“Serving as mayor is an enormous responsibility that I take very seriously, and I welcome and embrace the ideas and support already being offered to me by a diverse group of citizens across our community. It has been a privilege to devote nearly 30 years of my life to serving our community as a teacher in the Sumter County School System, and now I hope to continue serving as the next Mayor of Americus. Only by working together can we build a brighter future for our entire community,” Kinnamon stated Monday afternoon.

Kinnamon, a sixth generation resident of Sumter County, has been married for 31 years to his wife Karen, also a retired Sumter County educator. They reside in his family home on West Church Street. Active members of Calvary Episcopal Church, the Kinnamons have two grown children, Charles (24) and Thomas (20).

 Personal Background

• Born in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Reared in suburban East Point, Georgia.
• Attended Fulton County Public Schools, graduating from Headland High School in1983.
• Married to Karen Lee Wommack (31 years), retired English/Language Arts teacher at Americus-Sumter HS.
• Returned to maternal family home in Americus, Georgia, July 1990 (sixth generation of family to reside in Sumter County).
• Children–Charles Hale Kinnamon (24) and Thomas Ansley Kinnamon (20). Member of Calvary Episcopal Church (member of church vestry).

Education

• The University of the South (Sewanee) B.A. (cum laude) 1987. Member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society.
• Member and secretary of the Order of Gownsmen (honor society/student government).
• Georgia Southwestern State University, post-graduate coursework leading to T-4 certification in social studies (grades 7-12) 1991-1992.

 Employment 

• Assistant Director of Admission, The University of the South (Sewanee), 1987-1990.
• Eighth grade Georgia History teacher, Sumter County Middle School, 1992-1997. Eighth grade team leader, 1993-1997.
• Sumter County Middle School Social Studies chair, 1996-1997. Sumter County High School history teacher, 1997-2004.
• Social Studies Department chair, 1999-2004.
• Lead Facilitator, Americus-Sumter Performance Learning Center, 2004-2013. Social Studies teacher, Americus-Sumter High School, 2013-2021.
• Georgia Historical Society Young Historians – founder of statewide program and faculty sponsor, 2000-2004.
• Member of School Council, 2001-2003, 2019-2020.
• Member of Georgia Council for the Social Studies.

 Awards

• Eighth grade Teacher of the Year, 1992-1993.
• Sumter County High School Teacher of the Year, 1999.
• Sumter County High School Star Teacher, 2000-2001 and 2003-2004. Golden Apple Award recipient, 2004, 2005, 2014-2019.
• Americus-Sumter High School Teacher of the Year, 2018-2019.
• Sumter County Schools Teacher of the Year, 2019-2020.

 Community Service

• Commissioner, City of Americus Historic Preservation Commission, 1992-2005.
• Secretary of Historic Preservation Commission, 1999-2005.
• Board of Directors, Sumter Historic Trust, 1992-1999, 2017-present. Archivist/Historian Sumter Historic Trust, 2017-2020.
• President, Sumter Historic Trust, 1996-1997, 2021-present.
  • Curator, Georgia Historical Society, 1998-2006.
  • Membership Committee chair, 1999-2000.
  • Awards Committee, 2000-2007, chair, 2000-2001.
  • Library and Archives Committee chair, 2000-2007.
  • Georgia Historical Marker Review Committee, 2001-2009.
• Vice President, Georgia Historical Society, 2002-2006.
• Chair, Southwest Georgia Railroad Excursion Authority/Historic SAM Shortline Railroad (state authority charged with developing and overseeing an excursion train operation from Cordele, Georgia and Georgia Veterans’ State Park to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park in Plains and Archery), vice-chair, 2000-2003, chair, 2003-present.
• Chair, Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board, gubernatorial appointment, 2001-2010.
• (GHRAB advises the Georgia Department of Archives and History and administers a statewide archives grant program.)
• Trustee, Friends of the Georgia Archives, 2004-2006.