JIMMY JORDAN

Jimmy Jordan’s journey with the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) began in the late 1970s when he was a teacher and coach in Newton County. He later advanced to an assistant principal role and eventually became principal and assistant superintendent in Jasper County, where he spent 28.5 years in education. In 2000, after retiring from his administrative roles, he transitioned to PAGE as one of the first Membership Service Representatives (MSR), embarking on a 22-year career with the organization.

JIMMY JORDAN

Jimmy’s involvement with PAGE was heavily influenced by his wife, a curriculum director, who introduced him to PAGE leaders Barbara Christmas and Tim Callahan. This led to his hiring as an MSR, responsible for 22 counties in his first role. Over time, PAGE expanded its MSR districts from eight to 13, and Jimmy eventually became the director of membership in 2014. Throughout his career, he played a key role in growing PAGE's membership from 48,000 in 2000 to 95,000 by the time he retired in 2022.

One of Jimmy's key contributions was the visibility and expansion of the MSR program. He emphasized the importance of PAGE representatives visiting schools and forming relationships with educators. His motto, aligned with PAGE’s leadership, was “boots on the ground”—ensuring that educators knew who their PAGE representative was and what support was available to them. This personal approach was instrumental in recruiting new members and maintaining PAGE’s strong presence in schools across Georgia.

Jimmy also saw PAGE's early focus on the teacher pipeline as a defining moment in the organization's history. Long before the teacher shortage became a statewide concern, PAGE recognized the need to inspire high school and college students to pursue careers in education.

Jimmy also saw PAGE's early focus on the teacher pipeline as a defining moment in the organization's history. Long before the teacher shortage became a statewide concern, PAGE recognized the need to inspire high school and college students to pursue careers in education. Through partnerships with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, the Department of Education, and the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL), PAGE launched initiatives such as Future Georgia Educators, which brought MSRs into classrooms to promote the profession. Jimmy was particularly passionate about this program, enjoying the opportunity to speak with students about becoming educators and contributing to the pipeline of future teachers.

One of the major challenges PAGE faced during Jimmy’s tenure was the increasingly litigious environment in education. Having PAGE’s legal team actively involved in schools, offering ethics training, and providing immediate access to attorneys became crucial. Jimmy believed that this legal support was a key reason many educators initially joined PAGE, but over time, members also came to appreciate PAGE’s professional learning programs and legislative advocacy, which kept educators informed about state policies and regulations affecting their work.

Jimmy’s favorite memories of his time at PAGE were the relationships he built with his fellow MSRs and the educators he served. He valued the close-knit team at PAGE, describing them as "class individuals" who were dedicated to supporting teachers and students. He also took pride in PAGE’s evolution, particularly the technological advancements that streamlined membership management and made the organization more efficient.

Looking ahead, Jimmy believed that PAGE should continue evolving to meet the needs of educators, particularly by staying engaged with legislative issues and maintaining its reputation for providing honest, reliable information. His legacy at PAGE, he hoped, would be defined by his efforts to support educators, encourage future teachers, and help PAGE grow into a trusted and invaluable resource for Georgia’s education community.