Board President and Visionary

In 2021, Sally Fowler became the founding president of our organization. She retired in 2019 after a ten-year career as a special education teacher. Her primary career was in group health and disability insurance, where she retired as a Regional Director for Unum Insurance Company. Sally formerly served as President of the Board for Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network, and as President of the International Claims Association. Teaching became her second career after her initial retirement as a way to give back to her community. Education is still a primary passion for her, as are sustainability and community development.

Secretary and Master Gardener Extraordinaire

Pat joined the MMCG board as secretary in 2021 and remains committed to the success of the garden. She retired in 2013 after 33 years as a public school teacher and administrator with accolades including Georgia Assistant Principal of the Year. She currently serves on the board of the Morgan County Historical Society, The Caring Place Food Bank, and the Morgan County Retired Teachers Association. A Georgia Master Gardener since 2013, Pat enjoys all aspects of gardening, especially utilizing native plants that support pollinators and growing vegetables.

Board Treasurer

Ann retired from teaching 6th-grade math in the Morgan County School System in 2019. And, she is a Retired Sergeant First Class with over 26 years in the Army Reserves where she was in charge of 200 soldiers. She brings to bear essential finance-related knowledge having spent 7 years in the banking industry, and she now serves as Treasurer for the community garden. Ann is also a Boys and Girls Club Board member and serves on the Capital Campaign Committee. A gardening enthusiast, she has assisted in teaching plant recognition to the Morgan County and Pete Nance Boys and Girls Club. Ann's faith is a crucial aspect of her life and, as such, she was led to become an ordained minister.

Education Committee Chair

Sharon retired from teaching 7th-grade life science at Morgan County Middle School in Madison, GA. She continues to teach as a volunteer with Monarchs Across Georgia which is a committee of the Environmental Educators Alliance of GA. Her passion for monarchs and other pollinators began with attending workshops and traveling twice to Mexico to observe the epic migration first-hand. She also volunteers with Friends of Georgia State Parks at Hard Labor Creek State Park and the Fifth Street Community Garden. These outlets give her the opportunity to continue teaching and sharing nature with others.

Fundraising Committee Chair

Ann retired from a 30-year career with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole & Pardon Services beginning as a Probation & Parole Agent and culminating in her role as Assistant Deputy Director for Field Operations. Over her career, Ann participated at all levels in developing organizational philosophy and missions, setting standards for long and short-range planning initiatives, developing outcome measures for specialized programming, and serving on multi-jurisdictional task forces and teams. Her knowledge of operations at the county, state, and federal government levels has proven invaluable to our efforts. A Certified Master Gardener, Ann also provides a wealth of experience in gardening and canning fresh produce.

Community and Public Relations Chair

Joan Sherwood has been involved with Fifth Street Community Garden since its inception. Her early career was in marketing where she worked for the Coca-Cola Company - Foods Division in Houston and then in advertising in Atlanta. In 1995, she and her family moved from Atlanta to Morgan County. In 2010 she began a new career as a middle school teacher at Morgan County until she retired in 2018. As chair of the Public Relations for the garden, Joan focuses on creating a sense of community involvement and ownership of the garden. Joan also oversees the garden’s presence on social media, plans and executes all special events, and nurtures the Fifth Street Community Garden brand.

Gardener Relations Chairperson

Karen spent many years following her grandmother around the yard – doing as she was told!  Involvement with the Fifth Street Community Garden has been a wonderful opportunity to learn why she was doing those things! Having moved to Madison in 2019, the Garden has been a wonderful way for Karen to get to know members of the community.

Karen’s primary career was as a Specialist in Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation.  After retiring from the clinic setting, she used her skills in business management and Occupational Therapy in other areas of patient care and child education.  Now she brings those skills to support the success of the Garden.  Her time is divided among behind-the-scenes administrative tasks in bookkeeping and fundraising as well as time in the Garden with the Boys and Girls club gardeners and her role as Gardener Relations Chairperson.