ATLANTA – LaPlace native Penny Brown Reynolds is making history in Georgia. She’s been named the Executive Counsel for Gov.-elect RoyBarnes, the first African-American woman to hold such a position in that state.

The 37-year-old daughter of Deforest M. Brown and sister of Monica B. Mealy, both of LaPlace, is a graduate of East St. John High School. Reynolds previously worked as chief of staff for the lieutenant governor’s office and formerly served as an assistant attorney general in Georgia.

Reynolds responded she is proud and honored to attain such a critical position in state government.

As executive counsel, Reynolds will provide legal service directly to the governor on policy and legislative issues, as well as work with state agencies on the governor’s behalf.

She defined her role as a legislative advisor, providing advice on matters brought before the governor and support any initiatives he wants to guide through the legislative sessions.

In addition to preparing for her new role in George state government, Reynolds is also completing work on her first novel, “I Can Do Bad by Myself,” about an African-American family based in New Orleans and Atlanta. The book is scheduled for release this year.Reynolds is a member of the Georgia Commission on Women, a group formed by the Legislature in 1992 to monitor the status of women in the state, and she is co-editor of the organization’s resource book, “Women and the Law: A Guide to Women’s Legal Rights in Georgia.”She has lectured on domestic violence, affirmative action and children’s rights issues.

She graduated cum laude from Georgia State University with a bachelor of science degree and earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the Georgia State University School of Law, where she became the first African- American, as well as the first law student, to receive the university’s Distinguished Student Award, the school’s highest student service honor.

She is married to the Rev. Edward S. Reynolds and is the mother of twosons, Michael, a Dillard University freshman, and Fela, a sophomore at Hampton University.

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