2026 Georgia Civic Excellence Awards

Dr. Eric Castater is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Kennesaw State University (KSU), where he serves as Faculty Advisor for two student clubs, the Young Democrats and Owls for Israel. He teaches courses on American Government, international political economy, international law and organizations, and European Union politics. His research focuses on labor politics and the rise of populist and radical political parties in the wealthy democracies. In 2024, Eric took an unpaid leave of absence from KSU to run as the Democratic nominee for a state house district in Cobb County. In 2025, Eric published his first book. Co-written with Dr. Kyung Joon Han and issued by Oxford University Press, it examines how social identity shapes working-class support for the populist radical right in Western Europe. During the 2025-2026 academic year, Eric helped establish the “Georgia Politics Speaker Series” at the School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) at KSU, which invites in individuals active in Georgia politics to speak with students on campus. He also organized and moderated with former Senator Don Balfour a “Civil Political Dialogue Event” at SGIA with State Representative Lisa Campbell (D) and State Senator Ed Setzler (R), both of whom represent KSU's Kennesaw campus in the Georgia legislature. Eric is married to Nellie and has 3 children, Jacob (22), Vee (20), and Claire (17).

James Hall is a longtime Savannah resident whose career has been defined by a commitment to serving others and strengthening the community he chose to call home.

A proud “Double Eagle” of Georgia Southern University, James earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2006 and his Master of Public Administration in 2008. When he moved to Savannah, he began his professional career in public safety as a Crime and Intelligence Analyst with the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. That experience gave him a firsthand appreciation for the importance of public service, sound information, accountability, and effective government.

James later transitioned into real estate, where he continues to work with families and individuals throughout the Savannah area. In 2021, he was appointed to the Chatham County Board of Elections. He was subsequently elected to his first full term in May 2022 and was re-elected in May 2026.

For James, defending democracy is not simply about winning elections or advancing a political agenda. It is about maintaining public confidence in the institutions that make self-government possible. It means believing that political disagreements should be resolved through facts, elections, laws, and peaceful civic engagement—not through intimidation, conspiracy theories, or attacks on the democratic process.

It is fitting that James is being honored with a “Defender” award by the Georgia Democracy Resilience Network. The principles of truth in our politics, peaceful engagement with our fellow Americans, and support for the foundational institutions of our constitutional republic reflect the values that have guided his approach to public service.

Soumaya Khalifa, is the founder and executive director of ISB Atlanta (formerly Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta), one of the most distinguished community-building organizations in the area. Soumaya is a frequently requested speaker, both as a consultant and ISB representative, and has a significant social and traditional media presence. In addition to her work with the ISB, Soumaya is the President & CEO of Khalifa Consulting, is a highly-regarded coach, trainer and consultant, specializing in intercultural communications, diversity, equity and inclusion, and leadership development.

In her role with ISB Atlanta, Soumaya connects American Muslim communities with a wide range of civic and faith-based groups, bringing Muslim voices to places where they have not been before. ISB Atlanta sends trained speakers to civic groups, churches and synagogues, law enforcement agencies, and schools, providing opportunities to learn about Islam and Muslims objectively through dialogue, outreach programs, presentations, and panels.

Through her consulting firm, Soumaya provides corporate, non-profit, and governmental institutions with wide-ranging expertise and practical solutions to cross-cultural operations. Using resources she developed to examine the impact of religious diversity in the workplace and the marketplace, Soumaya has seen her clients and their employees improve their work environments and increase productivity.

Prior to founding ISB Atlanta and launching her consulting practice, Soumaya had an exemplary career in Human Resources at Georgia Pacific. While there, Soumaya saw – and felt – the challenges faced by religious and ethnic minorities in the workplace and addressed those challenges by designing and implementing company-wide initiatives. As a committed believer in “building bridges of understanding,” Soumaya is involved in a myriad of community activities, including sitting on the boards of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and is a member of the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center.

Since 2009, Soumaya has been an adjunct faculty member at Emory University’s Center for Continuing Education, offering courses on intercultural communication and Human Resources Certification. She has published numerous articles, reviews and blog posts on managing cultural differences, including contributing a chapter to Religious Diversity at Work (2016).

Her work has brought her much recognition and too many significant honors to list here. Recently, Soumaya was listed in the 2023 Georgia 500: The State's Most Influential Leaders by Georgia Trend magazine and she received the 2021 Honorable Mention Power the Future award from The Forum on Workplace Inclusion. She is a 2019 YWCA Woman of Achievement, was honored in Atlanta Magazine’s 2019 Women Making a Mark, and was presented with the prestigious Phoenix Award by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed in 2017. Speaker, teacher, organizer, consultant, leader, facilitator, mediator, entrepreneur, innovator and executive, all describe Soumaya Khalifa. She uses those talents toward a singular focus: increasing intercultural understanding. At Soumaya’s heart is a true community-builder and peace-maker.

Joseph Kirk has dedicated nearly 25 years to administering and improving elections across the United States. Starting in 2002, he tested and supported the first statewide electronic voting system while earning a computer science degree from the University of Georgia. After graduation, he spent two years implementing Mississippi’s TSX voting system before returning to Georgia in 2007 to serve the voters of Bartow County as their Election Supervisor.

