--- title: SR 620. Leadership Cobb and the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr620 cite_as: SR 620, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr620 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr620.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr620/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72463 date: 2026-01-28 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr619.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr621.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr620.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 620 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-28 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Kay Kirkpatrick - John Albers - Michael Rhett - Jaha Howard - Ed Setzler - Donzella James text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR620/2025 upstream_id: 2095293 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Cobb County - civic leadership program - Georgia Senate resolution - community recognition --- # SR 620. Leadership Cobb and the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026; commend ## Text Senate Resolution 620 By: Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Albers of the 56th, Rhett of the 33rd, Howard of the 35th, Setzler of the 37th and others A RESOLUTION Commending Leadership Cobb and the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Leadership Cobb was founded in 1983 by a nucleus of leaders in order to train a new group of leaders to guide Cobb County's future; and WHEREAS, Leadership Cobb owes a special debt of gratitude to its founders, Harris Hines, Johnny Isakson, Phil Sanders, and Jay Whorton, and their vision for Cobb County, as well as the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce for its continued support of the program; and WHEREAS, Leadership Cobb, from hundreds of qualified applications, selected only 50 diverse and exceptionally qualified individuals for the Class of 2026 to provide a learning environment that enhances personal and professional growth designed to benefit the individual, their local community, and the entire Atlanta region; and WHEREAS, the time commitment includes eight full-day sessions from September to May, four evening sessions, two three-day retreats, as well as time to attend Spotlight on Leadership programs, participation in community engagement, homework to prepare for upcoming sessions, and a graduation ceremony, all of which require serious dedication, but all of which help the participants become more engaged citizens; and WHEREAS, the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026 is led by Leadership Cobb Alumni including Chairs Joyette Holmes, and Eddie Wade, and Vice Chairs Tricia Newton and Andy Gaines, with assistance from Kai Lawrence from the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, and dozens of alumni who volunteer for committees to plan each program day and for 2026 Class members, including community and business leaders Kimberly Allred, Kate Beasley, Priti Bhatia, Mike Bonnette, Nicholas Booth, Tonya Byrd, Carl Carlson, Lauren Cedor, Chase Clark, Vic Collins, Christina Cummings, Rodney Drinkard, David Esterline, Richard Freeman, Chuck Gardner, Jenn Garner, Jessica Guinn, Jules Harper, Gina V. Hawkins, Karen Heard, Tim Henderson, Molly Holm, Amanda Hughes, Stephanie Idland, Simon Janman, Keisha Jeffcoat, Kyle Johnstone, Shea Konigsmark, Rachel Langelotti, Kyoung Lee, Kafi London, Toby Mabry, Christopher McKellar, Daniel McKinney, Tomeca Mosley, Ben Needle, Scott Orr, Gina Owens, Tahnicia Phillips, Paul Powers, Brian Rutledge, Courtney Santry, Alisha Thomas Searcy, Abby Smith, Andy Stearns, Zach Strickland, Darrell Sutton, Jaret Usher, Ryan Varchetti, Dan Vasquenza, Heather Walker, Ashley West, Anthony White, Megan Will, LaTonya Williams, Jordan Wilson, Laurie Ann Wong-Burns, Crystal Wyche, and Darrell Young; and WHEREAS, the Leadership Cobb Government Day Committee comprised of Leadership Cobb Alumni, Sonya Allen, Benjamin Andrews, Teri Anulewicz, Maranie Brown, Nancy Couch, Angie Davis, Ashley Jenkins, Brian Johnson, Jennifer McNeely, Michael Owens, Amanda Seals, Jason Shepherd, Casey Tanner, and Greg Teague, and led by Co-Chairs Bert Reeves and Jackie McMorris have put together a program where the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026 will spend January 18, 2026, learning more about how their government works and operates, better equipping them to be even more engaged citizens; and WHEREAS, the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026's motto of “Lead the Way” will ensure that the lessons the Class takes away from their Leadership Cobb experience will allow them to approach the future to see clearly their role in creating a better Cobb County community. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Leadership Cobb and the members of the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026 for their dedication to community service and their commitment to improving opportunities for local citizens. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to Leadership Cobb and the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution commends Leadership Cobb and its 2026 class of 50 community leaders for completing the program's year-long civic training curriculum in Cobb County. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It honors Leadership Cobb, a civic leadership training program founded in 1983, and specifically recognizes the 50 people chosen for its Class of 2026 out of hundreds of applicants. The resolution describes the program's demands, including eight full-day sessions, evening sessions, retreats, community engagement work, and a Government Day where participants learn how Cobb County government operates. It names the program's founders, chairs, vice chairs, and dozens of alumni volunteers. The Senate resolves to commend Leadership Cobb and the Class of 2026 for their community service, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the program and its class members. ### What it does - Formally commends Leadership Cobb and the 50 members of its Class of 2026 for community service and civic engagement. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to Leadership Cobb and the Class of 2026. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement of recognition by the Senate. ### Who it affects Leadership Cobb, a Cobb County civic leadership training program, its founders and alumni volunteers, the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, and the 50 individuals selected for the Leadership Cobb Class of 2026. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or financial effect on Georgians. Its practical significance is symbolic: it gives official Senate recognition to a local civic program and its participants, which the Secretary of the Senate will distribute as a keepsake to the honorees. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites the history of Leadership Cobb, founded in 1983, and lists its founders and program leadership for the Class of 2026. - It describes the Class of 2026's yearlong schedule, including full-day sessions, retreats, and a January 18, 2026 Government Day. - The resolving clause commends Leadership Cobb and the Class of 2026 for their dedication to community service. - A further clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to Leadership Cobb and the Class of 2026. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-01-28) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-01-28) - Sponsors: Kay Kirkpatrick, John Albers, Michael Rhett, Jaha Howard, Ed Setzler, Donzella James - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72463 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr620.md?full=1