Politics and education play a large role in the dynamics of Georgia residence, especially those that are involved in the university community. Students at GCSU celebrate a wide variety of political viewpoints, social justice missions, and a desire to shape the world around them. First Lady Sandra Deal, Governor Nathan Deal’s wife and alumna of Georgia College, is an active member of the Georgia community, whose passion for others and love of children drives every policy, organization, and volunteer effort that she put into place.
Sandra Deal had made an impact on the lives of Georgia’s children and family dynamic for several years, believing that education now is the key to success in the future. She worked as a school teacher for fifteen years, retiring as a sixth grade math teacher, and went on to encourage literacy and learning throughout the state. Her campaign Read Across Georgia has worked to improve the literacy of children, with the end goal of having every child able to read at grade level by grade three. Mrs. Deal has visited and read to every single one of the 159 counties and 181 school districts in Georgia. She has also visited 320 schools across the country and used her platform to promote a love of learning in students around the nation. She is currently the Chair of the Governor’s Office for Children and Family, which promotes and stresses the presence and importance of family and community. She also serves as the Co-Chair for the Georgia Children’s Cabinet, an organization that works with the state to provide resources for struggling children and families. She is a leader in the discussion of child welfare, as well as juvenile justice issues.
In addition to being an active support of children and family issue, community service and volunteering are two other issues that are a key part of her work as the First Lady. In 2011, Mrs. Deal began “With a Servant’s Heart,” a day set aside to promote and participate in community service. The one-day event soon branched out into a movement that now includes regular participation in community service and volunteering opportunities throughout the state. Under her leadership, several volunteer librarians successfully catalogued 3, 658 books in the Mansion Library Collection, which are now accessible online for anyone to read.
Sandra lives with her husband at the Governor’s Mansion, whom she has been married to for 47 years. She also has four children and six grandchildren and is a member of the First Baptist Church in Gainesville.