Celebrating Service
CELEBRATING SERVICE AWARDS
2014 Award Recipients and Guest Speaker
T
he 2014 Atlanta Bar Association Celebrating Service
Awards will take place on Friday, October 17, 2014
at the Piedmont Driving Club. The event will include
a pro bono fair with representatives from 22 organizations
available to talk about their programs and their need for
volunteers. Additionally, a luncheon will be help to recognize
recipients of the Community Service, Public Service, Pro
Bono and Public Interest Awards.
Public Service Award: Judge Cynthia D Wright
Significant contributions by an elected or appointed official or
other public servant who has advanced the fair administration
of justice in our community and fostered professionalism and
ethics in the political, legislative or judicial process.
Judge Cynthia Wright is a lifetime public servant. Prior
to taking the bench, Cynthia Wright served the citizens
of Georgia as legal counsel for two Georgia Governors:
George Busbee and Zell Miller. After leaving the executive
branch, Judge Wright joined the judiciary and has worked
on behalf of the citizens of Fulton County with dedication
and integrity for nearly 20 years. Judge Wright served on
the Fulton County State Court from 1995-96 and the Fulton
County Superior Court from 1996-2014. She led the creation
of the Fulton County Family Court Division which addresses
the needs of children and families, and adjudicates divorces
and child custody cases. In 2009, Judge Wright’s colleagues
elected her Chief Judge, a role she held for four years.
During her time as Chief Judge, Judge Wright worked
with her counterparts at the Fulton County State Court to
improve the efficiency of the court system to make it more
accessible and effective for the general public. She oversaw
the expansion of the Fulton County Drug Court, established
a Veteran’s Court, assumed responsibility for a federally
funded Re-entry Court and personally started and presided
over the Parental Accountability Court. Additionally, she is
an active supporter of Covenant House which serves the
homeless in our community.
Community Service Award: Nekia Hackworth Jones
Significant contributions for participating or coordinating a
community service project adopted, created or sponsored
by the Atlanta Bar Association or one of its Sections.
Nekia Hackworth Jones has worked in the Economic Crimes
Section and the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s
12 THE ATLANTA LAWYER
October 2014
office. She has lectured on economic crimes and human
trafficking across the United States and Asia and is currently
working with sister bar, GABWA (Georgia Association of
Black Women Attorneys), on a program to educate the
public and the profession about problem and effects of sex
trafficking in Atlanta.
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