Sandra Deal is the incumbent First Lady of Georgia who assumed office on January 10, 2011 as the successor of former Governor Sonny Perdue’s wife Mary Ruff. Deal is one of the most active First Ladies in the US.
Early Life and Education
Sandra Deal was born and raised in Gainesville, Georgia. After completing high school, she went to Georgia College & State University for undergraduate studies.
Personal Life
Sandra Deal is married to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal since 1967. Member of First Baptist Church, the couple has four children – Katie, Carrie, Mary Emily and Jason Deal – and six grandchildren.
Career
Prior to becoming First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Deal was a public school teacher in Georgia. Having been in the position for 15 years, Deal gained enough experience to work with children. The same experiences have significantly helped her devise child and community welfare plans as the First lady.
Firstly, Deal started a campaign named ‘With a Servant’s Heart’ under the principles of ‘volunteerism, community involvement, and outreach’. As per the campaign, the members strive to create awareness about the importance of volunteerism and philanthropy. Deal says, “When we reach out to become involved in helping mold a new beginning for another person, we bring hope for that individual and we in turn receive joy.”
Likewise, Sandra Deal’s another initiative titled ‘Read Across Georgia’ has gained significant media and positive public attention. The initiative is mainly focused on increasing the children’s ability to read by the time they reach third grade. First Lady points out, “Parental activities as simple as reading stories aloud to young children can greatly improve and enhance our students’ reading and literacy skills.” In the same way, First Lady Deal works under Governor’s Office for Children & Families.
Besides, Sandra Deal chairs the board of the organization, Friends of the Mansion. The organization aims to protect and renovate the valuable state cultures, arts, and treasures. Similarly, Deal led a group to open Georgia Governor’s Mansion Library Collection with around 3650 books. Interestingly, Nathan Deal has a monthly schedule of what she should be spending her time in a particular year. The following schedule is extracted from Georgia government website.
Monthly Initiatives led by the First Lady:
- January – Service and Volunteerism
- February – STEAM Education
- March – First Lady’s Read Across Georgia
- April – Child Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Awareness
- May – College and Career Readiness
- June – Parent Engagement
- July – Prevention and Awareness
- August – Juvenile Justice
- September – Healthy Choices
- October – Early Childhood Education & PreK
- November – Military, Veterans & Families Appreciation
Donald Trump and Sandra Deal
We can’t particularly point out how well First Lady Sandra Deal and President Donald Trump agree with each other. However, given that they both represent the Republican party, the two should have similar stands on a lot of issues.
