Former Board of Associates
Faith-Based Ministry
"Building Community Relationships"
Pastor Tony Phillips is the lead Pastor at Higher Ground, a ministry of McEachern UMC launched in 2018. Tony also serves the South Cobb area schools as a ministry representative for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Prior to answering his call to ministry, Tony had a 20 year business career in global marketing, most recently at The Coca-Cola Company.
Tony graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where he played varsity lacrosse for 4 years. Tony also graduated from Emory's Goizueta School of Business and from Emory's Candler School of Theology.
Tony is the proud father of 4 boys, who he coaches in basketball and lacrosse.
Family Center
"Parenting School Involvement"
Irene Barton was appointed as the Cobb Collaborative Executive Director in September, 2018. She had served previously as the Resource Manager for the Collaborative. Irene brings a wealth of nonprofit experience to this role, with an emphasis on membership recruitment and retention, advocacy, communications and marketing. In addition, she has extensive community involvement through the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Georgia PTA, local schools, and civic organizations. She is passionate about strengthening stakeholders to address the issues impacting our community. Irene graduated from Furman University and spent over a decade as a corporate banker.
She and her husband Steve are the proud parents of two teenagers and a rescue dog. The Bartons have resided in Cobb County for over 29 years.
STEAM Academy
"Increasing Student Achievement"
STEM & Innovation Supervisor/Professional Development Consultant
Twitter: @STEMSally
Sally.creel@gmail.com
Sally Creel, K-12 STEM & Innovation Supervisor for Cobb County Schools in Georgia, has spent the last 26 years as an educator, science and STEM administrator working with leaders, teachers and K–12 students. Sally also works as a professional development consultant for several organizations including the National Science Teaching Association, Georgia DOE, Kennesaw State University, Picture Perfect Science, Teacher Created Materials and various MSP grants.
She has had the opportunity to conduct professional development sessions in science & STEM across the United States. Dr. Creel has a passion for empowering classroom teachers. Her professional development trainings are fast paced and collaborative. Sally’s goal is that teachers will leave her trainings with a variety of strategies that can be implemented immediately.
Sally has served as a consultant and contributing author on a number of publications including the Smithsonian’s STEAM Readers series and STEM Position Statement for the National Science Teaching Association. She is actively involved in the Georgia Science Teachers Association and Georgia Science Supervisors Association and has served as presidents of both organizations. She is also a frequent presenter at the National Science Teaching Association National Conference.
