Honorable Verda Colvin

Judge Verda M. Colvin was appointed by Governor Brian P. Kemp to the Court of Appeals of Georgia and sworn in on April 10, 2020. Judge Colvin is the state’s first African-American female appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by a Republican governor. Her appointment to the Superior Court by Governor Nathan Deal on April 16, 2014 made her the first African-American female judge in the Macon Judicial Circuit. In 2016, she was elected to serve a full term after an uncontested election.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Judge Colvin attended Atlanta Public High School, D.M. Therrell. She received her Bachelor of Arts Dual degree in Government and Religion from Sweet Briar College in Virginia and her Juris Doctorate from University of Georgia School of Law where she was a member of Moot Court, Mock Trial, a member of the National Fraternity Blue Key Chapter and a Pupil in the Inn of Court.

Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Colvin was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Georgia, choosing Macon as her home, where she prosecuted a wide range of offenses from drug trafficking to white collar crime. Preceding her service with the federal government she was an Assistant District Attorney in Clayton County, GA. She also served as Assistant General Counsel at Clarke-Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. She became aware of her love for trial work during her service at the Solicitor’s Office in Athens-Clarke County, GA and during her years in private practice at Ferguson, Stein, Watt, Wallas, Adkins & Gresham, et. al. P.A. immediately upon graduation from UGA Law School.

Judge Colvin is committed to service professionally and personally. In 2019 she was appointed by the Georgia Supreme Court to serve on the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC). During her tenure as a Superior Court judge she served on the Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ)- serving on the Funding Committee as well as formerly serving as Committee Chair for Accountability and Treatment Courts, she also served on the CACJ Executive Committee. She was serving as co-chair of the Rules Committee with CSCJ at the time of her appointment by Governor Kemp. She was formerly on Governor Nathan Deal’s Criminal Justice Reform Committee and the Law Enforcement Task Force Committee. Judge Colvin is a member of several organizations and boards: Macon Bar Association, GABWA (Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys), The Gate City Bar- Judicial Section, the William A. Bootle American Inn of Court, the Rotary- Downtown Club, Troop Leader for Girl Scout Troop 60022 at St. Peter Claver Catholic School, Board of Trustees for Mount de Sales Academy, Co- Teen Leader for Jack and Jill of America-Macon Chapter, Chisholm Leadership Academy Board of Directors, President of the Board of Directors for the Fuller Center Macon for Housing (2018-2020), Regional Partnership Council of the Boys and Girls Club of Central Georgia, Community Partnership Board, Co-chair of ONEMACON 2.0, Judicial Council Standing Committee on Grants, Access to Justice Committee (A2J) member, and formerly CSCJ Bench & Bar and Legislative Committees. Judge Colvin also serves as a Mentor/Advocate with Macon-Bibb Citizen Advocacy. Judge Colvin is a proud Leadership Macon 2010 Graduate.

Judge Colvin is serving as a member of the Internal Operations Manual and the Continuing Judicial Education and In-house Continuing Legal Education for Staff Attorneys at the Court of Appeals. She is also Co-chair of the Strategic Planning/Court Futures Committee. She has also been appointed to serve on the Continuing Judicial Education Board of Trustees.

Judge Colvin has numerous awards and honors including, Tradition of Excellence Award as a Judge by The General Practice and Trial Section of the State Bar of Georgia (2019), Middle Georgia Association of Women Lawyers as Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year (2019), The House of Hope-Women’s History Month Award (2019), NAACP President’s Award (2018), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Pearls of Service Award (2017), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Citizen of the Year (2016 and 2017), Career Women’s Network- Woman of Achievement (2016), Georgia Orthodox Missionary Baptist Ass. Community Service Award (2015), and Leadership Macon’s Robert F. Hatcher Distinguished Alumni Award as a Community Leader (2015). Judge Colvin also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Mercer School of Law. Finally, she is a member of First Baptist Church where she serves as Children’s Sunday school teacher and on the Women’s Ministry Leadership Team.

She is also the proud mother of two children who are being groomed to serve as well. She is married to Nathaniel Walker with whom she shares two other adult children.

Verda on her sheroes: My sheroes are my mother, Geneva Britten, and Maya Angelou. Both women were and are inspirational. When a woman can take where she begins and cultivate those humble beginnings to become more for herself, her children and her community, she inspires and creates a new generation of sheroes.