Scott Sweeney, former Georgia Board of Education chairman, dies at 68

Maybe his early years of launching and managing restaurants did it. Maybe it was his family’s tradition of taking over Thanksgiving meal preparation so his mother could relax.

Whatever it was, Scott Sweeney loved nothing better than being in the kitchen, cooking a delicious meal for the family and friends he loved.

“We had a role reversal sometimes,” Sandy Sweeney, Scott’s wife, said. “He would be in the kitchen, planning a meal, and I would be lighting a fire or painting a room. He just loved to cook and to invite people over.”

The son of Jeremiah and Eileen Sweeney, Scott Edward Sweeney died in his Cobb County home on July 10 from complications related to cancer, his wife said. He was 68.

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, he grew up in San Jose, California. At Blackford High School, he played three sports and did well in school, later earning an economics degree from UCLA.

Scott Sweeney loved nothing better than being in the kitchen, cooking a delicious meal for the family and friends he loved. (Courtesy of the Sweeney family)

His son Jake, 21, a civil engineering student at the University of Alabama, said his father and he bonded over a love of sports.

Sweeney knew the rules for different games, the players in various sports, their performance records and their histories. His son described his father as “a walking encyclopedia for sports.” The two knew if there was a game on, they would be watching it together.

After graduating from UCLA, Sweeney spent two decades in the food industry, managing restaurants across Northern California and franchising ones in Colorado. A friend in the restaurant business introduced him to Sandy, and the two had a long distance relationship before Sweeney decided to relocate to metro Atlanta. He continued with restaurants for a few years before working in commercial real estate.

A local Marietta law firm, InPrime Legal, approached Sweeney about working in business development. Its founder, Jonathan Page, said “Scott embodied the kind of leadership every organization hopes to find. He cared deeply about people, approached every conversation with humility and wisdom, and always sought to make those around him better.”

In 2011, Sweeney was elected to the Cobb County School Board, where he served until 2018, as vice chairman and then as chairman. His wife said he “liked the structure and the process. He knew how to run a meeting, how to follow Robert’s Rules of Order.”

When things became heated during a meeting, Sweeney was always able to defuse the situation by remaining “calm and level-headed,” Sandy said. Scott attended almost everything happening at the schools in his district — plays, band performances, presentations and sporting events.

In 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp tapped Scott for the Georgia State Board of Education. He chaired the organization during the COVID-19 pandemic “and he tried to make the best decisions he could, given the information he had,” Sandy said.

“Scott Sweeney cared deeply about Georgia students and families, a commitment he made clear during his years of distinguished service on the State Board of Education,” state School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a news release.

In 2025, the governor appointed Sweeney to the State Charter Schools Commission. According to SCSC Chair Cayanna Good, Sweeney “will be remembered as a champion of excellence in public education in all its forms.”

While Gabe Sweeney, 25, a U.S. Navy submarine officer, knew his father served the community and state in various roles, he said his father shared a love for music. Sweeney delighted in introducing his son to his favorite musical artists. He taught himself how to play the piano, Sandy said, and Gabe said he taught him how to play guitar. Gabe kept at it, practicing — and eventually became better than his father and was able to teach him.

This year, like every other year, the Sweeney family — and some of Jake’s college friends — traveled to Destin, Florida, where Sandy’s cousin lives. They spent a week there, boating and swimming, cooking and eating.

Sweeney repaired and replaced whatever needed attention at the house. On the Fourth of July, the group took a rented pontoon boat to Crab Island, then returned to the house, where Sweeney cooked up a shrimp boil.

In addition to his wife and sons, Scott Sweeney is survived by his brother, Cordell, and his wife, Janinne; sisters, Shannon Sweeney and Carleen Sweeney; and two nieces.