Dougherty County’s newest board member took her oath of office during a ceremony in September, officially filling a seat left vacant by retiring board member Dr. Lane Price.

Mrs. Geraldine West Hudley was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal, following a recommendation by the board, to fill the unexpired term left when Price retired. Hudley will fill the vacant seat until January when she’ll be sworn in to begin her first full term as an elected member of the board.

Hudley was elected to a four-year term on the board by voters after Price announced that she would not be seeking re-election.

Hudley, a retired teacher and principal, fills the at-large seat on the board. Hudley told the Albany Herald that she is excited to take her seat on the board.

“My hopes and expectations are that we will do the best job possible to ensure that our young scholars receive the best possible education and that people will come running to Dougherty County because of that,” Hudley said. “I will bring knowledge and compassion to the board. I bring clarity and and a desire to learn as much as possible, so I may infuse that somehow, someway into the work that we will be doing by developing policy that will be best for our young scholars.”