Jeff Breedlove, strategic policy adviser for the Georgia Council for Recovery, told State Affairs Wednesday that accessibility for all veterans would be an important component of the committee’s goals.

“Particularly, we’re concerned that for veterans in rural Georgia, where there’s no MARTA and no Uber service, that the state thinks through how a veteran [can] access the services in the first place,” Breedlove said. “You can create all the programs you want, spend all the money you want, but if a veteran can’t get to the place to get the service, it does no good.”

Breedlove also emphasized that addiction and suicide would be key issues for the committee to deliberate. 

Correction: This story has been updated with Jeff Breedlove’s current job title.

You can reach Nava Rawls at [email protected] or on X @navarawls.

Q. What motivated you to run for office?

A. I’ve always been active in my community and at the state level, and I’ve helped others who’ve run for office in the past. My friends, family, neighbors and people around I trust have really encouraged me to think about running.

Q. What is a defining moment in your life or career that helped guide you to this role?

A. I’m heavily involved in agriculture, my family farms, and I’m in agribusiness, so I understand what agriculture means to the state, and more particularly south Georgia, and understand the hardships that farmers are faced with. I feel like I could be a good voice for rural Georgia and try to be a champion for them. I’m not a politician, I’m a wife, mother, business owner and community leader. I feel like people become lifelong politicians and they become removed from normalcy and they don’t identify with the people. I feel like I can relate to my base in south Georgia and represent their needs.

Q. What are your major accomplishments throughout your career?

A. I’ve raised two good children. They love the Lord and they’re kind to others. I’ve helped build a business. I’ve worked locally to secure funding for athletic programs that my children are involved in. I chair a trustee board for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and I’ve helped them raise money. I’ve served on the Farm Service Agency State Committee, and I’ve testified before Congress’ [Agriculture] Committee on behalf of the cotton industry. I’ve done a lot to get to where I am now.

Q. What do everyday Georgians need to know about you?

A. Rural Georgia agriculture and our children’s safety are the most important things to me. I’ve been signing the front of the paycheck for nearly 25 years, so I understand the burdens that business owners face with rising costs and inflation, and I also understand what that means to my employees. I’m not presumptuous enough to think I can fix the problem, but I do think I can relate to the issues that many Georgians face.

Q. How do you view the role of a legislator?

A. A legislator needs to represent the views of the people they represent. Understandably, when you represent 60,000 people, they won’t all have the same views, but I will certainly do what I can to represent them to the best of my ability.

Q. Is there one particular lesson you’ve learned in your career that prepares you for this new role?

A. I deal with farmers, commodity markets and weather, but I’ve learned that not every day is a great day. I’ve experienced my fair share of ups and downs in business. I’ve seen my farmer customers and my brother’s farm experience failures — crop failures when there’s a hurricane that destroys a crop or the market drops out and production costs are higher than the selling price. 

[I’ve seen] grown men nearly cry. They worry about how they will continue farming the land that’s been in their family for generations and how they’re going to support their family. A lot of it is out of their control, but I would say dealing with the bad days and the bad years has taught me a gratefulness for the good days and the good years. It’s also taught me that money is not the most important thing. It comes and goes, so don’t hold on to it too tightly. We’re not here just to prosper for ourselves. We’re here to leave the world better than we found it, and that’s a pretty tough feat nowadays.

Q. What issues are you most passionate about and hope to address as a legislator?

A. Again, rural Georgia, agriculture, public safety — especially for our children — and mental health. I want my children to have opportunities to not have to move to Atlanta for a good life. We must continue to invest and base economic development in our rural communities. Agriculture is the largest industry in the state … it’s the lifeblood of rural Georgia.

Q. What do you anticipate will be your biggest challenge in your first session?

A. I want to listen, learn and understand the process in Atlanta, but at the same time, I want to dive in and hit the ground running for my constituents. I know that it’s going to be a balancing act, but as a businessperson, I know results matter, and that’s what I’m going to try to deliver starting on the first day.

Q. And to close out, what is your guilty pleasure?

A. I love a good Netflix series, coffee and pedicures. So on a perfect day, I get to experience them all at the same time.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Jaclyn Ford’s preferred name.

You can reach Nava Rawls at [email protected] or on X @navarawls.