A Brenau University administrator is the first candidate to announce plans to run for the Gainesville City Council Ward 5 seat this fall.
Dr. Juli Clay, Brenau University Assistant Vice President for Executive Programs and Department Chair of Communication, announced her candidacy in a press statement Thursday night.
The Ward 5 seat will be open following this week's announcement by Ruth Bruner, who said she would not seek re-election.
Clay is a native of Mobile, Alabama who has lived in Gainesville since 2006.
Juli Clay is an Auburn University Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations undergraduate as well as an Auburn University Master’s of Arts in Communication graduate. She earned her Doctor of Business Administration with a focus in Leadership from Walden University.
While Clay is a newcomer to politics, she has been active in the Gainesville community since her move to the area a dozen years ago. Clay has served on the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce VISION 2030 Board, she was in the 2012 class of Leadership Hall County, and she has been involved in the United Way, Northeast Georgia History Center and WomenSource boards. She is a member of the Gainesville Rotary Club, and has worked with the Georgia Mountain Food Bank, the Enota Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia, the William Candler Chapter of the D.A.R. and the Elachee Nature Center.
Clay and her husband Brooks have three children.
