Rep. Karla Drenner
HD 85
Dr. Karla Drenner was first elected to represent House District 85 in 2000, becoming the first openly lesbian legislator in not only Georgia, but the entire southeast. Georgia WIN List endorsed her for that historic WIN in the organization’s first year.
A native of Charleston, West Virginia, Rep. Drenner has lived and studied throughout the United States, earning a Bachelor of Science in Health Physics from West Virginia State College; then a Master of Business Administration from Fontbonne University; and a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Southern Illinois University. She received her first PhD in Public Policy Analysis and Administration from St. Louis University and completed her second PhD in Occupational Safety & Health from LaSalle University.
Rep. Drenner serves on five legislative committees: Rules, Health & Human Services, Natural Resources & Environment, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications and Small Business Development. She is also Chair of the DeKalb County legislative delegation.
On the national level, she serves on the Policy Committee for the National Foundation for Women Legislators and was recently selected to participate in a two-year healthcare taskforce by the Conference of State Government. At the regional level she serves on the Energy and Environmental Public Policy Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference.
She is the author of several books beginning with “One: The True Story of Politics, Prayer, and the Power of One,” which she shares her legislative experiences. Her most recent book, “Social Jurisprudence in the Changing of Social Norms,” identifies how government systems can assist future generations combat the harsh realities of inequities. Her text on the “Impacts of Faith-Based Decision Making on the Individual Legislative Process” explores the legislative process and the importance of bridging the divide with those who have divergent viewpoints on issues.
She has received more than 30 awards and recognitions for service contributions to public, private or nonprofit organizations. In 2013, she was selected to attend a course at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at the University of Arkansas Center for Advancement of Leadership Skills. In 2012, she was chosen as a “Toll Fellow” by the Council of State Governments’ National Leadership Center and the same year was chosen by the Institute for Georgia’s Environmental Leadership for a program dedicated to building and sustaining a diverse network of environmentally educated leaders in the state of Georgia.
As a 2011 alumna of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program, Rep. Drenner, along with faculty and participants, worked on real-life case studies addressing one of the most frequently cited problems of public officials: how to create and engage in public discourse about difficult subjects.
In addition to her duties in the General Assembly, Dr. Drenner is a graduate professor for Purdue University Global, where she teaches in the public administration program. She has taught at several other higher education institutions including DeVry University, where she taught both graduate and undergraduate courses.
Campaign Links:
