The Coweta County Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Winston Dowdell to serve as the 5th district representative on the Coweta County school board, at a called meeting Friday morning.

Dowdell begins his service immediately, and will serve the unexpired term of the late Mitch Powell, Jr. Dowdell – a 38-year educator – retired from the Coweta County School System at the end of 2001, after serving for nearly eight years as Associate Superintendent.

“I am very honored by the school board’s decision. I am excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with the Board,” said Dowdell. “I’m mindful that this isn’t about me, but it is about students, parents, teachers and staff, and the whole community. It’s about all of us as school board members building consensus and helping move the school system forward.”

“I am looking forward to representing the fifth district, in particular, and our county as a whole,” said Dowdell. “I’m not replacing Mitch Powell, because you can’t replace him, but I am honored to serve.”

Dowdell was appointed by a unanimous vote of the Board during a called meeting at 8 a.m. January 12, at the 237 Jackson street Board of Education building.

Board Chairman Frank Farmer opened the meeting by saying that he had spoken informally to his fellow board members, and that “several names of highly qualified nominees” from within the fifth school board district had been discussed by board members.

Farmer noted that the school board’s charter required the board to appoint a citizen to fulfill vacancies on the board and to choose a replacement who lives within the school board district.

After nominations were opened, School Board Vice-Chairman Brian Roy placed Dowdell’s name for consideration.

“Over the past two months I have spent considerable time speaking with citizens who live within that district and discussing the strengths those candidates would offer,” said Roy. “The candidates that showed interest all brought a lot to the table and it is honorable that they wished to step forward and serve our community.”

Roy cited Dowdell’s experience as an educator, principal, school system leader, and a community leader in numerous instances as his qualifications for the board position. With no other nominations submitted by Board members, Framer closed nominations and the board elected Dowdell unanimously.

Winston Dowdell served as Associate Superintendent of the Coweta County School System from 1994 until his retirement in 2001, after having served as Assistant Superintendent for Special Services for five years.

He had previously served as Principal of Eastside Elementary School for four years, Principal of Fairmount Elementary School, Assistant Principal of Newnan High School for over three years.

Dowdell came to Coweta in 1968 with a B.S. Degree from Alabama State College and four years of teaching experience. His first job was as a teacher at Grantville Brown School. From there he transferred to Moreland School and on to Newnan High in 1974. At the time, he was completing an advanced degree at West Georgia College as well as certification in administration and supervision.

Dowdell has also been active in civic affairs, including service on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Coweta and Peachtree Regional Hospital, serving as steward of the Greater Mt. Zion Church and a member of 100 Black Men of West Georgia. He has also been board chairman for the Chattahoochee-Flint Area Planning and Development Commission, board member of West Georgia College - Newnan Center, loan officer of the county credit union, and board member of the Rutledge Center. He has served on the Chamber of Commerce board and on the Coweta Clean and Beautiful Commission, on the County Fire Commission, and as a United Way trustee.

His professional memberships include the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and Phi Delta Kappa. He is a native of Opelika, Alabama, and his wife, Verneda, is from Auburn, and also taught in the Coweta County School System for 35 years, retiring in 1999. They have one daughter, Windy, who is a pharmacist for Kroger. His son-in-law Sean is an Assistant Principal at Smokey Road Middle School. Dowdell has two grandsons – Kamran, who is a student at Ruth Hill Elementary School, and Karston, who will attend next year.

Winston Dowdell Academy – the former Fairmount Elementary School - was named in his honor in 2002.

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