compared to every other place, we have a great country,” Hines said. “One of the things that we have that I truly believe is a strength of our nation, is our diversity.”

He said America’s diversity is a strength that should continue to be maximized.

“I spent nine years in Germany and I did not see the diversity in Germany that I see here,” Hines said.

Hines said a challenge to diversity within an organization is still there as long as there are people out there who believe someone can’t do something because of their ethnic background.

He said he hopes the country gets to a place where people look at what’s inside of a person and not outside.

“We have to have the conversation about diversity,” Hines said. “It is very important to have the conversation so we can analyze our practices, so we can look at who we hire, how we hire and we can look at qualifications of applicants for a position.”

He said he will not hire anyone based on their race.

“What I would like to do is make sure my campus is representative of the community population, if I can find qualified applicants,” Hines said.

He said the struggle for diversity in a rural area though is not finding qualified applicants but finding qualified applicants willing to relocate to a rural county.

“It is my goal when I leave Suwannee High School as a principal that I leave it in better shape than when I got it and it was in tip-top shape when I got it,” Hines said.

Suwannee County School District has four black employees in leadership roles. There is a counselor for the Federal Programs, principal of the Suwannee Intermediate School and Suwannee High School and the assistant director of transportation.

This is the second part of a four-part series. For the third part see the Jan. 28, edition of The Valdosta Daily Times.

The SunLight Project team of journalists who contributed to this report includes Charles Oliver, Eve Guevara, Jessie Box, Patti Dozier, Alan Mauldin, Thomas Lynn, Kimberly Cannon and Will Woolever. Editors are Jim Zachary and Dean Poling. To contact the team, email sunlightproject@gaflnews.com.