State Representative Keith Heard
House District 114

Athens Representative Keith Heard has remained a faithful public servant to the people of House District 114, since he was first elected in 1994. The legislator’s current law-making duties include membership on the Appropriations, Intragovernmental and Insurance Committees. Despite his busy life under the Gold Dome, Representative Heard also enjoys a career in the Insurance industry. He and his wife Charmaine currently reside in Athens.

State Representative Jane Kidd
House District 115

A native Georgian and Athens resident since 1986, Jane Kidd’s career and community involvement prepared her well for the job of State Representative.

Jane began her political career at age 27, serving three two-year terms on the Lavonia City Council. She was also a member of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Task Force on Community Development Block Grant Programs.

Upon moving to Athens Jane quickly became active in the community. She chaired the successful SPLOST 2000 campaign, served as an elected member of the Clarke County Democratic Committee since 1998 and managed Don Johnson’s successful 10 th District Congressional Campaign. As Representative Johnson’s District Director, Jane directly helped Athens citizens by solving problems with federal agencies like the IRS, Veteran’s Affairs and Social Security.

Jane’s community activities demonstrate her ability to work with a wide variety of people on many different issues. To name a few:

* Past Chair, Clarke County Mentor Program Steering Committee
* Participant and Alumni Program Chair, Leadership Athens
* Board Member, Georgia and Clarke County Clean and Beautiful
* Board Member, Junior League of Athens
* Board Member, Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia
* Board Member, Tour of Homes Chair, Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation
* Board Member, Reunion Chair, UGA National Alumni Association
* Board Member, Clute Barrow Nelson Life Foundation
* Board Member, EarthShare of Georgia

She has worked for and consulted with colleges and universities nationwide, including development and alumni positions at the University of Georgia. This experience gives her an excellent understanding of the complexities of higher education, especially important because the 115 th District is home to the main campus of UGA, the largest employer in Athens-Clarke County.

Kidd serves on the House committees on Education, Health & Human Services and Higher Education, all of which are important to residents of Athens-Clarke County and the University of Georgia community.

A native of Lavonia, Jane has been married 31 years to David Kidd and they have two children, Elizabeth, 27, a membership representative with the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE), and Alex, 22, an Ole Miss student. Kidd is a cum laude graduate of the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia. As daughter of the late Georgia Governor S. Ernest Vandiver and grandniece of the late U. S. Senator Richard B. Russell, Jane grew up with a deep-rooted sense of commitment to community and political service.

State Representative Bob Smith
House District 115

Born and raised in Oconee County, Representative Bob Smith went on to attend the University of Georgia, graduating with his BBA in 1976. He currently is involved in Commercial Real Estate, and worked as an appraiser in past years. Representative Smith began his political career with his election to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1998. He is currently serving as the Vice Chairman of Appropriations for the Higher Education Sub-Committee. The Vice Chairman is also a member of the Rules, Public Utilities and Telecommunications and Reapportionment Committees.

The energetic, yet humble, legislator claims 2 heroes: his mother, whom he lost 6 years ago and Ronald Reagan. Former President Ronald Reagan was somehow able to shine a light onto the longtime Democrat and convert him into a Republican in 1979 and he hasn’t turned back since. Representative Bob Smith has been actively involved in campaigns and politics since the age of 6, when he remembers passing out cards for the election of the Fire Commissioner in his hometown. Later, that involvement escalated to more active involvement in the Norwood Campaign. For that particular electoral season, Representative Smith actually dressed up as Uncle Sam to help promote the candidate!

Chairman Smith and his wife Laura are the proud parents of 3 children. The eldest of the 3, Robert, is in his third year at Georgia Tech working on a degree in architecture. The couple’s younger son, Matthew, is a freshman at the University of Georgia. Shearron, the youngest of the Smith bunch is currently attending Oconee County High School, representing the fourth generation of her family to attend there. The Smith’s are active members of the Ashford Memorial Methodist Church of Watkinsville in Oconee County. The Smith children have always been actively involved in theater while growing up, which is something that Representative Smith really enjoys watching.

Aside from church and his children’s theatrical appearances, the legislator is an avid golfer, enjoys traveling and has an interest in antiques. The chairman claims also to be a big fan of serving the people. He is very active in several community organizations in addition to his legislative duties. He is a member of the Oconee Rotary Club, the Athens Area Association of Realtors and is one of the founding members of the Oconee County Relay for Life Organization.