Big Voice Honoree Bios
Judge Peggy Walker – Douglas County Juvenile Court
For nearly 30 years, Judge Peggy H. Walker has been giant in protecting some of the most vulnerable children in Georgia, lending her powerful voice to enact change throughout the state. As a leading statewide and national expert in juvenile law, Judge Walker has a sophisticated understanding of how important education and social supports, and protection from abuse are to a child’s healthy development.
Judge Walker’s contributions to children over the years have been extensive, spanning her work as a full-time Juvenile Court Judge in Douglas County since 1998, and her part-time work as Associate and Judge Pro Tempore since 1990. Judge Walker also received a federal partnership grant for the Family Drug Treatment Program to serve parents with substance abuse problems who have children from birth to age five. She currently serves as President of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. In this capacity, she serves on the on STRYVE Action Council (Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere), a national effort to end youth violence.
When Judge Walker isn’t busy protecting some of the most vulnerable children in Georgia, she spends time with her son and five grandchildren, cooks, gardens, and travels the country and “plants the seeds of leadership” by teaching leadership to college and law students, instilling in young people a desire to make change in the world.
Dr. Robetta McKenzie– Executive Director, Augusta Partnership for Children
Before a community can measure its strength and effectiveness, Dr. Robetta McKenzie believes communities should answer the question posed by the traditional Masaai warrior greeting: “And how are the children?"
Growing up, Dr. McKenzie’s parents stressed the importance of community and the importance of surrounding children with strong communities. She carried that mind-set into her career, where she spent three decades as an educator all across Georgia. Dr. McKenzie says this time helped impress on her the importance of engaging parents and the community to make real difference in kids’ lives.
Dr. McKenzie has worked tirelessly for the past 25 years with the Augusta Partnership for Children (APC), where she serves as Executive Director and has raised millions of dollars and built effective, durable coalitions. Under her leadership, more than 120 individuals, organizations, and agencies currently work in partnership to ensure that Augusta-Richmond County children are born healthy, receive the support they need for school success, and grow up in stable, self-sufficient families supported by a strong, caring community.
Dr. McKenzie never wavers from her commitment to make a difference and transform neighborhoods to ensure positive outcomes for children. She reminds us all of the basic truth that "healthy children are the truest measure of a healthy community."
Dr. Karl Lehman – CEO, Childkind
Dr. Karl Lehman has spent most of his adult life speaking up for children and challenging systems that aren’t working for children with special needs. He is a formidable advocate, and he is a beloved presence at policy forums.
Childkind is one of Georgia’s leading providers of foster, adoptive, and host home placement for children with complex care needs. Childkind also empowers families caring for children with special healthcare and developmental needs by providing a wide array of support services to promote safe, stable and nurturing homes for medically fragile children. Building upon its experience with HIV+ children, in 1992ChildKind expanded its services to include all children with complex medical challenges or developmental disabilities. The families served by Dr. Lehman and his team rely on Childkind to help their children to overcome tremendous odds and to receive the care and support they need.
Dr. Lehman’s dedication, passion, and command of the facts make him a driving force behind Childkind. In his free time, Dr. Lehman enjoys studying family history and genealogy and watching British murder mysteries.
Ms. Kim Anderson - CEO, Families First
Kim Anderson is CEO of Families First, Georgia’s oldest and leading non-profit family service agency—impacting almost 40,000 children and families each year and serving metro Atlanta for 125 years. Ms. Anderson ensures the success of children facing challenges and difficult odds by empowering families. Families First is dedicated to helping to achieve child well-being and family success through counseling and safe housing; preventing and solving family problems through training and skills development; and advocating and championing changes in public policy.
Ms. Anderson has been a transformational presence at Families First and guides a staff of over 100 employees in 16 locations. Families First, founded in 1890 as the Leonard Street Orphans’ Home, broke ground last fall on its new headquarters in Washington Park. The former E.R. Carter Elementary School will become a resource center offering an array of services to families. Families First, also among the state’s largest mental health service providers, sees an average of 37,000 children and family members each year.
Throughout her career, Ms. Anderson has been dedicated to providing support and services to those who are among the most vulnerable in Georgia. She previously served as Executive Director of AID Atlanta, the Southeast’s largest AIDS services organization, building on an extensive legal career in the healthcare arena, which included working at the law firm of Alston & Bird and serving as the first General Counsel of Grady Health System. A greatly admired leader in the child serving community Ms. Anderson has been a big voice for children for decades, and we are delighted to honor her.