The Georgia Municipal Association awarded outgoing Cornelia City Clerk Janie Henderson its Lifetime Service Award for her 39-year municipal career. Henderson accepted the award during a reception held in her honor at the Cornelia Community House. She is retiring on June 15 following an accomplished career in North Georgia.
Henderson began her career in city government in 1982, serving as city clerk in Helen. She served in that role for 14 years before moving to the city clerk position in Cornelia. Henderson also oversaw Cornelia’s financial operations for the last 15 years, resulting in a clean audit every year.
Among her many contributions to the city, Henderson has organized Cornelia’s annual Big Red Apple Festival for the last 10 years, helping bring people from across Georgia to celebrate the annual apple harvest. She also helped shape the face of the city for years to come by serving on the design team for the new Cornelia Municipal Building, which was completed in 2020.
“Henderson demonstrated her love of Cornelia and Helen through her many years of generous service to their citizens,” said GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson. “These cities are fortunate to have had that kind of dedicated leadership, and GMA and Georgia’s cities are also grateful to have seen the example she set for all city leaders.”
