Local & State Headlines

'40 Under 40' honored

• Southwest Georgia residents are recognized Friday by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and The Albany Herald.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — From reverends to reporters, Southwest Georgia’s “40 under 40” were recognized Friday at a noon luncheon at The Parks at Chehaw.

Sponsored by The Albany Herald and the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s Emerge Albany, the luncheon honored the career achievements and community focus of the honor’s recipients, organizer Tami Abbott said.

“The winners are selected based on, obviously, how they have done in their career. But the main focus is what they do in the community and their civic participation,” she said.

In its third year, this is the first year the honor has included a luncheon, Abbott said. The chamber sponsored the lunch, which Abbott said hopefully will become an annual event.

“This year the chamber, the Emerge Albany group, called me and said they wanted to help,” she said. “We had wanted to turn it into a luncheon. It was just a natural fit with Emerge Albany.”

Assistant District Attorney Kim Westley said she felt honored to have received the recognition.

“It feels great,” she said. “When I first received notification that I was nominated, I couldn’t believe it. I’m just honored that someone thought enough of me to nominate me.”

As an ADA, Westley prosecutes cases forwarded from the Albany Police Department.

The 31-year-old, who was recently transferred to the felony division and now prosecutes crimes such as murder and aggravated assault, received her law degree from Texas Southern University in 2003. Westley came to work for the Dougherty District Attorney’s Office immediately after graduation.

Jason Armstrong, who works on Westley’s team as an investigator, also received the recognition.

“I was honored that somebody recognized my work,” he said after the Friday lunch. “It’s nice to be honored once in a while for your efforts.”

Armstrong, 30, said his job is to take a case the APD forwards to the office and fill in the gaps so a solid case can be made against a defendant.

“I look at the case like a defense attorney looks at the case,” he said. “I look at where the holes are in the case, and I try to fill in those holes.”

With an associate’s degree in business ad a bachelor’s in organizational leadership, Armstrong said he got into law enforcement — he started as an investigator with the APD before going to the D.A.’s office two and a half years ago — because he wanted to make a difference.

Abbott said the region’s 40 under 40 serves as a launching pad to the same recognition by Georgia Trend magazine because several of Southwest Georgia’s past honorees have been recognized statewide.

The selection process takes about two-three months, she said, because the award’s recipients must be nominated, then Abbott must compile a book of the nominees for judges to look at and make their decision.

While most of the recipients are unanimously agreed upon, some take a little debate to determine the most qualified for the recognition, she said.

More Headlines>>