Terri has served the students with disabilities and their parents here in Coweta County for over 25 years. Upon her honorable discharge from the United States Air Force, she began her career as a Self-Contained Special Education teacher at Jefferson Parkway Elementary School. She later served as the In-School Coordinator for Special Education at Smokey Road Middle School and has been in her current position, Special Education Program Specialist at Central Office, since 2004. Specifically, her responsibilities include Special Education programming at each of the schools that feed to Northgate High School, the district’s Vision Impaired Program, Elementary Self-Contained, Extended School Year Programming, Summer Reading Remediation, and Collaboration/Co-Teaching. She is very proud of her time serving the families of Coweta County and is excited to extend her service to Rutledge Center.
Linda retired as Director of Information Technology for Norfolk Southern Railway in 2004, and since that time she has dedicated herself to improving the lives of families and individuals who are living with Developmental Disabilities through advocacy, support and training. In 2005, she completed the nine-month Partners in Policymaking program and was the recipient of the 2006 Georgia Council on Developmental Disability Advocate of the Year Award. She joined the Board of Directors of All About Developmental Disabilities (now doing business under the Bobby Dodd Institute, BDI) in 2006, going on to serve as Board Chair from 2008 to 2012. She currently serves as the Board Chair for the Georgia Community Trust of BDI and the Board Chair for The Rutledge Center whose Board of Directors she joined in 2006. She is a co-founder of Coweta Supporters of Developmental Disabilities, and Community At Home. Linda continues to work closely with the Coweta County School System’s Parent Mentor to provide education whenever possible. Linda has been married to Chet since 1981 with two grown daughters and one granddaughter. Their younger daughter, Cheryl, is profoundly delayed and lives with them. In her spare time, Linda enjoys golf, reading, and travelling as well as spending time with her family.
Yolanda joined the Ruttledge Board of directors in 2022 and is an energized advocate for the empowerment of persons living with developmental disabilities. Her commitment to the organization began well before she joined the Board. In 2014 when her own son needed post-high school community services, the Rutledge staff helped make his transition from high school to the community-based program seamless, which was critically important for her and the many families who love and support someone who is living with a developmental disability.
At the Center, Yolanda leads the newly formed marketing and fundraising committees that are revved up to increase awareness of the organizations good work and funding worthiness through impactful marketing, community engagement, and resource development strategies.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Journalism - Mass Communications from Clark Atlanta University (Clark College) and is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta Class of ’95. Yolanda is the former director of Community Relations at Wesley Woods of Emory Healthcare, where she represented the organization through innovative marketing and community engagement initiatives, speaker’s bureau facilitation, diverse programs , events and speaking. She was a member of the Relationship Marketing, Strategic Planning and Executive Committees, and was the support to her CEO facilitating record breaking corporate United Way Campaigns.
Yolanda’s has volunteered for the Boards of several organizations: The Adaptive Learning Center, The YWCA , The American Red Cross of Metro Atlanta, The Down’s Syndrome Association of Atlanta, The Hedera Foundation, Inc. , and is an active Charter member of the Coweta/Fayette Counties Chapter of Alpha Kapp Alpha Sorority, Inc. She recently served as the Strategic lead for the Newnan Chapel United Methodist Church 2021 Tornado Relief efforts that devasted parts of Coweta County. She has earned several awards and recognitions for leading impactful and innovative speaking, and initiatives that elevate and empower individuals and communities.
Yolanda and her husband Ollie are the parents to adult sons, Cameron, and Chase (Benita) ,and grandparents to fraternal twins Chase II and Celeste. In her downtime she loves to attend small venue concerts and the beach life with her family.
George Alexander was elected to and have served on the Newnan City Council since November 2003. He was born in El Paso, Texas and as the son of an Air Force Colonel, he lived throughout the United States. George has resided in the Greenville Street Historic District for 37 years. He is a retired Delta Pilot with 35 years of service. George is married to the former Pamela Johnson from Bowman, Georgia.
George is a 1975 graduate of Texas A&M where he attended on a four-year Navy scholarship. He earned a BBA in Business Management. He served in the United States Navy for 25 years in active and reserve roles as a Naval Officer and as a Fighter Pilot flying off of aircraft carriers. He is a graduate of the Naval Post Graduate School, the Naval War College, and the Air War College. George has been an Eagle Scout since 1967.
George’a Community Service and Volunteerism include the following:
Member of the Greek Orthodox Chrisitan Church
Distinguished past President of the Newnan Kiwanis Club and current member
Life Member of the VFW and the American Legion
District Chairman for Coweta County Boy Scouts, an Eagle Scout Board of Review Member
A graduate of Georgia Tech, Jay lives with his wife Michele and daughter Reese in Newnan. Jay has worked for Morgan Stanley since 2017. Prior to this Jay worked as an Insurance Agent at Country Financial and was a Mortgage Loan Officer with BB&T. Jay is an active member of Kiwanis Club of Newnan, Coweta Board of Realtors, and Coweta County Chamber of Commerce. Jay has been a volunteer at Rutledge Center for over ten years. He enjoys golf, woodworking, outside activities and spending time with his family.
Carole Ann was born and raised in Newnan, and recently moved back after being in Colorado for the past couple of years. She graduated from LaGrange College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services and has a passion for serving and encouraging others to find their strengths. She is the Human Resources Manager for the City of Newnan, where she serves over 300 city employees. She is married to Chuck Fields for 15 years and is an active volunteer and community advocate for animals, knowing that one small act of kindness can create a ripple, leading to positive change for the overall community. Her pride and joy, if you know her, is her sister, Michelle who currently attends Rutledge.
