ATLANTA, GA— At the December 7th City Council Meeting for Conyers, Mayor Vince Evans and the City Council Members provided the opportunity to present three local recipients of the inaugural class of the James A “Bud” Cody Community Impact Award recipients. The award, (The Cody) recognizes individuals who have impacted communities via motivation, determination, and innovation. The award honors James A. “Bud” Cody, Executive Director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association; Director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes; and Secretary of the Sheriffs’ Retirement Fund for 46 years.
Judge Nancy N. Bills, Rockdale Superior Court
Judge Nancy N. Bills began her public service career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Rockdale Judicial Circuit after graduating from the University of Georgia Law School in 1989. She served in this Office for over ten years, with the last three as the Chief Assistant District Attorney. During this tenure, she began her community service as a founding member of the local domestic violence shelter, a volunteer for the Truancy Intervention Program, and the Chair of the United Way Advisory Board.
After a short stint in private practice with the law firm of Walker & Waldrop, In 2004, her desire to return to public service led her to run successfully for State Court Judge in 2004 and take the bench in January 2005.
As the State Court Judge, she immediately made a difference by building a reputation for courtroom management and utilizing her Court to set precedents for the good of the community. Her accomplishments include starting a DUI Court in 2007 to break the cycle of addiction and crimes through treatment and accountability. Served as Chair of the Rockdale County Family Violence Task Force and was recognized as the Georgia Commission on Family Violence’s Task Force of the Year in 2008. She was named Georgia’s Task Force Member of the Year in 2011. The Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice, in his address to the 2014 General Assembly, recognized her work for establishing a dedicated Family Violence Court in 2013.
It is easy to observe Judge Bills’ work ethic because she has disposed of over 150,000 cases and averaged over 235 court sessions every year. This effort resulted in the Administrative Office of the Courts Report ranking her as Number 1 in the State of Georgia for case dispositions based on population.
In addition, Judge Bills served as the Rockdale Rotary Club President in 2007, leading to her recognition as the Robert Stubbs II “Guardian of Ethics” Award for the Rotary International District in 2012. Likewise, the State Bar of Georgia honored her in 2010 with the prestigious Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service.
After serving 16 years as the Chief State Court Judge for Rockdale County, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced her appointment to the Superior Court for the Rockdale Judicial Circuit. In addition, Governor Kemp asked for her to utilize her experience for the greater good of Georgia by appointing her to the Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
In her “spare” time, Judge Bills served as the Chair of the annual Race Against Violence (RAV) 5K for ten years and a member of the Judicial Council and the Council of Accountability Court Judges. Evidence of her statewide impact was her election to serve as the President of the Council of State Court Judges for Georgia.
To sum up Judge Bills, Bob Bray, Executive Director of the Council, observed in a judicial report for Georgia, “in simple terms, Judge Bills is handling more cases—has been for years—she is the busiest judge in Georgia.” Fortunately for Rockdale County, she was not only the busiest but also perused groundbreaking initiatives that benefit our community and the State of Georgia.
Judge Bills is married to her husband, Jeff, and they have a daughter, Mary.
Additional recipients for 2022 include Mrs. Mona Franklin, Rockdale County Drug Free Coalition, Antony (Tony) J. Lucas, Public Safety Director/City Manager of Conyers GA, and Mrs. Marty Kemp, First Lady of the State of Georgia. More information on each winner can be found on the site.
If you know someone who has made a sustainable impact in your community from any field, go to marchmanconsulting.com and go to the tab for “Cody Award for CIA.” Recognize their efforts by completing and submitting the application. The application process is continuous and does not have a dedicated deadline. For more information, email [email protected] for additional details.
Marchman Consulting aids communities to make an impact by assisting with program data analysis, grant development, implementation, and evaluation for sustainability efforts. An example is the award-winning alcohol risk management (ARM) initiative incorporating development of environmental scans, ordinances, certification courses such as RASS for servers/owners, and training for code enforcement.
