Young Harris Mayor Andrea Gibby was elected president of the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) during the association's 2026 Annual Convention in Savannah on Sunday, June 28. Joining her in leadership are Suwanee Mayor Jimmy Burnette as First Vice President, Jackson Mayor Carlos Duffy as Second Vice President, Douglasville Mayor Rochelle Robinson as Third Vice President, and College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom as Immediate Past President.
Gibby has served successively as third, second, and first vice president on the GMA Board of Directors. She has also chaired the organization's Legislative Policy Council. As GMA president, she will lead the organization's member cities in advocacy, policy development, and municipal support efforts throughout the year.
"I am honored to serve as President of the Georgia Municipal Association," said Mayor Gibby. "Cities are the foundation of strong communities, and I look forward to working alongside municipal leaders across our state to address challenges, share innovative solutions, and strengthen the quality of life for all Georgians."
In her acceptance speech, Mayor Gibby called on delegates to close the gap between belonging and mattering — arguing that local government's true purpose is to make residents "feel seen, heard, and valued." She drew a connection from Benjamin Franklin's hands-on community building in colonial Philadelphia to the unglamorous daily work of city halls across Georgia today, calling it "democracy, built from the ground up." She closed with a charge to her fellow municipal leaders: "Georgia Cities Shine Bright. Not because we say so. But because every day, across this state, local leaders do the quiet work of making people feel seen, heard, and valued. While others debate government, cities deliver it."
Mayor Gibby has served as mayor of Young Harris for 18 years, shepherding the small north Georgia mountain city through significant growth and revitalization. Her tenure has brought new businesses, housing developments, parks, community spaces, and the sidewalks that connect them. Among her most consequential achievements was successfully challenging a Georgia DOT highway expansion plan that would have expanded the highway that runs through Young Harris's downtown and neighborhoods — an effort that effectively preserved the character of the city itself.
Beyond city hall, Gibby serves as director of the Appalachian Children's Center, which provides services to children and families who have been victims of abuse and neglect. Her professional background includes two master's degrees in counseling and psychology and extensive experience as a therapist working with children who have experienced trauma — experience she credits with shaping her approach to collaboration, mediation, and community leadership.
"Mayor Gibby brings a rare combination of tenacity, compassion, and long-range vision to this role," said GMA CEO and Executive Director Larry Hanson. "She has spent her career working to make people's lives better. That is exactly the kind of leadership Georgia's cities need right now, and we are proud to have her as our president."