From updating voting technology and election procedures to supporting election administrators through documentation and training, Joseph’s career has been defined by election innovation. Notably, he helped design and pilot Georgia’s first-ever risk-limiting audit and works within a coalition of state leaders, election officials, and advocacy organizations to ensure that Georgia continuously strives to improve every aspect of its elections.

Joseph has served in a variety of leadership roles within the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials (GAVREO) and is currently the association's Immediate Past President. He also serves on the Bipartisan Policy Center's Election Task Force and the Election Official Legal Defense Network's Advisory Board. His work on the state and national level has earned the Georgia Secretary of State's Eagle Award, the Ann Hicks Award for Excellence in Election Administration, and the Defender of Democracy Award from the Center for Election Innovation and Research.

Andrew Lewis is the vice president of Avolon Accounting and co-owner of Opus Education Solutions, an online financial and operations platform specific for the charter school sector. Andrew joined Avolon and Opus in 2019 as a charter school policy and advocacy expert, working with various charter schools and charter support organizations in Georgia and across the nation. Andrew worked for the Georgia Charter Schools Association for over 12 years as executive vice president over advocacy and policy, helping to pass some of the most significant charter schools laws in the nation.

Andrew was instrumental in the passage into law numerous charter school related bills, including the 2009 “Georgia Charter Schools Commission Act,” allowing for a statewide alternative authorizer of charter schools. After the Georgia Charter Schools Commission Act was declared unconstitutional in 2011 by the Georgia Supreme Court, Andrew played a pivotal role in reestablishing this statewide alternative authorizer of charter schools by passage of a constitutional amendment. The “Charter Amendment” as it came to be known, received the necessary two-thirds majority by the Georgia House and Senate before receiving nearly 60% approval by Georgia voters in November 2012. This was the first statewide, charter school specific referendum to be passed in United States.

In recent years, Andrew co-founded First Five Freedoms, an organization dedicated to celebrating and protecting our 1st Amendment rights. First Five Freedoms works closely with the broad faith community to find a common table of shared values for our nation and for each other.

Andrew is active in his community of Atlanta, having served on the boards of the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Virtual Academy Charter School, the largest public school in the state of Georgia. Andrew currently serves as on the board of trustees at his synagogue, The Temple, co-chairs the Rothschild Social Justice Institute – Protecting Democracy Group and is a board member of Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta.

With over 20 years of experience in the education field and as a political consultant, Andrew is a respected national charter school and education reform expert understanding the complexities of state charter school policies, advocacy and governance.

Rev. Sean B. Smith joined Antioch Baptist Church North in September 1988, under the pastorate of Rev. Dr. C.M. Alexander. Under the tutelage and guidance of Rev. Alexander, he was licensed to preach on April 14, 1991 and subsequently ordained to the gospel ministry on April 11, 2001. Rev. Smith has served as the senior pastor of New Horizon Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA, since 2001. He also currently serves as Mayor Andre Dickens’ Senior Advisor for Faith Affairs, contributing to efforts related to housing insecurity and affordable housing.

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Rev. Smith is a graduate of Georgia State University with a B.A. in Journalism. He holds a Master of Divinity from the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, where he received an Outstanding Academic Achievement recognition and the William Ollie and Nell Ray Key Excellence in Leadership Award.

For over 32 years of ministry, Rev. Smith has led with a servant's heart, giving voice to those too often overlooked. He champions the belief that safe housing, education, employment, and justice are inseparable threads in addressing our community’s greatest challenges. Among the many organizations and programs he has served are Fulton County's “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies”; Project Redirection, a first-time nonviolent offender alternative-to-incarceration program; United Way's VIP Program and Community Investment Volunteer program; the Atlanta Community Food Bank's Hunger Walk Advisory Board; the North Georgia Building and Construction Trades Council Apprentice Program for returning citizens; the Minister's Alliance (as President); Antioch School of the Bible (as Instructor); the General Missionary Baptist Convention Magazine (as Publisher/Editor); Men of Antioch North (as Co-Chair); the DeKalb County Small Business Council Advisory Council; the Walton House Board of Directors; the M.L. King Merchants Association; the NAACP; and Jean Childs Young Middle School's “The Den” Program of supportive services for students and families.

Rev. Smith has remained deeply committed to the City of Atlanta. In response to increasing crime along the Martin Luther King Jr. corridor, he convened meetings with APD law enforcement from Zones 1 and 4, MARTA Police, the Martin Luther King Jr. Merchants Association, and community leaders to collaboratively address the issue and develop solutions. He also forged partnerships with local schools, including Frederick Douglass High School and S.M.A.R.T. Academy Charter School to support at-risk students and families with emergency aid, food, and housing referrals.

To extend his work in the community, Rev. Smith founded 3 Essentials, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to youth development and academic assistance. He remains deeply committed to improving the lives of those affected by social challenges, including housing and food insecurity, and is a strong advocate within the unsheltered service-provider ecosystem. Rev. Smith continues this work through his involvement in Atlanta's nonprofit and interfaith community, where he currently serves as Chair of the Atlanta Continuum of Care (CoC) Governing Council; a member of the InTown Cares Board of Directors; the Islamic Speakers Bureau Advisory Council; the Cascade Ministers Fellowship; the Atlanta Ministers Union; the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center Board; the City of Atlanta's Human Trafficking Planning Team; and the Ethics Committee for the Mayoral Transition Team.

Rev. Smith is the proud father of two daughters, Zoe and Alexandria.