Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546131
12 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2026 W hen we asked Colin Penndorf that question, he said: "I built the Trinity Woods Renaissance Festival from the ground up when I was 13. I married my best friend. And I have gotten all my Ocmulgee Artist Guild members to hug each other hello." That last part really stuck with me. He and the four women made our cover of young leaders for many reasons. And as we selected their responses for these pages, it's their empathy for this place, our people, and their chosen areas of work that top our list of why they are the kind of leaders we want to get behind. Read all about this year's Five Under 40 young leaders on page 41. We're on the upswing of a year that has challenged, excited, and no doubt stirred us. This summer, I traveled and visited five time zones for both work and new vistas. Some with my kids, some with my family and extended family, and some solo. It was a season of wander; and yet, nothing makes me want to hurry back to Macon like the opportunity to produce hours-long photoshoots and interviews with the people who make this place move, connect, seek solutions, and feel alive. It's one of the most meaningful aspects of my job--to listen to our people tell their stories, witness their appreciation for the work in their voices, have our team capture it all, and then, to have you read their stories and perhaps find your own through their story. For the last 26 years, our Five Under 40 young leaders inspire us to share some of the best of what we are in Macon. While fanning it out at one of the aforementioned very hot photoshoots, I had the opportunity to listen in on the conversation Colin, Julia, Lauren, Melissa, and Onica were into. They all credit their connection to theatre as a critical root in their identity. As the daughter of a drama teacher and community theatre advocate, I can relate. Turn these pages to read more about their work, lives, and causes that matter. This issue celebrates people doing work across our region that helps us bloom and the many and varied leader roles. Explore a selection making an impact at all ages, and dig into pages about public transit, local government, the arts, and preservation. When we determine that leadership looks a certain way, we can miss what's right next door. I hope these stories draw you in to see or see anew what we have, right here. Editor's letter | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026 Editor, Susannah Cox Maddux @susannahcmaddux W h a t d o y o u c o n s i d e r y o u r g re a te s t a c h i e v e m e n t ? W e ' r e a l w a y s l i s t e n i n g . S h a r e w h a t r e s o n a t e s w i t h y o u f r o m t h e i s s u e a t h e l l o @ m a c o n m a g a z i n e . c o m . LEFT: Susannah with the 2026 Five Under 40 and with MM Designer Lisa McSorley in London's West End before seeing Les Misérables. BELOW: Fanning Managing Editor Julia Morrison. Visiting with Northeast High School graduate Amari Scott. She's starting at Kennesaw State University this August. Interviewing Miss Macon Teen and Howard High School's Londyn Rodgers.