A strong desire to help improve education in Bulloch County is why Susan Sneathen said she is seeking the District 2 seat.
      “I decided to run for the board seat because I have had a long standing passion for quality education,” she said. “I see Bulloch County as an area that has so much potential, and this is another opportunity for me to serve a community for which I care very deeply.”
      Sneathen said she grew up with parents who were teachers, she is married to Dwight Sneathen, a Georgia Southern University accounting professor, and she has two children in the Bulloch County school system. She also has volunteered for school activities since 1998, and served on the Brooklet Elementary School Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) for two years. She also is a former substitute teacher.
      She said her interest in education has taken her even further.
      “Back in 2004, I decided to take some action in the area of education,” Sneathen said. “That action resulted in my becoming an active advocate for educators, support staff, and students. As a result of my efforts, I now have ongoing contacts at the local, state, and national level regarding the topic of education. “
      She pointed to two especially rewarding experiences during the past few years – helping create a mentoring program at Brooklet Elementary, which provided volunteer reading mentors to struggling students, and running a book drive with another parent.
      “I witnessed the lives of very young readers take a sharp turn in a positive direction,” she said about the mentoring program. “It affected me maybe as much or more than it did the child.”
      And the book drive resulted in the delivery of “a load of books for kids in need to four of our elementary schools,” she said.
Education has always been important to Sneathen. “My mother was a ‘teacher of excellence’ who impacted my life in a big way. My father taught history for a while before going into accounting in the health care industry. Both of them have taught me a lot about the value of education.”
      Sneathen said she is very spiritual and isn’t shy about letting people know it.
      “My other motivation for running for the Board of Education District 2 seat is God,” she said. “I seek Him in all my decisions. I sought the input of two with regard to this decision - God, and my husband. I believe both are giving me the nod. When the Lord lays something on my heart, I've learned not to argue.”
      Trust is an important issue in quality education and the relationship between school board leaders and the community, and that is one point where Sneathen feels there is a need for focus.
      “I would like to see everyone working together to build the very best in education right here in Bulloch County,” she said. “That requires trust, and there seems to be a breach in that area presently. We have some wonderful, talented, and dedicated teachers in this district and we need to take care of them. They are on the front lines with our children. They are life changers and they will play a big part in forming the leadership of future generations.”
      Sneathen and her husband are parents to two - Abi, a Southeast Bulloch High School junior, and Benjamin, a Southeat  Bulloch Middle School seventh-grader. She has a background in business and is an amateur photographer and a writer with a book under consideration by a publisher.
      Sneathen said she has many ideas about how to help solve problems within the school system and intends to work hard if elected. She said she will be accessible to the public.
      She intends to remain actively involved in Bulloch County schools regardless of whether she is elected.
      “I'll be in the schools no matter what,” she said. “Iwill either be on the board or in the board members’ ears, so you might as well put me on the board and let's see how we can all - together - get the job done!”