I am my husband's biggest fan.

I have known Jimmy Martin for over 39 years. I have watched as he listened to and helped people find solutions to difficult issues; as he successfully passed legislation; and, most importantly, as he treated colleagues, advocates, adversaries, and others with unending respect.

Why do I call him Jimmy? It is the name his family has called him his whole life, a name that reminds me that his strength, compassion, and concern for others was formed many years ago in his childhood.

I met Jimmy in 1968 through my Hollins College roommate. We were married in January of 1970, as Jimmy moved from Fort Knox, Kentucky to Fort Bliss, Texas before serving in Vietnam. While Jimmy was in Vietnam, I lived in California with our daughter Morgan. When Jimmy returned, we moved back to Georgia where Becky, Jay, and Frank were born.

As a mother, I believe in keeping family first. I have juggled family, career, and community service by searching for and creating career opportunities that were flexible. I have two master's degrees from Georgia State University, one in accounting and one in community counseling.

I worked as an accounting instructor at DeKalb College (now Perimeter College); as Director of Finance for the National Faculty, a national teacher training organization; then as a counselor at the Fayette and Henry County Community Counseling Centers until I became Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 1989. I retired from the Association in 2003.

My community service includes active involvement in Christians Against Hunger, the Fulton County Court Appointed Special Advocates, and the Genesis Community Congregation. Additionally, I was the first Executive Director of the Henry W. Grady High School Foundation and served as Co-Chair with Jimmy of the Atlanta Fulton Family Connection.