Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1538147
Tell us about your calling. What brought you to your career field? I became a lawyer because I consider it an honor to help people who may not have the ability to advocate for themselves. Being a lawyer is a true calling because it is not an easy educational path or career. I became an assistant U.S. attorney, however, because I consider it a privilege to serve the American people. I come from a family of public servants, both civilian and military, so I am proud to continue that family tradition. What other activities are you involved in where you contribute to your community? Especially mention what you're most excited about. I love volunteering with young adults and children. I have mentored juvenile girls at the Macon Regional Youth Detention Center through the Girl Squad Mentoring Program, and I support efforts to improve the literacy rate of students at Burdell-Hunt Elementary through the United Way of Central Georgia's Read United Program by tutoring students in reading. I have been a part of both of these initiatives for a number of years, and I love learning from these young people while also sharing my experiences with them. Additionally, I am an active member at Bibb Mount Zion Baptist Church, and I serve as an adjunct professor at Mercer University. What are you personally committed to accomplishing in Macon and why? I'm personally committed to addressing violent crime in Macon and reducing the frequency in which such crimes are committed by youth and young adults. Eradicating all crime is not a realistic goal, but I sincerely believe we can reduce the amount of violent crime committed by young people. This is not just a Macon problem, of course, but since I live, work, and play in Macon, I have a vested interest in helping to reduce the amount of violent crime committed by people who have a majority of their lives ahead of them. Preventing young adults and youth from ever entering into the criminal justice system is something that I am very passionate about. How do you think Macon is aligning to open the door wider for more people to feel included and share in our success? How has that shaped your values and actions? I think nearly everything that NewTown Macon does opens the door wider for more people to feel included and share in our success. From the Entrepreneur's Academy to the Downtown Diversity Initiative, the whole organization represents what makes Macon a uniquely fascinating place that provides a warm reception for anyone coming to our fair city. Being a former downtown resident and witnessing the different ways NewTown and other organizations love on our city helped me commit to living in Macon and getting involved in my own way. What needs to change to encourage continued progress in our city? I think our education system, both public and private, needs to change to continue progress in our city. The next generation spends most of their time in a school building on a daily basis, so what happens in those walls is critically important to the progress in our city and any kind of future we hope to build. When you talk about Macon to people who don't live here, what do you tell them? I tell them that Macon is a satisfying slice of southern comfort. Big enough to have some modern luxuries but small enough where it feels like one big neighborhood. Three places that I think everyone who comes to Macon should go: The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park, the Otis Redding Museum, and Capricorn Studios Museum. "I have a vested interest in helping to reduce the amount of violent crime committed by people who have a majority of their lives ahead of them. Preventing young adults and youth from ever entering into the criminal justice system is something that I am very passionate about." August/September 2025 | maconmagazine.com 51 O N P R O F E S S I O N A L A N D P E R S O N A L G O A L S On the professional side, I am committed to continuing to serve the American people, especially the people of Middle Georgia, through my work as an attorney. I love my job at the U.S. Attorney's Office, and I look forward to continuing to grow there as a professional. On the personal side, I am actually in training to become a minister. I do not have any plans to become a full-time minister, but it is a personal goal and call that I am finally ready to embrace.