Acworth, Kennesaw, and West Cobb Citizens of the Year announced

Jake Busch, Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
·3 min read

Oct. 27—The Acworth, Kennesaw, and West Cobb Citizens of the Year were announced Thursday at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce's Northwest Cobb Area Council meeting.

The 2022 Acworth Citizen of the Year is Lori Perkins, who taught for many years in the Cobb County School District, then worked for the Marietta City Schools district office before retiring in 2018. Currently a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker, Perkins also leads the five-member volunteer board of the Acworth Tree Commission as their elected chair.

"She had an idea that has made life better for hundreds of people in our city," Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood said. "In 2019, our Citizen of the Year met with our city team with the idea to build a community garden, and to give the produce from that garden to seniors who had food needs."

Perkins and volunteers work in the garden, completed this year, at least three days a week. When she is not on site, Perkins is spreading the word, raising funds and raising awareness of the garden's resources.

"This is just amazing, and it's not just me, which you all must know," Perkins said. "There's, like, 50 other people who should be standing up here with me, and I just am so grateful to everybody who said yes, the mayor said yes, the town council said yes. We asked for money, they said, 'Yes.'"

KENNESAW

Patti Schoettler, an independent Aflac agent described as a servant leader, was named the 2022 Kennesaw Citizen of the Year.

"This lady is so incredibly busy, that you wouldn't think twice about this Citizen of the Year," Kennesaw Mayor Derek Easterling said before announcing Schoettler. "She's been a friend and mentor to me, and I can't say enough about her integrity and the commitment that she has to the community where she lives."

Schoettler is an active member of several boards and committees in Cobb, including North Cobb Rotary, the Atlanta Lyric Theater, The Davis Direction and Devereux Georgia.

"Schoettler works incredibly hard as a doer, producing big ideas and seeing them through to fruition," the Cobb Chamber said in a news release.

Schoettler shouted out the North Cobb Rotary Club in her remarks after receiving the award. She also thanked the chamber for introducing her to the club and others in which she has become involved.

"I'm so blessed and privileged to be a part of this community," Schoettler said.

Eddie Wade, COO of Croy Engineering, received the West Cobb Citizen of the Year Award, presented by the Town Center Community Improvement District.

Heavily involved in Leadership Cobb, the chamber's leadership training program, as a member of the 2015 class, Wade was revealed as the winner by his classmate, Town Center CID Director of Community Jennifer Hogan.

Wade "personifies the term 'service before self,'" Hogan said before revealing him as the winner, and "is an unsung hero to every organization they commit to. This person dedicates hours, days and even weeks to many nonprofits in our community, like LiveSafe Resources, Cobb Community Foundation and the Center for Family Resources, just to name a few."

Wade was the ACEC National Young Engineer of the Year in 2019 and 2020, featured in 20 under 40 by Cobb Life Magazine in 2020, the Cobb Chamber 2019 Next Generation Award Winner and 2017 Leadership Cobb Spirit Award winner. Wade contributed to The Center for Family Resource's inaugural "Parade of Playhouses," designing and building Croy's "Command and Conquer" playhouse, which was donated as an auction item to help the non-profit raise funds to prevent childhood homelessness.

"Whether it is mentoring students or stepping up in times of need, Wade serves with pure authenticity and with a smile on his face," the chamber said about Wade in the release. "Wade has continuously contributed to the wellbeing of the West Cobb community through his willingness to help, giving spirit, and demonstrated acts of service."