Cathy Nenov was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from NYU with a Master’s Degree specializing in Learning Disabilities. She worked for fifteen years as a Special Education teacher thereafter, including Arnco Seargant Elementary School. In 1998 she returned to school to earn her Specialist Degree in School Psychology at Georgia State University. She worked in Meriwether county as both a School Psychologist and Autism Coordinator for the county for 11 years. Currently she works as a consultant. Cathy is President of ASPIRES, Inc a non for profit that works to help families of children with Special Needs. Cathy delights in spending time with her husband Steve and son Anie (Anastas) affected with Fragile X Syndrome. She has been a resident of Coweta county for 25 years.
Toni Noles is a recently retired Collaborative teacher in the Math Department at Newnan High School. Her and her husband, Jerry, have been married for almost 41 years and their family has lived in Coweta County since 1991. Jimmy, her son, is a client at Rutledge. She also has a daughter, Jeanette, and two grandsons (Nolen and Johnny).
Daniel graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2015. Since that time, he has focused his practice on helping families prepare for incapacity and death. In 2018, his daughter Adaline (3 years old at the time) was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder. At the time, he realized that even though his daughter is high functioning, the impact that having a child with special needs has on the family as a whole in unmeasurable. He decided he wanted to be a resource to families who have a loved one with special needs and narrowed his practice to estate planning with a focus on helping families with special needs. Daniel has been an active member of Southside Support, Inc., helping volunteer at events and providing support in its public Facebook group.
Prior to attending law school, Daniel obtained his undergraduate degree in Business Management and his Masters degree in Finance while working full time for Disney in Florida. Daniel held multiple positions with the Walt Disney Company, ranging from starting with the company as a retail cashier in Tomorrowland, to a retail leader, leading a team of over 200 Cast Members, to a finance/hr role forecasting labor for the parks. Although Daniel and his family are no longer in Florida physically at the parks, the parks still hold a very special place in their hearts and they still consider themselves members of the Disney family.
Daniel and his wife (Abby) met while they both worked at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. When Daniel decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of going to law school, they moved from Florida to Georgia. Abby is a Senior Financial Analyst for Chick-Fil-A and has been with them since they moved to Georgia in 2012. They have two daughters, Adaline, who is five, and Lyla who is two years old. Daniel is an active member of Trinity Church in Sharpsburg and sings on their worship team. When not working Daniel loves playing board games (he has a collection of over 100 games) and just experiencing life with his family, whether that is having movie night together, playing at the park, or just relaxing at home.
CHAD ALTON SMITH
Chad graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Oglethorpe University. Growing up in Newnan, Georgia, educational excellence has always been important to him During his studies at Oglethorpe, Chad embraced numerous leadership roles both on campus and in the community.
After gaining valuable experience as an auditor, Chad decided to channel his talents into helping others make informed financial decisions. In 2017 he became a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments, where he is dedicated to helping clients achieve their financial goals while making a positive impact in his community. He takes every opportunity to educate adults and children about investing and responsible financial practices.
Chad has served on several boards, including as a Trustee at Oglethorpe University, and with the He Ain’t Heavy Pretrial Diversion Program and the Newnan-Coweta Boys and Girls Club, among others.
Chad spends his free time with friends and family, volunteering, staying active playing Pickle Ball, barbecuing and traveling as much as possible.
I am a graduate of Georgia Southern University, where I cheered and majored in Special Education. I have worked for Coweta County Schools for 17 years. I taught an adapted curriculum class at Newnan High School for 12 years, where I also coached cheerleading for 6 years. I moved to Central Educational Center where I was the In-School Coordinator for Special Education as well as the Transition Specialist for Coweta County Schools. I have now been at Central Office for two years as a Support Specialist and Transition Specialist for Special Education. My responsibilities include Special Education support at Newnan High School, CEC, and Jefferson Parkway. I also help oversee our Program classes throughout the district. My Transition responsibilities are to help collaborate with teachers, students, and parents to ensure all students are well prepared for life after high school and ensure they grow to be successful individuals once they graduate high school.
I have been married to my husband for 12 years and have two adorable boys, Greyson (9) and Oliver (4).
With almost twenty years in education, Chanda Moore, has demonstrated a deep commitment to helping close the achievement gap of students across socio-economic demographics, provide a nurturing yet challenging environment and develop quantitative assessment tools that would yield data driven instruction.
Chanda Moore also founded and served as Director of a private school in Fayette County, Georgia. This school’s mission was to provide quality education, community awareness and vocational training to children diagnosed with mild to moderate learning disabilities.
Outside of her professional achievements, Chanda Moore is actively involved in mentoring young entrepreneurs and is passionate about giving back to her community. Chanda founded Swing Chic Golf which supports ladies golf initiatives and adaptive golf training for people with special needs.
Chanda Moore holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Mercer University.
Mike Barber was born and raised in Newnan, Georgia. He is a graduate of Newnan High School and LaGrange College. He currently resides on Brookside Drive in Newnan with his wife, Julia Barber. Together they have four grown children and 6 grandchildren.
Mike has spent his entire career working and serving in the community that he grew up in. Mike had a successful career in banking for over 35 years. After retiring from banking, Mike earned his license in insurance and was an agent for 7 years. Currently, Mike is a real estate agent with Lindsey’s Realty, and he has been with them for 15 years. Mike is also the owner of Jackson Clark Properties and has been in this business for 15 years.
Mike has served on many boards throughout his life. Among his community service are the following:
· Newnan Kiwanis Club - Past President, Current Finance chairman
· Browns Mill Battlefield – Current Treasurer
· Coweta Sports Hall of Fame
· Newnan-Coweta Youth Association
· Public Announcer for the Newnan High School Football games
· Past Board Member of Rutledge Center, Inc.
· Member, First United Methodist Church of Newnan